Polls close in tight Virginia governor race, count underway

By WILL WEISSERT and SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The polls have closed and votes are being counted in Virginia’s tight governor’s race, which is also the first major test of how voters feel about Joe Biden’s presidency. Tuesday’s governor’s race was supposed to be a comfortable Democratic win but is instead ending in suspense. Polls show Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014 to 2018, deadlocked with Republican former business executive Glenn Youngkin. The GOP has not won statewide office in Virginia since 2009. Voters saw the economy as the top issue facing Virginia, followed by the coronavirus pandemic and education, according to AP VoteCast, a statewide survey.