Close race for governor in NJ, GOP’s Youngkin takes Virginia

By WILL WEISSERT and SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey is still in a close race for reelection while a Republican political newcomer has delivered a stunning upset in the Virginia governor’s race. Those results are sending a warning on Wednesday to Democrats that their grip on power in Washington may be in peril. In Virginia, Glenn Youngkin became the first Republican to win statewide office in a dozen years, tapping into culture war fights over schools and race to unite former President Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters with enough suburban voters to notch a victory. President Joe Biden won Virginia by a comfortable 10 percentage points last year and New Jersey by 15.