Virginia Gubernatorial Battle Looms as Abortion, Education, Crime and Economy Take Center Stage in Legislative Elections

GOP-backed Youngkin, whose approval ratings have remained higher than Biden's in Virginia, hopes to consolidate power by targeting abortion restrictions and education reforms, while Democrats fear rollbacks on gun control and voting rights laws and push to maintain legislative balance during the contentious elections.

Despite being the only Southern state without new abortion restrictions since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Republican lawmakers' previous attempt to introduce a 15-week ban on abortions was blocked by Senate Democrats.
Democrats have centred their election campaigns around blocking Youngkin's proposed abortion ban, which Republicans plan to reintroduce if they attain legislative control.
The future of abortion policies, education, crime, and the economy are the highlighted issues for voters deciding whether to give Republicans full control of state government for the first time in a decade, or maintain Democratic opposition to Youngkin's priorities.
In efforts to increase early votes, Youngkin and allied groups have invested heavily in initiatives to overcome Republican scepticism about early and mail voting, leading to a reported increase in early voting by likely Republican voters.
Possible outcomes of Tuesday's legislative elections are seen by many as a test for both major parties heading into the campaigns for the 2024 presidential election.