Nine months into Biden’s first term, all U.S. eyes on Virginia governor’s race

WASHINGTON — Voters in Virginia are choosing their next governor Tuesday, a vote with wide-reaching implications for both the sitting U.S. president and his ever-present predecessor. 

Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump have a lot riding on whether former Democrat governor Terry McAuliffe or newcomer Republican Glenn Youngkin emerge the victor in what appears to be a neck-and-neck race. 

McAuliffe is seeking a return engagement after he was first elected to the post in 2013 — Virginia’s term limits prohibit governors from running for back-to-back terms. 

But recent polls suggest he may be trailing Youngkin, a self-proclaimed “political outsider” and Trump acolyte whose campaign has sought to distance him from the former president.