The polls have opened for gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia on a relatively quiet Election Day, but one that promises to be a gauge of the electability of Democrats and Republicans a year after President Donald Trump’s surprise election victory.
In Virginia, former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie faces off against Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam for the opportunity to lead the commonwealth. In New Jersey, Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno attempts to succeed her boss, Gov. Chris Christie, against former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy, a Democrat.
While the statewide races have not attracted the level of attention that might accompany elections in a presidential or congressional midterm year, each has been marked by its own defining factors.
Trump’s presence hangs over the race in Virginia where he has been actively tweeting on Gillespie’s behalf in recent days. He weighed in on the election early this morning amid his 13-day trip to Asia.
“[Gillespie] will totally turn around the high crime and poor economic performance of VA,” Trump tweeted. “MS-13 and crime will be gone. Vote today, ASAP!”
Though Trump has not personally campaigned for the Republican, Northam’s campaign has attempted to tie the president to Gillespie, banking on Trump’s unpopularity in the state to help secure what would be the fourth gubernatorial victory for Democrats in the past five Virginia races.
The New Jersey election has been dominated by talk of Christie, who is among the least popular governors in U.S. history, based on polls of his job approval. Murphy has argued that a Guadagno’s governorship would represent a continuation of Christie’s tenure, while Guadagno has pointed to moments of disagreement with her boss to attempt to distance herself from the two-term governor and former Republican presidential primary candidate.
Trump has been notably quiet on the race in the traditionally blue state where Murphy has led Guadagno by consistent double-digit margins in polls ranging back to the spring. Recent polls show the Democrat with a lead of between 10-15 points.
Surveys of Virginia voters show a markedly closer race, with Northam outpolling Gillespie by as much as 9 percentage points in one poll, while falling within the margin of error of another.
Polls close in Virginia at 7 p.m. EST and in New Jersey at 8 p.m. EST.
from ABC News: Politics http://ift.tt/2hOd8YU
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