The overblown importance of the Virginia governor's race


Among the many downsides to the nationalization of politics, there's this: It's exhausting.
Voters in Virginia today will choose their next governor, either Republican Glenn Youngkin or Democrat Terry McAuliffe. But this is not just a Virginia story — the national political media has been consumed in recent weeks by every little development in the race. We've been treated to extended coverage of the controversy over the reading of Toni Morrison in the state's high schools, stories on how the race might be affected by endless congressional dickering over President Biden's agenda, arguments over how much former President Donald Trump matters to the campaign, and the controversy over a stupid anti-Youngkin stunt pulled off by The Lincoln Project. Outside of whatever Sen. Joe Manchin is saying today, it's the biggest story in politics.
If I lived in Virginia, I'd be more than informed enough to cast a vote in today's election. But I don't live in Virginia. Neither do you, most likely. So why should non-Virginians care so much about that state's election?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
I suspect we shouldn't, and that we probably wouldn't — at least not to this degree reflected in the news coverage — if not for the fact that so much of our political media corps is concentrated in Washington, D.C., which makes the Virginia race a backyard story for so many of the reporters covering it. A similar dynamic exists in New York, where saturation coverage of the June mayoral primary election won by Eric Adams drew an outsized number of think pieces in ostensibly non-New York outlets about What It All Means. Compare that treatment to Boston, another big East Coast city that is electing a mayor today but hasn't received nearly the same level of national scrutiny.
But the political media has also become obsessive in recent years about parsing every off-year race or special election for its national implications, for what it says about Trump or Biden or the Democrats or Republicans or crime or whatever. (Hey, I'm guilty too.) That means the national election cycle never really ends, or even slows. And it can distort the meaning of those campaigns, which often turn on local, parochial concerns like Youngkin's vow to end Virginia's grocery tax.
There's a tendency these days to dismiss the old adage as outdated that "all politics is local." Maybe it is. But ultimately the Virginia election will necessarily mean more to Virginia voters than it does to the rest of us, and that's OK. The rest of us don't have to care quite this much.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
Schumer: Did he betray the Democrats?
Feature 'Schumer had only bad political options'
By The Week US Published
-
Resistance: How should Democrats oppose Trump?
Feature The Democrats’ lack of strategy leaves them struggling against Trump’s agenda
By The Week US Published
-
Do rowdy town halls signal a GOP backlash?
Today's Big Question Some remorse, but Trump backers would not change their votes
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Schumer: Democrats will help pass spending bill
Speed Read The Democrats end the threat of government shutdown
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Budget: Will the GOP cut entitlements?
Feature Republicans are pushing for a budget to cut Medicaid
By The Week US Published
-
'Extremists still find plenty of digital spaces'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Trump touts early wins in partisan speech to Congress
Speed Read The president said he is 'just getting started' with his sweeping changes to immigration, the economy and foreign policy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published