NBC's Steve Kornacki previews what to watch in Virginia's nail-biter governor race

There are three special congressional elections on Tuesday — one Republican-leaning seat and one safe Democratic one in Ohio and a primary for a Democratic stronghold in Florida — plus some interesting mayoral races, ugly school board elections around the U.S., and a Minneapolis vote on whether to swap its current police force for a new Department of Public Safety. And New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is expected to win re-election against GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli.
But the race everyone's watching is Virginia's gubernatorial tossup between former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and Republican Glenn Youngkin.
NBC political analyst Steve Kornacki previewed what to look for on MSNBC Monday night, without his trademark whiteboard or giant touchscreen, Rachel Maddow explained, "because he's gonna be in front of that darn screen all day tomorrow."
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.
President Biden won Virginia by 10 percentage points in 2020, and Democrats will be watching Black turnout and what happens with the large number of white voters with college degrees in suburban Richmond and the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., Kornacki explained. Republicans will also be watching the suburbs and turnout numbers in rural, increasingly red parts of the state. He cautioned about reading too much into early returns, noting that Fairfax County, a Democratic stronghold that reported late in 2020, now plans to release Democratic-friendly early votes and mail-in votes soon after polls close.
"Whether Youngkin's momentum can overcome the state's increasing partisan lean to the left is the central question of the race," Politico reports. Youngkin has been walking a careful line between politely keeping former President Donald Trump at arm's length while trying to convince Trump voters to show up at the polls. "If Youngkin makes inroads in northern Virginia and in the Richmond suburbs, it's a sign he was able to successfully walk the line," The Associated Press reports. "Likewise, if Democrats hold the margins from their successful 2017 gubernatorial race there, it'd be a sign of continued trouble for Republicans in highly educated suburbs."
Republicans will also be watching to see how potent educational culture wars will be in the suburbs, in the statewide races for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general but also in the state House races what will determine whether Democrats keep control of the state Legislature.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
June 28 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include stupid wars, a critical media, and mask standards
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Palestine Action: protesters or terrorists?
Talking Point Damaging RAF equipment at Brize Norton blurs line between activism and sabotage, but proscription is a drastic step
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from