The odd-year contests in Virginia and New Jersey often offer an early test of how voters think the incumbent president is doing and a foretaste of the public mood heading into the next year’s midterm elections. For Democrats, who did badly in both states last night, the message is clear: It’s time for a major course correction.
The Republican sweep of Virginia’s top offices, a year after President Biden’s 10-point victory there, was propelled by a host of factors. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe ran a generally negative and uninspiring campaign focused mainly on trying to depict Republican Glenn Youngkin as a Donald Trump clone.
