Republican Glenn Youngkin is set to be elected as Virginia’s next governor in a major upset, according to US media projections.
He is 2.7 points ahead of Democrat Terry McAuliffe, with more than 95% of votes counted.Mr McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014-18, saw his opinion poll lead vanish in recent weeks.
The ballot has been widely seen as a referendum on Joe Biden’s presidency, and defeat will unnerve the Democrats.Mr Biden won by 10 points in Virginia just a year ago.In a speech to cheering fans, MrYoungkin called his victory a “defining moment”.
In more potential good news for Republicans in Virginia, their candidate, Winsome Sears, is tipped to become the first black female lieutenant governor of the state, which was the former seat of the pro-slavery Confederacy during the American Civil War.
The Republican candidate for Virginia attorney general, Cuban American Jason Miyares, was also leading that vote count. And Republicans seemed to be closing in on control of the state’s House of Delegates.In other elections across the US:
MrYoungkin will be the first Republican elected to statewide office in Virginia since 2009.
