It’s not just McAuliffe vs. Youngkin. The fight is on for control of Virginia’s House.

“Let’s win this thing, because it’s right there,” Askew told the group of about two dozen who gathered in the parking lot of a state Democratic Party office before parting ways to survey nearby neighborhoods. “It’s within our reach.

Askew’s Republican challenger Karen Greenhalgh has founded a bespoke cabinet making company and runs crisis pregnancy centers. She raised $ 430,000 during her campaign.

Four hours north of Virginia Beach, in Loudoun County, Democratic Del. Wendy Gooditis has the challenge of appeasing two different parts of her district: one is rural and more conservative and the other is suburban and more progressive. She faces Nick Clemente, the Republican candidate who raised the most fundraising dollars at $ 936,000. It operates on a platform focused on increasing funding for mental health services, keeping schools open during the pandemic, and maintaining funding for law enforcement. Clemente stands alongside mainstream Republicans on social issues such as opposing vaccination warrants and using taxpayer dollars for abortion.

Despite these opposing geographic and political factions, Gooditis voted with the Democratic Party 99 percent of the time, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. She hopes to convince all voters in her constituency that Democrats have their best interests in mind, not only on local issues, but also on those garnering national attention, like the Covid-19 pandemic and protecting people. women’s reproductive rights.

In an interview, she referred to the “Don’t Texas my Virginia” slogan that spread after Texas passed the country’s most restrictive abortion law. “It affects a lot of people,” she said. “My opponent is on the other side of it.”

From top to bottom of the ballot, Democrats are presenting this election as a choice between a progressive future and a regressive past if Republicans take over.

“There’s a question about who do you want to run the state on?” Post said. “Republicans do not present a moderate vision for Virginia.”

Virginia is strongly influenced by the national political environment. Democrats proudly partner with the Biden administration, a strategy that could pose a risk as Congress struggles to pass central elements of Biden’s agenda and the president’s approval rating plummets in double digits since winning Virginia 10 points in the presidential election.

For these reasons, Tucker Martin, a GOP consultant who worked for former Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, believes it will be difficult for Democrats to overcome this environment by championing specific policies.

“This race is driven by the approval rating of Joe Biden and Trump being out of the White House,” he said. “These two meta-factors are the big drivers.”