• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
PoliticsPolling

McAuliffe vs. Youngkin: These charts show where Virginia’s governor race stands as voters hit the polls

By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 2, 2021, 9:00 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

On Tuesday, voters in Virginia will elect a replacement for outgoing Gov. Ralph Northam. They’ll choose between Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe, a former governor of Virginia, and Republican Glenn Youngkin, a businessman who spent 25 years in private equity at the Carlyle Group.

It won’t just be Virginians who are observing the outcome. In recent decades, gubernatorial races in Virginia—which happen the year following presidential elections—have become a closely watched spectacle by power players in both parties who are trying to figure out what the political landscape looks like before they head into the higher-stakes midterms. In 2013, McAuliffe’s slim +2.6 percentage point win in the blue state foreshadowed his party’s weak showing in the 2014 midterms. Meanwhile, the +8.9 point win by Northam in 2017 preceded a big win nationally by his Democratic peers in the 2018 midterms.

Republicans are hoping a strong showing in a state where Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by +10.1 points signals their ability to retake the House and Senate next November. While Democrats think a Northam win demonstrates they can hold on to their suburban gains even without Trump in office.

But where do things stand as voters head into the polls? To better understand, Fortune rounded up the latest polling and betting odds data in the following three charts.

In the final two weeks of October, nine pollsters dropped a reading of the race. When viewed together, they show a race that is, at least in terms of polling, in a dead heat.

Of those polls, McAuliffe leads in four. The bad news for Democrats? In those four polls—conducted by Christopher Newport University, USA Today, Roanoke College, and the Washington Post—he leads by only one point. That’s well within the margin of error. Meanwhile, Youngkin leads in three polls (conducted by Fox News, Trafalgar, and InsiderAdvantage), while the remaining two polls (Emerson and Monmouth) are a tie.

Just how close is the race? Of those nine polls, only one poll (the Fox News poll that has Youngkin up +8 points) is outside the margin of error range. Simply put, pollsters aren’t really certain who is ahead.

When the polls are aggregated, they show Youngkin leading by a razor-thin margin. According to RealClearPolitics’ polling average for the race, he’s up by +1.7 points over McAuliffe. But that will hardly make Youngkin’s team feel comfortable. After all, heading into the November election, Biden was ahead in the polling average in Florida (+0.9 points), and Trump was up in Georgia (+1 point). However, Trump would go on to win Florida by 3.3 points, while Biden took Georgia by 0.3 points.

What’s more certain is who has the momentum. When RealClearPolitics calculated the first polling average for the race on Aug. 17, McAuliffe commanded a +5.5 point edge. But that lead was erased by Oct. 28, when Youngkin overtook him in the polling average.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a candidate who didn’t say he or she was feeling confident heading into election night. (In that regard, the campaigns of McAuliffe and Youngkin are no exception.) That’s why it’s often better to look at the betting markets where investors—who have their money on the line—are a whole lot more honest.

As of the close of trading on Monday, Youngkin leads by a small margin in the betting market, according to PredictIt. But what’s more interesting might simply be the betting market’s trajectory: At the beginning of October, McAuliffe was running away with the betting odds. However, by Oct. 29, his betting market lead had vanished.

More politics coverage from Fortune:

  • Federal vaccine mandates could cost businesses millions per week
  • Florida Gov. DeSantis offers $5,000 bonus to lure anti-vax police from out of state
  • 3 states limit nursing home profits in bid to improve care
  • The latest meme stock in the Trump SPAC wave: Phunware
  • Pregnancy loss is common. Paid time off afterward is not

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories delivered straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Author
By Lance LambertFormer Real Estate Editor
Twitter icon

Lance Lambert is a former Fortune editor who contributes to the Fortune Analytics newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Politics

Anthea Hartig, Director of the National Museum of American History, looks to her left at a House Committee.
PoliticsWhite House
Smithsonian director derides a White House report branding the museum as ‘woke’
By The Associated Press and Steven SloanJuly 21, 2026
3 hours ago
Trump says ‘we’re gonna help’ Lebanon as he moves to restore direct flights after four-decade hiatus
North AmericaDonald Trump
Trump says ‘we’re gonna help’ Lebanon as he moves to restore direct flights after four-decade hiatus
By Kareem Chehayeb and Will WeissertJuly 21, 2026
3 hours ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sits and speaks at a Senate Committee Hearing
PoliticsDonald Trump
‘Without these funds, we face critical shortfalls’: Hegseth on additional defense spending following $37.5B Iran War price tag
By The Associated Press and Lisa MascaroJuly 21, 2026
3 hours ago
kid lying down on phone
PoliticsSocial Media
Lawmakers say they’re protecting kids—but their age checks are quietly building an ID requirement for the entire internet
By Catherina GioinoJuly 21, 2026
3 hours ago
Moldova’s parliament elects 44-year-old businessman investor Vasile Tofan as prime minister
PoliticsEuropean Union
Moldova’s parliament elects 44-year-old businessman investor Vasile Tofan as prime minister
By The Associated PressJuly 21, 2026
3 hours ago
Bill Gates called meeting Epstein a ‘grave error in judgment.’ A new review shows the Gates Foundation still met with him about 30 times
North AmericaBill Gates
Bill Gates called meeting Epstein a ‘grave error in judgment.’ A new review shows the Gates Foundation still met with him about 30 times
By James Pollard and The Associated PressJuly 21, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
3 days ago
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
Cybersecurity
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
By Jeremy Kahn and Emily ForliniJuly 21, 2026
5 hours ago
Jamie Dimon won't put more of his own money into the long end of the bond market right now—thanks to the $39 trillion national debt
Economy
Jamie Dimon won't put more of his own money into the long end of the bond market right now—thanks to the $39 trillion national debt
By Eleanor PringleJuly 21, 2026
14 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 21, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 21, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 21, 2026
14 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.