Virginia governor race a bellwether for America

RICHMOND, Va. — For the two mild-mannered moderates vying to be the next governor of Virginia, running for office in the Trump era makes for some awkward looks.

Republican Ed Gillespie, a polished Washington insider who has long advocated that the GOP needs to be more welcoming of minorities and immigrants, is now campaigning on promises to crack down on illegal immigration and prevent Confederate statues from being taken down. Ralph Northam, the Democratic lieutenant governor who boasts of his good working relationships with Republicans, has pledged unyielding resistance to President Donald Trump and called him a “narcissistic maniac” and a “dangerous” man.

The closely watched race for Virginia governor is ramping up for the post Labor Day push — when voters typically start to pay more attention — with the two major party candidates still trying to feel their way with Mr. Trump in the White House. Both are trying to stick with the traditional basics of a gubernatorial campaign — talking about jobs, schools, health care — while also keeping Mr. Trump’s opponents and supporters fired up.

“In a post-Trumpian election cycle, neither campaign can really cut loose from their base,” says Shaun Kenney, a former executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia.

A swing state that resembles America in miniature, the outcome in Virginia could serve as an early referendum on Mr. Trump’s first year in office and a bellwether for the 2018 midterm elections for control of Congress and statehouses around the country.

Only two states are electing new governors this year, and Virginia’s race is expected to be much more competitive than New Jersey’s. Virginia’s race is getting plenty of out-ofstate attention, and billionaire-backed outside groups like the conservative Americans for Prosperity and the liberal NextGen America — supported by industrialists Charles and David Koch and environmentalist Tom Steyer, respectively — have pledged significant spending.

Public opinion polls have showed a competitive contest between Mr. Gillespie and Mr. Northam.