From New York Times, I'm Michael Babaro. This is a Daily.

Today, the upcoming election of Virginia's next governor has attracted the attention of

everyone from Donald Trump to Barack Obama.

I spoke with my colleague, Lisa Lair, about why both parties are so invested in the outcome,

and what the race is already revealing about the state of American politics in the Biden

era.

It's Monday, October 18th.

Lisa, why is the governor's race in Virginia, which is a state race, not a federal election?

Why is it being so closely watched and why does it matter to national political reporters

like you?

Well, Michael, this is really the first competitive election we've had since Biden won office.

And it's also the first race we're seeing without Trump on the ballot or in the White House.

So we're really getting a glimpse at political dynamics that we just haven't tested before

of how people are perceiving this moment and how voters are feeling about it.

And what should we know about the politics of Virginia itself?

So Virginia is an interesting state.

It's traditionally been a red state, but that began to change really during the Obama years.

And now, particularly during Trump's time in office, it's become a place that Democrats

feel a lot more confident about.

It really epitomizes the way that Democrats won during the Trump administration, which was

by turning these suburban counties that had been maybe more moderate or more swing counties,

turning them much more democratic.

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