The top contenders in Virginia\u2019s tightly contested governor\u2019s race spent the weekend stumping the state and making their final pitches to voters ahead of Tuesday\u2019s \u2026<\/b>
\nThe top contenders in Virginia\u2019s tightly contested governor\u2019s race spent the weekend stumping the state and making their final pitches to voters ahead of Tuesday\u2019s ballot. Democrat Terry McAuliffe rallied Sunday in suburban Richmond and northern Virginia \u2014 two areas he must perform well in to stave off disaster as public polling has shifted in Republican Glenn Youngkin\u2019s direction. Youngkin, meanwhile, spent Sunday in the far southwest corner of the state after campaigning in vote-rich northern Virginia on Saturday. He attended a prayer breakfast, a worship service, a barbecue at the home of a powerful state lawmaker, a meet-and-greet in the state\u2019s farthest-flung corner and an evening get-out-the-vote rally. McAuliffe, who served as the state\u2019s governor from 2014 to 2018, has struggled in an election that many presumed would be a Democratic cake-walk after President Biden beat Donald Trump in the state by over 10 points last November. Youngkin\u2019s campaign has been boosted by outrage over a variety of issues related to schools and education, including whether parents should get a say in what books are or are not assigned to their children. During an appearance on NBC\u2019s \u201cMeet The Press\u201d on Sunday, McAuliffe dismissed concerns about schools as a \u201cracist dog whistle.\u201d He claimed critical race theory was not taught in the state\u2019s school \u2014 despite a presentation on the Virginia Department of Education\u2019s website urging teachers to \u201cembrace\u201d the theory. The former advisor to Bill and Hillary Clinton claimed \u201ceveryone clapped\u201d after his controversial comments in a debate last month that, \u201cI don\u2019t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.\u201d \u201cThe question should be, should parents be allowed to take books off of shelves? Should that be left to parents or left to school boards and others who do this every single day?\u201d he asked. \u201cEveryone clapped when I said it.\u201d<\/p>\n