In 2013, McAuliffe was able to overcome a similar situation to win the governor's office. 'As you know, the president is unpopular today, unfortunately, here in Virginia, so we've got to plow through,' McAuliffe said at the rally, Axios reported.ДЄ spokesperson for McAuliffe did not respond to CNBC's request for comment. McAuliffe has called Biden's falling approval ratings a challenge for his campaign. 'But otherwise, if I were making a prediction at this point, it does look to me as though Glenn Youngkin might in fact be able to win the election, especially given Biden's low approval ratings.' If something good happens for his administration in these next two weeks, that could help Democrats' chances in this race to some extent,' said Karen Hult, a political science professor at Virginia Tech. 'The polls we see reflect somewhat of a disappointment with Biden. These Virginia numbers echo the overall national decline in Biden's job approval ratings. About 52% disapprove of the job Biden is doing, including roughly 1 in 8 of his 2020 Virginia voters, according to the survey.В Similarly, the Emerson College poll found Biden's job approval rating underwater in Virginia, with approval at 48% and disapproval at 52% among likely voters. The YouGov and CBS News survey found the president's approval rating at 48% among likely voters in Virginia. However, others warn that Biden's declining job approval ratings could pose a threat to McAuliffe's campaign. 'While I don't think anybody should be surprised if Youngkin were to win, I still think McAuliffe has the upper hand in this race.' 'Virginia's turn toward the Democrats in recent years is very helpful to McAuliffe,' said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, which analyzes congressional races. Some experts believe that McAuliffe is still likely to secure a victory in the blue-leaning state. A previous poll conducted by the college in September showed McAuliffe with a 4-point lead over his Republican counterpart. McAuliffe hit 50%, while Youngkin trailed closely behind with 47%.ДЄn Emerson College poll from earlier in October also found McAuliffe with a slight lead over Youngkin among likely voters, at 49% to 48%. 4-11 by YouGov and CBS News, found McAuliffe with a 3-point lead over Youngkin among likely voters, an advantage within the survey's 4.1-percentage point margin of error. Previous polling from the university in September and August found McAuliffe with a 5-point lead over his Republican counterpart.ДЄnother survey, conducted Oct. Ralph Northam, who is unable to seek reelection this year because Virginia law prohibits governors from serving consecutive terms.ДЄ Monmouth University poll released Wednesday found the race between McAuliffe and Youngkin moving to a dead heat, with support identical at 46%.

Recent polling indicates a tighter-than-expected race to succeed Democratic Gov. Biden, who has endorsed McAuliffe, won Virginia by 10 percentage points in the 2020 election, and Hillary Clinton won Virginia by over 5 percentage points in 2016. The last two presidential elections might suggest that Democrats are in solid shape to prevail.

Virginia's role as a national bellwether.

Youngkin's business background and wealth.

The potential effect of Biden's approval ratings.

Youngkin, a political newcomer and former CEO of global investment giant Carlyle Group, hopes to break that run and snag a first-in-a-decade statewide win for the GOP. McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014 to 2018, aims to continue a winning streak for Democrats in statewide races that began in 2012. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is expected to win reelection. The only other major contest of note this November is in New Jersey, where Gov.

2 election could act as a preview of the nation's political landscape ahead of the 2022 midterms.

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