Page 48 - Dan Merica News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

In our schools. >> reporter: reality check, critical race theory is not part of virginia's standards of learning, but he knows it's an animating issue for the gop base still loyal to donald trump, but youngkin is wary of alienating independent voters. is this a republican playbook that other gop candidates can use going forward in blue states? >> i really haven't thought about anything beyond virginia. it felt like there was a different way to run a campaign. >> reporter: keeping trump's voters on board, but the man himself at a comfortable distance is the name of the game for youngkin in blue...

In a word: ouch.

Bec because as you mentioned top democrats have spent months during this campaign trying to tie the gop candidate glenn youngkin to the former president. you have the biden campaign -- that is honking because the terry mcauliffe bus is rolling int into the event right now. but you have joe biden and former president barack obama, all mentioning and tieing glenn youngkin to donald trump. but today terry mcauliffe, as he was speaking to dan merica, he said this isn't about trump. take a listen. >> you know, it is just killing trump that he's not here. obviously. he's in the race, obviously he's ...

Campaign trail this morning as they make their closing pitches. >> a new poll from "the washington post" shows the race is neck and neck with no clear leader at this time. cnn's dan merica is live in virginia beach. hi there, dan. you've been following this race pretty closely, and now it's pretty tight. >> yeah, amara. both candidates are stumping across the commonwealth of virginia. youngkin is spending a lot of his time in northern virginia, those suburbs outside washington, d.c., today. and terry mcauliffe, the democrat in the race, will be in the tide water region at this sports bar in a ...

Voting, and that's why 1 million voters have already cast ballots. that really is going to negate some of these last-minute swings because so many people, amara, have already cast ballots here in virginia. >> dan merica from virginia beach, thank you so much. no matter who wins, virginia will soon make history. regardless of who wins for next lieutenant governor, it'll be the first time a woman of color is elected, which many say speaks to the evolution of the commonwealth. this comes at a time when virginia is facing a series of challenges that directly affect its black and brown communitie...