McAuliffe, Youngkin Dead Heat in Polls and Among Oddsmakers

Tuesday's off year Elections has one marquee matchup and that's the Virginia Governor's race where Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin each sit at -120 odds to win.

McAuliffe, a Democrat, had previously served as the commonwealth's Governor.

Youngkin, the Republican, has been surging in the polls of late by appealing to a more moderate voter base while distancing himself from the former President Donald Trump.  At the same time Youngkin has treaded carefully as to not alienate Trump's base.

Steven Shepard and Charlie Mahtesian of Politico write: "If Youngkin can remain competitive in the suburbs — especially in populous exurban Loudoun and Prince William counties, where Biden ran up the score — he will have proved that there is life after Trump for suburban Republicans. The trick is just to thread the needle between the Trump-loving GOP base and the suburbanites who recoil at the thought of him."

Youngkin in particular has zeroed in on progressive education policies and curricula that have riled up parents, especially in the suburbs.

Just how effective has the Youngkin campaign been?

McAuliffe was a -300 favorite on October 24 (Republicans had +240 odds at that time and as high as +850 two months ago). However, a windfall of bets on Republican underdog at BetOnline resulted in the -120 even odds as of Monday.