Republican Ed Gillespie and Democrat Ralph Northam are deadlocked in the race for Virginia governor, putting Democrats on edge, according to a report in Politico.
"People's anxiety comes from the fact that the Democratic coalition doesn't always show up in these off-year elections, and there's an erosion of confidence in polling," said former Rep. Tom Perriello, who described the mood in the party as "anxious optimism."
A poll released Tuesday shows 48 percent of likely voters support Gillespie and 47 percent support Northam. Northam had a 49 percent to 44 percent edge over Gillespie last month and the race was tied at 44 percent in July.
"This has never been more than a five-point race in Monmouth's polling, and that means either candidate has a very real shot at winning this thing," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. "We have seen lots of little movement that has either helped or hurt each candidate, but with neither one being able to break out."
To keep momentum on Northam's side, Democrats are sending in former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden to campaign for the lieutenant governor. Obama will be in Virginia on Thursday and Biden over the weekend.
The Democratic nominee also has a leg up in finances, approximately $5.6 million on hand at the end of September compared to just $2.6 million for Gillespie.