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Local candidates prepare for Election Day in Virginia, North Carolina

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Posted at 4:51 PM, Nov 07, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-07 21:24:32-05

NORFOLK, Va. - Polls open at 6 a.m. Tuesday in Virginia and 6:30 a.m. in North Carolina for Election Day.

Ahead of it, the candidates are hoping for positive results.

Democrat Elaine Luria is hoping to hold on to her second congressional district, but is facing a challenge from Republican Jen Kiggans.

Taking a look at historical data on the race, Luria defeated Republican Scott Taylor by six percent in 2020 and she also won the city of Virginia Beach, which makes up about 60 percent of the district.

If she wants to win again, she'll have to put up strong numbers in Virginia Beach because redistricting has pushed the district west to include more rural, Republican areas.

Over the weekend Luria campaigned with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia). Kiggans made stops at several local events.

Experts predict this could be a very close election and it's one that could be key in determining which party is in power in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"We find the incumbent is really fighting for every single vote. This is mainly due to redistricting. Across the board, the focus has been the economy and [Republicans] have been able to gain a lot of speed, not just here in Virginia in this particular race, but also across the country," said political analyst Dr. Eric Claville.

Kiggans is holding one last rally on Monday night, where she will be joined by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Virginia), House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, and former House Speaker Newt Ginrich.

The event is happening at 8 p.m. at Ballyhoos in Virginia Beach.

Luria's staff said she spent the day door-knocking and talking with voters.