2021 Virginia gubernatorial election

The 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the governor of Virginia. Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin defeated Democratic former governor Terry McAuliffe. Youngkin succeeded Democratic incumbent Ralph Northam who was term-limited and ineligible to seek a second consecutive term.

The Democratic Party held its primary elections on June 8, 2021. McAuliffe won the primary with 62% of the vote. The Republican Party held its convention on May 8, 2021, in which Youngkin won the nomination on May 10.

At the start of the general election, McAuliffe was widely considered to be the favorite, but Youngkin closed the gap throughout most of the fall, leading most analysts to label the election as a toss-up. Youngkin ended up narrowly defeating McAuliffe by 63,688 votes. Youngkin's coattails seemingly benefitted fellow down-ballot candidates Winsome Earle-Sears and Jason Miyares who concurrently won elections for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General; 2021 remains the only time the Republican Party has won statewide elections in Virginia since 2009. The economy, education, public health, and cultural issues were centerpieces of Youngkin's campaign. Youngkin promised to ban the teaching of critical race theory within public schools on "day one", push back against certain COVID-19 restrictions including vaccination mandates and mask mandates, and advocate for small government within the state of Virginia.

Democrats tried to portray Youngkin as a political ally of Donald Trump, who lost Virginia in 2020, and Trump did indeed express support for Youngkin. Walking a fine line between welcoming the endorsement and demonstrating independence, Youngkin was successfully able to appeal to both Republicans and independents. Political analysts believe that the main reason for the Democratic Party's defeat in Virginia was that voters were not satisfied with the performance of President Joe Biden, with whom McAuliffe allied himself.