FLOYD, Va. – In just hours, voters across the Commonwealth will make their choices known, bringing a long, contested campaign season to an end.
The presidential race is not the only major one on the ballot.
Voters will also decide races for U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
Both parties are trying to pull out all the stops: Republicans were boosted by former President Donald Trump’s visit to Salem over the weekend. Meanwhile, Democrats are pushing back.
In the 9th Congressional District, Democrat Karen Baker is hoping to unseat incumbent Rep. Morgan Griffith. She plans to cross the sprawling Southwest Virginia district from west to east on Election Day greeting voters.
“I’m trying to hit as many counties as I can, just to rally the troops and tell people thank you and just make one more appearance,” Baker told 10 News.
Griffith was one of the Republican candidates who joined Trump for the spirited rally.
“I’ve been tracking the 9th District the whole time, we’re doing all kinds of things to get the vote out,” Griffith said. “I ask you, I ask you to go out and find those people who are not likely to vote and give them a nudge.”
Republican John McGuire is running against Democrat Gloria Witt in the 5th District and Republican Ben Cline is running against Democrat Ken Mitchell and independent Robby Wells, Jr. in the 6th.
No Democrat has represented the 5th or the 9th District in Congress since Jan. 2011. In the 6th, it’s been more than 30 years.
Baker told 10 News she knows she will need Trump voters to split their ticket to help end that streak.
“This district is not on Kamala Harris' road to victory. She did not plan on winning it, she won’t win it. That’s the reality,” Baker said. “But for me to win, I have to get Republican votes. And I’m seeking them because that’s how I’ll govern.”
Another contested race on the ballot is for U.S. Senate. Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine is defending his seat against Republican Hung Cao, who also spoke at Saturday’s rally.
“We will elect him as the 47th President of the United States and I will serve alongside him as the next U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Cao told the crowd.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, told reporters on Monday said his colleague is leading in the polls, because of his stances on the issues and the fact that he’s he’s a known quantity.
“Anybody who knows Tim knows he about service,” Warner said. “He is not some over the top partisan warrior.”
There’s something on which all candidates can agree: the decision is voters’ hands now.