thank you for watching, goodnight. this is "nightline." >> tonight, virginia decides. >> all righty, virginia, we won this thing! >> republican glenn youngkin triumphs in a state president biden won by 10 points. >> i voted for glenn youngkin. early. as fast as i could. >> why the school debate helped motivate people to vote red in this blue state. >> what are the number one issues for you? >> education. >> education. >> education. >> was it really a referendum on the biden agenda? plus day of the dead. the mexican celebration of lives past, bringing comfort to those left behind. >> day of the dead, what does it mean to you? >> an opportunity that we set aside from all the drama in the world to have a moment to rekindle our loved ones'

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hour, we now have a winner in the hotly contested virginia governor's race, an election closely watched ahead of next year's midterm elections. abc news projecting republican glenn youngkin, who made education a central issue, has won. >> amazing! whoo! all righty, virginia! we won this thing! how much fun. together. together, we will change the trajectory of this commonwealth. and friends, we are going to start that transformation on day one.

>> abc's stephanie ramos is at youngkin's campaign headquarters. stephanie? >> reporter: juju, you can hear the crowd behind me here at campaign headquarters for glenn youngkin. they are excited. and we have seen this excitement, heard this excitement, for the last several hours. he will be virginia's newest governor. youngk youngkin, he can attribute two things to his victory. he managed to get the endorsement from former president donald trump while keeping his distance. he also hit on cultural hot-button issues. for instance, speaking out against critical race theory, and also transgender rights in schools, and these were issues that riled up enthusiasm in voters across the state of virginia. >> stephanie ramos, our thanks to you. the race is being viewed as a national referendum on president biden and his agenda. here's abc's kenneth moton. >> reporter: tonight,

republicans in virginia and across the country celebrating. voters in the commonwealth elected a republican governor for the first time in over a decade. the election an early referendum on the biden administration. the president easily won the state by 10 points just a year ago. but now democrats fear they're being dragged down by the president's low approval ratings and failure to get a sweeping social agenda through congress. >> you started to see in national public opinion polls and virginia the numbers for joe biden slip. by the end of it, by election day, they were essentially upside down from where they were just a few months ago. >> we are going to get virginia moving! >> reporter: youngkin, a political newcomer and former private equity executive, beat mcauliffe, a former governor of the state, by appealing to voters like sondra davis. a suburban mother of three. and parents like her. >> this is todd, he's 20 now. >> life-long democrat, in '08? you voted for? >> obama. >> '12? >> obama. >> '16? >> love hillary. >> '20? >> definitely biden. >> reporter: this year she's an

enthusiastic supporter of the republican candidate. >> in the governor's race this time? >> i voted for glenn youngkin early. as fast as i could. >> was this tough for you to vote for glenn youngkin? >> not at all. i knew 100% that that's what i would do. >> reporter: even appearing in one of his campaign ads. >> even though i'm a democrat, i'm going to support glenn youngkin this year because i believe that he's going to put our children first. >> reporter: her single issue, education. >> that's the only topic, when you're a mother. you want them to be able to go to school and get an education that's high-quality. >> reporter: like tens of thousands of students across the state, her sons endured almost a full year of remote schooling during the pandemic. >> standing behind a computer trying to learn things impossible to learn online, calculus, algebra. my son only learned 40% of his algebra class curriculum. >> reporter: she and parents around the country are deeply angry at local school boards and

channeled that anger into political action. on election day, davis, who voted early, was at the polls at 6:00 a.m., encouraging people to recall the school board. >> why has this movement had such a groundswell? >> because we've been ignored by the school boards. we're supporting a man who listens to us. and what our children need at this point in time. >> reporter: these women are part of a group called dems for glenn. >> you all made the switch, essentially, to republican for youngkin. why? >> he is willing to listen to parents. and he understands schools, and parents are an important topic this time around. >> what are the number one issues for you? >> education. >> education. >> everybody, education? number one issue? >> absolutely. >> yes. >> reporter: youngkin relentlessly campaigned on the issue. >> we decide that we in fact are going to be in charge of our children's education! >> reporter: while mcauliffe was perceived by voters like davis

to be indifferent, that feeling reinforced by this blunder at a debate in september. >> i don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach. >> when he said that sentence, in the debate, what did you think? >> ugh. it was so dismissive. and upsetting. >> we're just moms that wanted our kids to go to school. and wanted them to learn. it's really that basic. >> reporter: virginia has also been ground zero in the roiling debate over teaching about race and racism in public schools. and efforts by some districts to make education more inclusive. >> using diversity and inclusion on your page while propagating division and hate makes you a fraud. >> you should be arrested! >> reporter: school board meetings in places like loudoun county have devolved into bitter fights. >> shame on you, shame on you! >> reprter: tearing communities apart. >> for you, it's not a black/white issue, though? >> we have people in our group that are different ethnicities. we came together, different religions, different political parties.

the social just disstuff is secondary. >> i want to be sure my kids are reading at grade level, or possibly above grade level. >> those are race neutral. wanting every kid to read? doesn't matter what their race is. it's a unifier for parents. >> glenn youngkin knew if he could find that sweet spot, find issues that got his base voters motivated but that also connected to people as they live their lives, that's the way you win an election. >> reporter: mcauliffe was hurt by the lack of enthusiasm from black voters, a key constituency of the democratic party. julius spain is the arlington naacp president. >> we're coming off of four years of a lot of hate, racism, and we're trying to move forward. the level of enthusiasm for many of our black voters here in north virginia is not perhaps where it's been in years past. >> reporter: some black voters disappointed by the lack of change in democratically controlled government after the racial reckoning following george floyd's murder. in their primary, virginia democrats passing on the chance

to nominate two black women for governor. >> you have black women, grassroots campaigns. >> yes. >> then here comes the former governor, terry mcauliffe. >> yes. >> were you disappointed? >> it was a little disappointing not to see them cross the finish line. if we're talking about building diverse coalitions to represent us, regardless of party, it's important that we have diversity at the top of that ticket. >> is the black vote taken for granted? >> of course. of course it is taken for granted. >> reporter: black voters in virginia say they don't see progress on issues they care about. >> housing. >> affordable housing. northern virginia is particularly expensive. it continues to get more and more expensive. >> when you hear people say that this race is a bellwether for the nation and a referendum on the biden agenda, do you feel that? >> i do. i do, because we're seeing a lot of those issues play right here in different parts of the state. loudoun county right now is at the forefront of lgbtq issues, trans students, critical race theory conversation.

>> the democratic base didn't turn out in the kind of numbers they did for joe biden, the kind of numbers they need to turn out when it comes to winning for a democratic ticket in virginia. >> reporter: it was also the first election since last year's presidential race which trump repeatedly and falsely claimed was rigged. here in virginia, jose, a republican from fairfax county, is watching polls for his very first time. >> when we show up and we look at this, we want people to realize that we are there not to sway the elections -- >> reporter: jose migrated from south america to the u.s. in 1970 and wants to honor the integrity of the election. >> we all want to have honesty in our system. voting is such an unbelievable thing. americans don't realize the privilege they have in voting. coming in from a country like latin america, it's not the same. >> reporter: he alongside other parents in virginia are fighting for similar issues. >> you know, they want better schools. they want to see more presence from police officers. and of course they want to see

our taxes lower. >> reporter: youngkin's win tonight charts a path forward for republicans looking to win back voters, especially suburban women who were turned off by donald trump. >> glenn youngkin has been endorsed by donald trump ten times. ten. he said so much of the reason why i'm running is because of donald trump. >> reporter: throughout the campaign, terry mcauliffe tried to tie his opponent to the former president, but youngkin kept trump at arm's length. >> is glenn youngkin donald trump? >> no. >> no. >> not even close. >> reporter: now the country looking ahead to next year's midterms. republicans hoping youngkin's win is a sign of things to come. >> our thanks to kenneth. up next, the day of the dead. celebrating lives well lived and bringing comfort to their loved ones. there's a different way to treat hiv.

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♪ to be clear, the day of the dead is not mexico's version of halloween. honors those who have passed and brings comfort to those left behind. here's abc's john quinones. >> reporter: beauty. respect. honor. dia de los muertos. in english it's "day of the

dead," but for those thousands of celebrants it means a loving tribute to life itself. here at this cemetery in los angeles, jose romero and his family have been busy at work. they've been building an altar for his late brother, victor hugo, with their mother, hortencia, looking on. >> he was your son. you'll never forget. >> no, no, no. >> reporter: "when i came here this morning," she says, "i shed a few more tears. he was a very good man." victor died of cancer six years ago, and there's a very special reason jose calls this altar "coming home." >> we came here -- >> you brought him with you? >> yes, yes. getting around, enjoying the last things of his life. a few minutes later he showed up at my door, "let's go." he enjoyed everything. >> he passed away knowing what all this was about?

>> yes. and he would turn around and say, "are you going to do that for me?" >> reporter: their family is one of nearly 80 families who have created these beautiful, touching altars. it's all part of hollywood forever, a festival and altar competition in los angeles. it's believed to be the largest day of the dead celebration outside of mexico. >> in mythology they say after four years, your soul finds the path. because of covid, we couldn't do it the fourth year. but this is the next two. we decided to do a tribute. for going home, wherever home may be. ♪ >> it means life for me. >> life? >> yes. i think this tradition has a very big meaning.

because through honoring our forbears, we experience life. >> reporter: the day of the dead started more than 3,000 years ago in mexico with the aztecs who saw death as an ever-present part of life. >> not only do mexicans, but just latin american people in general now celebrate day of the dead. the belief is our loved ones who have passed, their souls come back to visit us for a couple of days and celebrate with us. >> day of the dead, what does it mean to you? >> an opportunity that we set aside from all the drama in the world. to have a moment to rekindle our loved ones' memories and their love. to feast on the food that they loved. and to come as a community, as a familia, in that celebration. >> this is not just for latinos? >> definitely not. i've had a lot of people ask me today, is it okay that we partake, is it okay that we come

and get our faces painted and wear the crowns? and i think just asking that in the first place is, you're coming from a place of respect. >> i just love the celebration of life. just like in my culture. we don't really celebrate death and life. it just feels like death. so it's therapeutic for me. >> reporter: much of the rest of the world learned about this special holiday with a disney movie "coco." >> the day of the dead is the one night of the year our ancestors can come visit us. >> reporter: as part of the tradition, families build custom altars honoring the unique traits of those who have passed on. including their loved one's favorite food and drinks. the altars are adorned with monarch butterflies. and thousands and thousands of sempa suchis, marigolds, known as the flower of the dead. legend has it that the bright colors of the petals of the marigold and their strong scent helped guide the souls of the departed from the cemetery to their family homes. angie jiminez is director of

altars for this special celebration at the cemetery. >> the theme this year is quetzalcoatl, synonymous with "rebirth." since we've been living through the pandemic, we feel that a lot of folks who have suffered from depression, from being at home, away from their loved ones -- some folks lost their jobs, a lot of us lost some family members. >> reporter: this year the celebration is even more profound because of the devastating impact covid has had on the hispanic community. ilian herrera lost her cousin to covid this summer. just before that, she lost her beloved husband, john, to cancer. he was just 30 years old. >> oh, this is our altar called "moses forever" honoring my cousin and my husband that just passed away this summer. >> reporter: by nightfall, spiritual processions bring native dancers, incense, music,

stirring drumbeats echoing throughout the cemetery. it's been a full day of remembrance as the altars competition comes to an end. jose's "coming home" is awarded the prize for best contemporary altar. >> i am surprised and grateful that "hollywood forever" gives the opportunity to share my brother's story. >> reporter: awards aside, this celebration is all about gratitude for loved ones who have graced our lives and then departed. always way too soon. ♪ remember ♪ >> it's difficult for me, but i don't want the kids to forget them. and that's why, you know, i've got to be strong for them, so they don't forget their dad. so this altar for me is just kind of -- just another step in the grieving process. trying to accept our new life

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♪ finally tonight, guess what? the atlanta braves are world series champions tonight. >> left side, swanson. to first. the braves are world champions! >> the boyish charm of world series champions. atlanta beating the home team, houston astros, 7-0 in game six of the series. it's atlanta's first title since 1995 and the franchise's fourth overall. thanks for watching "nightline." we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow.