A Race To The Middle - Virginia Lt. Governor

With the election a little more than a month out, the candidates for Virginia Lt. Governor seem to be vying for the median voter, a more moderate Virginian in this case.  The debate between E.W. Jackson and Ralph Northam showed this attempt at a shift, especially from Jackson. 

"E.W. Jackson, the Republican candidate, made an attempt to moderate himself, reaching across the aisle to Democrats — the same party he had previously called the “anti-God Party"

"Jackson tried to put his controversial comments about gays, Democrats, Planned Parenthood and religion behind him."

While Jackson is attempting to capture a more moderate vote now, he did not start out that way after his candidacy was announced earlier this year.  However, as the election gets closer, his actions make clear this race to the middle as Downs' Median Voter Theorem suggests.  Seeing how marginalized Jackson's position was early this year, his recent movement towards the middle fits well within Downs' model.