Republican Glenn Youngkin mobilized voters concerned about education and race, while making small gains with suburban voters and other key groups to help his party rebound from Donald Trump’s poor showing in Virginia last year and win the governor’s race.

The former private equity executive’s victory came even as Trump remains broadly unpopular in the commonwealth.

Youngkin managed to keep Trump at arm’s length without angering Trump’s base. A year after Democrat Joe Biden dispatched Trump in Virginia by 10 percentage points, it was Youngkin’s supporters, not Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s, who were more fired up — 74% of them said they were “extremely” interested in the election, compared with 63% who voted for McAuliffe. That’s according to AP VoteCast, a survey of voters.

Both Democrats and Republicans pulled together familiar coalitions. Men, rural and small town voters and white evangelicals were squarely in Youngkin’s corner, while McAuliffe was the choice for Black voters, moderates, and voters under 45. Women were only slightly more likely to back the Democrat than the Republican, 53% to 46%.

But small shifts added up to make a difference. In 2020, voters ages 45 and older split about evenly between Biden and Trump. This year they were more likely to back Youngkin over McAuliffe, 55% to 45%.

— Key takeaways from the elections in Virginia and New Jersey

— Republican Glenn Youngkin makes slight gains with some key voter groups when compared with former President Donald Trump in his 2020 loss

— School board races become the new front in a culture war as resentments over coronavirus restrictions and anti-racism curriculum reach a boiling point

— Elections are held for three open congressional seats in Ohio and Florida

— Voters in Minneapolis reject a proposal to replace the police department after the death of George Floyd

— Mayoral races are huge milestones for Asian Americans