The issue of education hangs like an albatross around the neck of Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe in the lead-up to Election Day on Nov. 2.

Having blown an early lead in the race over leading Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin, McAuliffe is now in a dead heat according to a new poll conducted by Cygnal, which is ranked as the most accurate national polling group. The data has Youngkin with a significant lead among parents of K-12 children, receiving 56 percent of the votes among parents of school-age children, as McAuliffe lags 17 points behind at 39 percent.

McAuliffe, who previously served as governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018, was already dealing with a controversial statement that parents should not be telling schools what they should teach, made during a debate last month with Youngkin.