ROANOKE, VA – They’re Virginia races — but they sound a lot like Washington.

“We live in such a hyper-polarized time and hyper-political time, those national issues are distilling down into statewide elections,” Director of Graduate Studies and Professor of Communications at Virginia Tech Dr. Cayce Myers, said.

And while these are Democratic primaries for statewide office, and as Myers tells 10 News, much of the messaging is focused far beyond Richmond.

“Making it about President Trump, making it about the Trump administration is an effective way to get name recognition, to get your message out, but also as a way to not have to attack an opponent,” Myers said.

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In a political climate changing by the hour, 10 News Political Analyst Ed Lynch says the location of a campaign could make all the difference.

“On the Democratic side, it’s going to be Trump, Trump, and Trump. Opposition to pretty much everything that he has done, particularly his reign in the federal government and federal government workers. The majority of the federal workers are in Northern Virginia, and that’s probably where they’re going to put most of their effort to get them out,” Lynch said.

Next week’s races will determine which Democrats head to the ballot in November. After that, Republican campaigns are expected to ramp up.

But based on current trends, Lynch says Democrats may already have the edge.

“Long-term trends favor Democrats in Virginia. Barring more national or international events that really turn around President Trump’s approval ratings in Virginia, they’re probably headed for a pretty good year this year,” he said.

While the focus is on Democratic candidates now, all eyes will soon turn to both parties in the general election.