Two races may prove to be harbingers for the GOP as it faces a burgeoning effort to strip the party of its traditional views on marriage and life.

North Carolina Governor’s Race

North Carolina’s Republican governor Pat McCrory is in a tight race with state Attorney General Roy Cooper, with one of the issues in the race being the controversial HB2 law, the so-called “bathroom bill.” Cooper opposed the law, which required schools to respect gender segregation in restrooms and locker rooms rather than force boys and girls to be with each other while changing, etc. The measure also allowed businesses to make their own policies on restrooms, and allowed government entities to do the same for their employees.

The state suffered a significant number of economic boycotts from government and business entities, something Cooper has pounced on in his fight against McCrory, though there is scant evidence the boycotts had a significant effect on North Carolina’s economy. McCrory, meanwhile, has defended the law and raised his profile in response to flooding in the state.

Real Clear Politics gave Cooper a slight edge in the polls going into today. However, according to early exit polling by ABC News, 66% of North Carolina voters say they oppose HB2, while only 29% support it, and that may help McCrory.

North Carolina has received perhaps the most aggressive liberal response to socially conservative policies rejecting the LGBT agenda. A victory by McCrory would show that conservatives can win while defending their values; a loss would be a nationwide call to arms for “transgender” activists, including LGBT activists inside the Republican Party.

Looking at the presidential race, Republican nominee Donald Trump holds a statistically insignificant lead of eight-tenths of a percentage point lead over his opponent Hillary Clinton, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average.

Virginia’s 10th Congressional District

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) took a seat long held by her former boss, Rep. Frank Wolf, when he retired in 2014. Representing suburban Washington, D.C., a wealthy part of northern Virginia, Comstock has a pro-life record in Congress.

Her opponent, LuAnn Bennett, has frequently tied Comstock to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on a number of issues, including how both Trump and Comstock want to overturn Roe v. Wade:

The National Republican Congressional Committee has responded by running ads challenging Bennett’s integrity on taxes and allegedly “shady” deals. The district has flipped in the last two presidential races, though Wolf had held the seat for over three decades.

Comstock was one of many Republicans to distance herself from Trump in recent weeks, after a 2005 recording of the GOP nominee’s lewd comments about groping women was released.

A Comstock victory would give pro-life Republicans breathing room in Congress in 2017. Republicans are expected to lose a number of seats in the House, though retaining a majority. This is especially important as the party may lose control of the Senate.

If Bennett pulls out a victory, the expensive race would turn a longtime Republican seat into a Democratic one, and be seen by political insiders as more evidence that the purplish Virginia is turning decidedly blue.

Looking at the presidential race in this state, Clinton leads Trump in the Real Clear Politics polling average by over five points.