cnn washington correspondent sunlen serfaty at a polling site in arlington, virginia. sunlen, we know there is a major focus on this. a lot of talk about whether this race has actually is a bellwether for 2022. what were these two candidates saying in their final pitches to voters? >> reporter: well, erica, as you know, this is a very, very close race. and the candidates know that they need people to get out here and vote today. and what we saw from each of the candidates in making their closing arguments was largely them staying true to the core part of their strategy. for democrat terry mcauliffe that was about defining this race, casting youngkin, the republican candidate, as a proxy for donald trump, tieing him to donald trump, even falsely claiming last night on the campaign trail that youngkin was doing an event with trump. that was a reference to a tele town hall that trump dialed into that youngkins wi was not . and for glenn youngkin, his strategy has been to keep trump at arm's length, keep some distance from the former president's endorsement, focusing on lo

aren't any longer unknowns it doesn't matter because this is a place where america pays its respects at arlington to all of those who serve, including the fallen and american military families. as people pay their respects at the tomb today, i want to let people know they will see the inscription and see these words, "here rests in honored glory an american soldier known yet to go god." where there are unknowns at this s site, they couldn't identify anybody, again, pre dna. it doesn't matter because what we know is this is hollowed ground. this is where america has paid its respects through decades of conflict right up until today. the next ceremony will be tomorrow on veterans day. we will see a full honors procession, essentially trying to evoke the memories of the 1921 procession when the first remains unknown were laid to rest at arlington. the public will be invited to attend the procession, to stand on the sidelines at a special location and watch it pass by. we're seeing so many people here in washington today take the opportunity to stop and pay those respects. jim, erica. >> that's great

. >>> also ahead, the president and first lady at arlington national cemetery. they'll be arriving there soon to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier as we pause to thank the veterans who have served and who are current ly veterans who serve this country. >> it is veterans day. please stay with us. more from the nation's capital coming up. at t-mobile for business, unconventional thinking means we see things differently, so you can focus on what matters most. whether it's ensuring food arrives as fresh as when it departs... being first on the scene when every second counts... or teaching biology without a lab. we are the leader in 5g and a partner who delivers exceptional customer support and 5g included in every plan. so, you get it all, without trade-offs. unconventional thinking, it's better for business. michelob ultra organic seltzer. two flavors bursting onto the scene. they'll make quite a splash. now in watermelon strawberry. and black cherry. as real as it tastes. >>> i'm kate bolduan. thanks for joining us. on this veterans day we are follow

cnn's washington correspondent is in arlington, virginia, this morning. mcauliffe has been associating youngkin with former president donald trump. trump put out a statement that the mcauliffe camp might welcome. >> reporter: that's absolutely right, jim. the donald trump factor has loomed very large in this race. today no exception, certainly notable that this morning the former president came out with another statement in support of glen youngkin, someone who as a candidate has tried to distance himself from donald trump but while keeping him at arm's length. not only did the former president release a statement in support of him this morning but he's anticipated to appear at a telerally on behalf of youngkin tonight, but youngkin saying he took no part in planning the event, does not plan to participate, but this has played into democrat terry mcauliffe's hand, the strategy to cast youngkin as somewhat of a proxy of donald trump. here's how he responded over the weekend, trying to capitalize on the former president's late in the game involvement in thi