Recent polls show the race between Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello is close, and both candidates are racking up the campaign events to court as many voters as possible before Tuesday’s primary election. Both candidates made stops in Roanoke last week.

Northam, who announced his gubernatorial bid two years ago, was prepared to coast to the nomination when Perriello unexpectedly jumped into the race in January.

On the issues, they differ only slightly. Their styles, though, are wildly different.

Northam, who was raised on the Eastern Shore, sounds like a true Southerner with his slow speech and slight drawl. Perriello, from Charlottesville, is more the fast-walking, fast-talking type who always seems to be overflowing with energy.

Perriello, who represented Virginia’s 5th Congressional District for one term, was the first to bring national politics into the primary by lambasting President Donald Trump. Northam got on board, and taking it a step farther, began referring to Trump as a “narcissistic maniac.”

In his policy positions, Northam is a moderate Democrat. Perriello, on the other hand, pitches a populist message.

Northam has the backing of Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and nearly every prominent state Democrat in Virginia — endorsements he mostly locked down before his opponent joined the race. Perriello has been endorsed by progressive heavy-hitters Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — names that resonate with young voters.

Of the five candidates in the race, Northam has raised more money in the Roanoke Valley than any of his gubernatorial competitors, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. With $62,782 in Roanoke, he raised three times more than Perriello and about $15,000 more than leading Republican fundraiser Ed Gillespie.

Policy-wise, both candidates support raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and some cost-reduced or free community college or trade schools.

Both candidates have proposed some sort of tax reform, with Northam’s plan more moderate and incremental than his opponent’s.

Perriello wants to raise taxes for individuals making more than $500,000 annually and for some corporations. He also pledges to end state sales tax on feminine hygiene products.

The state would bring in an estimated $1.1 billion in new revenue from the increased taxes. The revenue would offset costs for Perriello’s initiatives such as expanding pre-kindergarten programs, offering eight weeks of paid family leave and two free years of community college or vocational training.

While Northam has many of the same goals as Perriello, he has dismissed his opponent’s plans as not feasible with a Republican-controlled General Assembly that would be unlikely to approve tax increases.

Instead, Northam has proposed gradual reforms of rolling back sales tax on groceries for low-income residents and offering a tax credit to increase paid family leave.

As for his plans to make college more affordable, Northam wants the state to cover remaining tuition and fees for Virginia students seeking an associate degree or training certificate in high-demand job fields. Northam would also require students to agree to one year of public service with the government, a nonprofit or work in economically depressed parts of the commonwealth.

In their May 4 Roanoke debate, Perriello scoffed at Northam’s public service requirement and said graduates should be able to immediately enter the workforce.

As for Southwest Virginia, Northam has proposed boosting the University of Virginia at Wise or adding a new university to bring more jobs to the economically depressed coalfields. He also suggested extending Amtrak rail passenger service to Bristol to increase tourism revenue.

When it comes to bringing new life to the coalfields, Perriello focuses on small business growth, with free community college and trade school options to allow students to diversify their skills.

Perriello has opposed the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast natural gas pipelines and shunned campaign funds from Dominion Energy Inc., which is driving the latter pipeline project.

Northam has accepted more campaign funds from Dominion than any other gubernatorial candidate, and has not come out for or against the proposed pipelines.

Instead, he argues the pipelines, regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, are largely out of state control.

Pipeline foes have called the governor’s race ”a referendum on pipelines” because the topic has come up repeatedly during the campaign.

Perriello and Northam both have “F” ratings from the National Rifle Association, though Perriello has received numerous questions about campaigning on his previous “A” rating from the NRA during his first congressional bid.

They both support abortion rights, and both candidates vowed to fight for fair redistricting when the state adopts a new state and congressional map in 2021.

In the end, both candidates promise to be a brick wall against the GOP-controlled General Assembly’s agenda.

Essentially, they vow to continue Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s practice of vetoing bills viewed as toxic by Democrats, including legislation involving women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, gun safety measures and other issues.