Mr. Trump went to Kentucky on Monday to try to bolster a Republican in a tight governor’s race, as he did in Mississippi on Friday, but he has pointedly skipped Virginia, where Republicans in contested districts are distancing themselves from him and from the party.

Closer look: With all 140 seats in the Virginia legislature up for grabs, the normally low-interest races are expected to send a national message. Demographic changes in the state threaten narrow Republican majorities in the State Senate and the House of Delegates.

Dry questions and flares of drama

On Monday, the impeachment inquiry entered its public phase when Democrats leading the investigation into President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine released two transcripts of so-far secret interviews.

The House Intelligence Committee posted on its website a 317-page transcript of the testimony by Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine, and a 156-page transcript of the questioning of Michael McKinley, a former senior adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Transcripts: Read Mr. McKinley’s interview and Ms. Yovanovitch’s interview. Our reporters also analyzed key components of the testimony.

What’s next? Two more transcripts are expected to be released today, including the interview of Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union.