Democratic campaign workers in Virginia received a big surprise: a visit from former President Barack Obama, doughnuts in hand.

Obama dropped by Monday to encourage volunteers in Fairfax County, as Sen. Tim Kaine and congressional candidate Jennifer Wexton seek victory in Tuesday's election.

He told staffers it wasn't just candidates and issues such as health care on the ballot, but "the character of this country is on the ballot."

Obama said election victories on Tuesday don't mean issues like climate change or poverty are immediately fixed.

"What it does mean is things start getting better," said Obama. "Better is good. Better is important. Better is a start. That's what you're doing. You're going out there, you're going to make sure that people vote to start making things better."

Last week, Obama visited Atlanta to campaign for Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams, who is running to become Georgia's first African-American woman governor.

"On Tuesday, you can vote for a politics that is decent, for a politics that is honest, for a politics that is lawful, for a politics that tries to do right by people," he said.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23