New polling data in the Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary shows ex-governor Terry McAuliffe with a substantial lead over the rest of the field.
According to an April 13 PPP poll of 526 likely Democratic primary voters, McAuliffe leads with 42 percent, while the rest of the field languishes in single digits. “McAuliffe’s popularity and the divided opposition,” the pollsters note, “continue to make him a prohibitive favorite for the nomination.”
For McAuliffe, who in 2013 narrowly defeated Republican Ken Cuccinelli for the state’s top job and was long mentioned as a possible member of the Biden cabinet, returning to the winners’ circle means a great victory. It would show his 2013 win wasn’t a one-off. Even more, it would cement his already stronghold over the Virginia Democratic Party – putting McAuliffe in the same league as Sens. Harry Byrd and Thomas Martin, whose political machines ran the state for more than 70 years.
But the McAuliffe phenomenon is a rarity for the Old Dominion — which is the only state in the nation that limits its governors to a single four-year term. He’s trying to become just the second man since the Civil War to win a second term (the first to do so was Mills Godwin). The stakes for McAuliffe personally, then, are quite high – history is on his mind.
But they are even higher for the commonwealth, which hasn’t elected a Republican to statewide office since 2009 and lost control of the General Assembly to Democrats in 2019.
In the brief time Democrats have had trifecta control of Richmond, they have enacted legislation anathema to most Republicans – increased gun control (but not as much as incumbent Gov. Ralph Northam proposed) a death penalty ban, climate change initiatives, and more.
The progressive ascendancy in Richmond got its biggest boost in the aftermath of the 2019 blackface scandal that engulfed incumbent Gov. Ralph Northam. Northam, who served as lieutenant governor during McAuliffe’s governorship, apologized, pledged to do better, and then largely abandoned his critical political role to one of the many Democrats who called for him to resign: Terry McAuliffe (Northam has since endorsed McAuliffe).
When he left office in 2018, McAuliffe said, “I think I will be known as the governor who truly diversified Virginia’s economy,” having spent the bulk of his time in office pursuing economic development deals. The General Assembly –then under Republican control – thwarted most of McAuliffe’s other agenda items, the biggest of which was Medicaid expansion.
McAuliffe was also proud of his end-around move to restore voting rights to more than 200,000 convicted felons.
McAuliffe version 2.0 has adapted to the times, positioning himself as more of a progressive than his past would indicate.
But it doesn’t mean progressives are buying Terry’s pitch. If anything, many still consider McAuliffe to be the symbol of everything that’s wrong with politics.
The image of a slick, transactional, “Friend of Bill [Clinton]” has deep roots. Back in 2013, Mother Jones reporter Stephanie Mencimer wrote of the long years she had known and covered McAuliffe. What made him stand out from the usual crowd of political hustlers and hucksters was, “his brazen mixing of his campaign fundraising activity and attempts to enrich himself personally.”
That was then. What’s the progressive angst about McAuliffe now? In large part, it’s that he decided to run despite the candidacies of two Black women legislators, either of whom would make Virginia history if they won the nomination.
The Nation’s Joan Walsh spoke with one of them, former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy. Regarding McAuliffe, Carroll Foy said:
“I think it’s an affront to women and people of color who are in this race, to say [McAuliffe] can do something we can’t do.” Carroll Foy called the experience argument “coded language” and a “dog whistle…”
But his experience, plus McAuliffe’s legendary fundraising abilities are exactly what the Democratic establishment is counting on to win a third consecutive gubernatorial race and maintain control of the House of Delegates, all 100 seats of which are also on the November ballot.
McAuliffe has already banked more than $10 million, which his campaign noted was “the most of any gubernatorial candidate at this point in the cycle in Virginia history.”
Norm Leahy
Norman Leahy has written about Virginia and national politics for nearly three decades. He is a weekly commentator on Richmond's WRVA and WLNI FM and a former editor in chief of BearingDrift.com.
It certainly doesn’t say much for Virginias’ voters if they think Terry McAuliffe is the right man for the job. However, what else can we expect from that democrat bastion.
Remember the Global Crossing insider trading. This guy is corrupt, but that also means he will probably win in Virginia.
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Don’t count on it. There are plenty of voters who like me are totally fed up with all Democrats and we have some really good Trump Republicans running too. I’ll be voting for 1 of them. Also voted for Trump twice and will again if he runs in 2024.
Vote for ANY CATHOLIC and you vote for a traitor R and D mean nothing to the Vatican. The Vatican is a NATION that destroys every nation they kiss.
rEMEMBER MOST OF THE POPULATION ARE DEM/cOMMUNIST WORKERS… AND dEMS REWARD CORRUPTION BY ELECTING THEM.. OVER OVER OVER..
There are a lot of us in VA. Who are Independents and Republicans who would never vote for a Democrat again as long as we live too!!
Know who the enemy really is….Vote for ANY CATHOLIC and you vote for a traitor R and D mean nothing to the Vatican. The Vatican is a NATION that destroys every nation they kiss.
If anyone was on the inside of Dem Corruption… Here’s TERRY… CORRUPT
The whole stinking Democratic Party is corrupt and should be banned from running for any office.
D is now CATHOLIC. You are correct! Pelosi is the head of the cult.
Where did the money really come from? That’s what should be reported on, to hell with his popularity.
Amen! Great question.
Corruption and Soros go hand in hand!!
You cannot separate Catholic and corrupt. Biden, Pelosi, Cuomo, and the list goes on.
Money for all the CATHOLICS comes from the Vatican. Vote for ANY CATHOLIC and you vote for a traitor R and D mean nothing to the Vatican. The Vatican is a NATION that destroys every nation they kiss.
Virginia has turned into a commie shithole. I’m ashamed that my forefathers hailed from there after coming to Jamestown colony.
This only proves that the migration of voters fleeing high tax states to well-run Republican states with good tax policies only poisons the well for Republicans. Like a bad poison they contaminate the good states and spoil it for everyone.
Too bad democrats moving to well run republican states can’t be told to leave their liberal crap behind.
My prediction, Pres. Trump will choose the right republican, support them, back them and get them in. Va will go red for the midterms.
So once more the IGNORANCE OF LIBERALISM will RUIN Virginia? After 60 years I thought I had seen all the IGNORANCE Democraps could show this world but then comes Pedo Hoe anc the Ho and Democraps hit a higher level of IGNORANCE once more. Letting McAuliffe even live in Virginia is extreme IGNORANCE so allowing him to run for office is truly Ultra IGNORANCE.
Carpetbaggers have been invading Virginia for over 150 years. . . . this dirtbag is another in an unending stream of self important. lying thieves who care nothing about the Commonwealth, just themselves.
Mc is just one more CATHOLIC TRAITOR