A new Monmouth University survey shows Democrat gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe knotted with conservative Glenn Youngkin less than 14 days before the Election Day. This has revealed a growing feeling of concern among Democrats about the Virginia gubernatorial race.
Some Democrats believe the party needs a bit of a shake-up
The Monmouth survey has been the last in a long line of indicators that McAuliffe’s chances are deteriorating. President Biden’s nationwide rankings have dropped into majority rejection of his term, with his policies still delayed in Congress.
Meanwhile, other recent surveys in Virginia have already shown McAuliffe held to tight leads. Democrats’ internal polling in other states is similarly dismal, as they try to maintain their razor-thin majorities in Congress. Early and postal voter turnout, which Democrats frequently use as a gauge of enthusiasm, shows an ambiguous image two weeks out.
Terry McAuliffe claims that critical race theory has "never been taught in Virginia [schools]."
But in 2015, when he was last governor, his Department of Education instructed public schools to "embrace critical race theory" in order to "re-engineer attitudes and belief systems." pic.twitter.com/iZaLrsBtoE
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) October 13, 2021
Despite — or perhaps because of — the red flags, liberals are hoping the news will rouse dormant voters, as it did in California during September when Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom seemed to be falling into perilous territory in surveys before easily defeating a recall campaign.
“There will be a lot of anxiety. You ought to be frightened, so pay close attention and put the resources into this, I urge funders and strategists,” said Tim Lim, a veteran Democrat consultant.
“In California, the very same thing happened. The numbers began to shift once Democrats began to pay notice and focus on it. In Virginia, the same thing can happen.”
Democrats spare no expense
Meanwhile, star power is one of the resources Democrats are pumping into Virginia. A slew of surrogates (notably former President Obama, Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, Vice President Kamala Harris, and singer Dave Matthews) will campaign in the region.
It's incredible that Bill Clinton's corrupt bag man, Terry McAuliffe, is running a campaign to ban parents from having a role in their kids' education.
No wonder he's struggling. https://t.co/cf24MLst7R
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) October 13, 2021
“This is about bringing in people they recognize to encourage them to vote,” said Jared Leopold, a Democrat consultant who formerly worked for the Democratic Governors Association and Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, who McAuliffe handily defeated in the primaries.
“Terry’s going to contact every name in his phone book to see which Democrat stars he can get to certain swing counties,” he added. On Wednesday, the McAuliffe team unveiled a new television commercial featuring Obama, who will mobilize for McAuliffe in Richmond this Saturday.
“Not only are you selecting your next governorship, but you’re also making statements about the way we’re going as a nation,” the former president said in the commercial.
The influx of Democrats comes as the group’s national figurehead is trailing in the surveys. In the Monmouth University poll, Biden’s popularity rating was significantly below 50% in a state he won by ten points a year ago.
It also showed 43% saying they approved of his work and 52% saying they don’t.
