McAuliffe and Youngkin campaign across Virginia
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While running to the middle, gubernatorial candidates paint their opponents as extreme during events over the weekend
Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates spent the weekend campaigning across Virginia with less than 44 days until election day. Both candidates stopped in Central Virginia, with Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin holding a rally in Chesterfield and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe speaking at several canvass launches in the area.
The candidates are working for every last vote in the final weeks of the election with early voting already taking place. The polls are showing a tight race with McAuliffe holding a slight lead over Youngkin. The candidates are working to sure up their base while not alienating the middle. Big names on both sides are coming out in support to help them with that.
“I love it, I love being out with folks. This is a turnout election,” McAuliffe said Saturday during an interview with Virginia Scope at a canvass launch in Henrico.
McAuliffe continued to strike the same tone throughout the speech to his supporters about Youngkin that his campaign has been displaying for months – referring to Youngkin as wanting to ban anti-abortion, homophobic, and a Trump-acolyte.
“People need to know he is so extreme. He is trying to hide behind his television ads,” McAuliffe said to Virginia Scope. “We worked hard to stop all that nonsense and made Virginia an open and welcoming state and we are not going back. We are just going to keep talking about this until election day.”
In addition to McAuliffe, Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (VA-07,) Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg, Del. Rodney Willett, and several other local elected officials from Henrico spoke about the importance of Democratic turnout this November.
McAuliffe also discussed the debate that took place last week, referring to Youngkin as an extreme Republican several times. “He got exposed for what he is. He is an extreme right-winger.”
Youngkin brought part of this onto himself when he believed he was speaking privately to someone at an event earlier this summer.
He was actually being filmed in a secret video during that conversation saying he cannot campaign on his abortion views because he would lose Independent voters in Virginia. Youngkin has since said that he would not sign a ban on abortion at the time a heartbeat is present like the recent law that went into effect in Texas. He stated during the debate that he would support a ban on abortions at the time a fetus feels pain — often considered close to the 20-week mark in pregnancy.
Youngkin’s campaign said in a statement to Virginia Scope Saturday that the recent comments from McAuliffe are lies. “Glenn Youngkin decisively won the debate, reaffirming for Virginians that he is the only candidate with the experience, vision, and integrity to lead Virginia,” said Youngkin spokeswoman, Macaulay Porter. “Unfortunately, McAuliffe continued to lie and hide his positions on right to work, defunding the police, and abortion.”
Youngkin has called McAuliffe extreme as well — specifically on issues like qualified immunity, Right to Work laws, and abortion. He has accused McAuliffe of supporting abortion up until birth, though McAuliffe has said he agrees with the laws that are on the books and that he would support reducing the number of doctors needed to sign off on a late-term abortion if it is certified that the mother’s life is in danger. His reasoning behind that stance is reducing the number from three doctors to one would benefit parts of rural Virginia where they only have one doctor present. He says he would be a “brick wall” against Republican attempts to restrict abortion rights.
McAuliffe has, however, recently changed his position on qualified immunity for police officers after taking a stance through a spokesperson during the Democratic primary that made it appear that he would support removing the protection from lawsuits for police officers. McAuliffe stated during the debate Thursday that he would not support the repeal, possibly angering progressives, but likely making him more appealing to moderate voters. He also did not take a stance during the debate on repealing Right to Work laws in Virginia after indicating during the primary earlier this year that he would be open to removing the laws that prevent unions from effectively organizing.
Youngkin, on the other hand, is working to remain attractive to moderate voters without turning off his party’s core base. A powerful voice within the conservative faction of the Republican Party of Virginia gave a strong plea over the weekend for her supporters to vote for Youngkin.
At his campaign event in Chesterfield Friday night, Youngkin was introduced by state Senator Amanda Chase — a former opponent for the gubernatorial nomination and a firebrand Republican. After a recent Letter to the Editor that was published in the Martinsville Bulletin urging people to write in Chase for governor, the senator cleared the air giving her full support to Youngkin in a heartfelt speech Friday when introducing him.
“I’ve publicly encouraged my supporters to vote Youngkin for governor so we don’t split the vote and ultimately hand the governorship back to the Democrats,” Chase said in a statement to Virginia Scope.
Chase represents the core-Republican base — a voter block that has kept Youngkin walking a tightrope by trying to stop him from moving the middle — a likely-necessary tactic that he will need to do successfully in a commonwealth that has not elected a Republican statewide since 2009.
Youngkin was considered by many to be the most moderate candidate seeking the Republican nomination earlier this year. Chase, on the other hand, has pushed hard for an audit of the 2020 presidential election results in Virginia.
Youngkin has said he does not believe there was significant voter fraud in recent elections, but he did participate in a voter integrity event last month where his campaign said he spoke about the importance of voter id laws.
In all, each candidate will likely tell you that their opponent is the most extreme member of their party — when in reality, both candidates are trying hard to appeal to the middle-of-the-road voters.
With polls showing McAullife leading by as little as 3%, it is starting to look like the votes on the margin might be incredibly important for each candidate.
Additionally, there is a third-party candidate on the ballot in Princess Blanding. The impact of her name on the race is unknown, however, with the Liberation Party candidate raising less than $1,300 during the last fundraising period.
Early absentee voting has already begun for the Nov 2. election.
JCRC condemns tweet from House candidate about the Speaker
A candidate seeking a spot in Virginia’s General Assembly is facing backlash from the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Democratic Party after a disrespectful social media comment he aimed at the Speaker of the House Friday.
“I was surprised to see a pair of eyes and a mouth with that NOSE,” tweeted Hahns Copeland, the Republican candidate for Norfolk’s 89 district in the House of Delegates, in response to a photo that featured a picture of Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, a Jewish woman and the most powerful Democrat in the Virginia House.
Hahns quickly deleted the tweet but the screenshots immediately made their way to social media. The backlash from Democrats was quick. “Anti-Semitic rhetoric has no place in our Commonwealth or the 89th District,” tweeted Jay Jones, the current delegate in the 89 district and Hans’ opponent.
The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) released a statement Sunday denouncing the comment from Hahns. “At a time when antisemitism and division are already at record high levels, we cannot allow hatred to be fanned or for antisemitism to become a pawn in a political game,” they said in a statement. “We call on all candidates to refrain from using stereotypes and hate language in their campaigns and instead be part of our Commonwealth’s efforts to build a better Virginia that is inclusive of all its residents”
Copeland issued an apology for the comment Friday night with a tweet. “My comment regarding Eileen Filler-Corn earlier today was immature and impulsive. It was never intended to be anti-Semitic or reference her ethnicity or religion,” Copeland tweeted late Friday night. “I apologize to anyone I may have offended. It is not an accurate reflection of my character, beliefs and values.”
JCRC said in their statement that whether the Jewish insult was unintentional or not, it will “reinforce a longstanding antisemitic trope and degrading language toward women.”
Copeland told the Washington Post in an email that his comment was “not an accurate reflection of the totality of my character or the beliefs and values of me and my family.”
Jay Jones is the incumbent in the 89 district race after first being elected to the House in 2017. He had harsh words for Copeland in a statement that he provided to Virginia Scope Sunday. “My opponent’s derogatory comment toward the Speaker was vile, despicable, and inexcusable,” Jones said. “He has neither the temperament nor the compassion to represent the 89th District in Richmond.”
The district is heavily Democratic — Jones defeated his Libertarian opponent by 70 points in 2017 and then ran unopposed in 2019.
So far according to the Virginia Public Access Project, Jones has raised $303,052 compared to Copeland’s $31,203.
This newsletter is sponsored by ComFor Care of Northwest Richmond.
Water Cooler
McAuliffe is meeting with members of Virginia Pride for a round table discussion about keeping Virginia a welcoming place for all.
Trump says that the “RINO” is a dying breed. “The good news is that there are far fewer RINOs than there were four years ago - it is a dying breed - but nevertheless, and unfortunately, they still exist,” Trump said in a press release. “I am working hard to make sure these anti-Trump “Republicans” don’t get into office.”
Pfizer-BioNTech announced Monday that their study shows low doses of their COVID-19 vaccine is safe for kids as young as five years old. It could become available for 5-12-year-olds by Halloween.
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Maps, Analysis of Statewide Redistricting Plans - VPAP
On Monday, Virginia's new Redistricting Commission will review two statewide plans for redrawing state House and Senate districts that were released over the weekend. The Commission must find a way to merge the two maps, one drawn by its GOP consultant and the other by its Democratic consultant. Meanwhile, VPAP has posted exclusive analyses of how the proposals could change the partisan lean of the General Assembly. There are also maps showing how the plans would pair two or more incumbent lawmakers into the same districts and how the current/proposed districts overlap.
As Youngkin rejects Texas-style ban, GOP ticket steers clear of anti-abortion rally in Richmond - Virginia Mercury
BY: GRAHAM MOOMAW AND JACKIE LLANOS HERNANDEZ
If it didn’t count as a banned weapon, she would have brought her sledgehammer, anti-abortion activist Victoria Cobb told the March for Life crowd Friday from the steps of the Virginia Capitol.
The hammer, she said, is a symbol of what the pro-life movement hopes to do to former Gov. Terry McAulffe’s “brick wall” for abortion rights.
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