Virginia's $2.6 billion surplus; GOP statewide candidates respond to Virginia's #1 ranking for business from CNBC; new ad from RSLC; and more
Afternoon update on Virginia politics.
This is an update from the Virginia Scope political newsletter.
Poll: McAuliffe holds 2-point lead over Youngkin in Virginia governor's race - The Hill
BY LEXI LONAS
Democrat Terry McAuliffe holds a two-point lead over his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, in the Virginia governor’s race, according to a new survey from the Trafalgar Group.
The pollster found McAuliffe garnering 46.8 percent of support and Youngkin falling slightly behind at 45 percent.
(FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver and Cook Political Report editor Dave Wasserman have expressed skepticism of Trafalgar’s methods for their surveys)
Youngkin, Sears, Miyares push back against CNBC’s ranking of Virginia
Republican statewide nominees Glenn Youngkin (governor), Winsome Sears (lieutenant governor), and Jason Miyares (attorney general( pushed back against the CNBC report ranking Virginia as the best state for business, two years in a row.
“While business accolades are good for the Commonwealth, Virginia is not performing like the top state for business, and disappointingly, Virginia ranks among the worst states for cost of living (#32) and cost of doing business (#26), and in the middle of the country for infrastructure (#24),” the statement from Youngkin’s campaign said.
“The status quo is failing Virginia families and workers,” Youngkin, Sears, and Miyares said in a joint statement. “Under Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, our Commonwealth has fallen behind our competitor states and is growing slower and providing fewer opportunities. That may be acceptable to our opponents, but we think Virginians deserve better. If we are given the privilege of serving Virginia, we will wake up every day focused on improving the lives of everyone who calls our Commonwealth home and making sure they are empowered to earn a bigger paycheck, work hard, get ahead, and pursue their dreams. By working together, we can and will bring a brighter day to Virginia.”
Youngkin spoke with reporters in Richmond Tuesday, telling NBC 12, “Unfortunately, Virginia hasn’t performed like the number one state to do business in, and we’ve watched our cost of living and our cost of doing business be ranked literally in the bottom half.”
McAuliffe responded to the CNBC report earlier on Tuesday. “Virginia is once again the top state in the nation for business and the reasons why are clear: for the past eight years we have fought to create a stronger economy that lifts up everyone and to keep our state open and welcoming to all,” he said. “Thanks to Governor Northam and our Democratic legislative majority’s leadership, we have emerged from the unprecedented health and economic crises of this pandemic and we are continuing to rebuild stronger than before.”
Virginia Finishes Fiscal Year 2021 with a $2.6 Billion Surplus according to Governor Northam
Governor Northam announced Wednesday that the final number for Virginia’s budget surplus during the fiscal year that ended June 30 is $2.6 billion. Previous estimates were much lower.
This will be a bonus for Governor Ralph Northam when he crafts his budget proposal for the next two years. Passing the budget will no longer be his responsibility, however. It will be up to the General Assembly and the winner of November’s gubernatorial election to pass and execute Virginia’s next biennial budget.
“We have effectively managed Virginia’s finances through the pandemic, and now we are seeing the results—record-breaking revenue gains, a recovery that has outpaced the nation, and recognition as the best place to do business,” said Governor Northam. “Fueled by a surging economy, federal American Rescue Plan funds, and the largest surplus in Virginia history, we have significant resources available to make transformational investments in this Commonwealth. I look forward to working with the General Assembly in the fall to seize this opportunity so we can build a brighter future for all Virginians. ”
Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates differ in how they want to see the extra money be dispersed. “As Glenn said in March, Virginia families deserve a tax refund from this surplus,” said Macaulay Porter, a spokesperson for the Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin. “Investing in our kids and our schools, public safety, and infrastructure is the right thing to do.”
Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe’s response was simple — education. “I have talked about this for a long time, we have always tried to do it on the cheap, we are 50 out of 50 states on average teacher pay compared to the average pay of our residents,” he said. “We need to invest in education. I think it is the single biggest thing we can do. If we do that, we build the best workforce in the country — businesses from all over the globe will come into Virginia.”
RSLC released a new ad in Virginia
The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) PAC say it is continuing its six-figure paid media campaign in Virginia by releasing a new digital ad Wednesday.
“Richmond Democrats have spent the last two years implementing a radical agenda that is indistinguishable from what is being advanced in Washington,” said RSLC President Dee Duncan. “Their failed leadership has caused homicides to skyrocket, the cost of living to rise, and public education to be weakened by far-left teachers unions imposing their political agenda on students. Virginians are hungry for change and will hold their extreme liberal delegates accountable for prioritizing the interests of ‘the squad’ over the needs of their constituents.”
Did you miss either of the newsletters from this morning?
We covered Nikki Haley’s visit to Richmond with Youngkin, a new opponent for Spanberger, and Trump’s comments on the Virginia gubernatorial race and much more.