Where are we now? McAuliffe v. Youngkin
The latest news from Virginia politics
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Where are we now? State of the Race: McAuliffe v. Youngkin
Despite the constant flow of hit pieces and the tens of millions spent, the Virginia gubernatorial race appears to still be just as tight as it was at the beginning of the summer.
The Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe has been running an impressive messaging campaign in an attempt to try and tie his Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin to former President Donald Trump and other far-right policies. Additionally, the barrage of news articles highlighting Youngkin’s time at Carlyle and their business dealings have not exactly helped the Republican candidate, either.
Youngkin has tried to present himself as a political newcomer that can end Democratic control of Richmond, but Virginians know virtually nothing else about him. McAuliffe, on the other hand, has lived a public life for decades. This makes it hard to try and dig up any dirt that hasn’t already been used against him.
Instead, Republicans have to attack him for his policy views — which is something that isn’t necessarily easy to do in a state that voted for Biden by 10 points last year.
But even with the negative press, a poll last week shows that McAuliffe has not really separated from Youngkin at all. McAuliffe’s lead has only grown by one point since the beginning of the summer when it was first reported that he held a 4-point lead over Youngkin. At the same time, however, Youngkin has drastically outspent McAuliffe and has not gained any ground.
Debating over Debates
The candidates have continued to try and use debate participation as a political weapon against each other. McAuliffe accepted five invitations and Youngkin accepted three, but they only selected two of the same invites.. They have both tried to use the events that they accepted, but the other didn’t, as an attack.
McAuliffe’s campaign says he is declining the Liberty/Hampton debate
AARP cancels gubernatorial debate after Youngkin doesn’t accept invite
The Virginia Bar Association debate has been canceled after Glenn Youngkin declines invite
Either way, it is Virginia voters who will end up losing with only two debates taking place limiting the exposure each candidate has to the general public.
National Trends
It is unclear if national politics will have an impact on this race. President Biden has already campaigned for McAuliffe once, but the president is currently dealing with criticism from a botched retreat out of Afghanistan. The White House will now likely be heavily scrutinized over the coming weeks which could hurt Biden’s approval rating.
Additionally, the Delta Variant of the COVID-19 virus is surging across the country which could slow the economy’s recovery.
President Biden’s handling of both the virus and Afghanistan’s aftermath will largely determine general sentiment towards the Democratic party.
Can Virginia elect a Republican again?
12 years have passed since Republicans last won a statewide race here. Virginia was often considered a purple state that elected statewide officials who were opposite of the White House party, but McAuliffe broke that sentiment when he narrowly defeated Ken Cuccinelli for governor in 2013. He now has to break that trend again this year.
There is less than one month until early voting begins. McAuliffe remains the frontrunner, but Youngkin is by no means out of this race.
Plenty can happen between now and Nov. 2 to drastically alter this race. Only time can tell.
Terry McAuliffe Calls on All Virginia School Systems to Require Full COVID-19 Vaccination for Educators & Staff
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe called on all Virginia school systems to require educators and school staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. His announcement says this requirement would protect students safe in the classroom, keep schools open, and Virginia's economy on track.
"A fully vaccinated school workforce is imperative to our next generation’s success. With in-person learning resuming in school districts across the Commonwealth, it is critical to the health, wellbeing and future of the more than one million Virginia K-12 school students that our educators and school staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19," said McAuliffe. "We simply can not take any chances when it comes to keeping our children safe, our schools open, and our economy strong."
McAuliffe’s announcement referenced other states that are not implementing mask or vaccine requirements. “For example, in states including Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi, where governors are prohibiting schools from following CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, dozens of schools have already been forced to close, and thousands of children are being quarantined following exposure,” his announcement reads.
Herring files lawsuit against Richmond landlords for defrauding tenants
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has filed a lawsuit against two Richmond-based landlords, JumpStart University and Vasilios Education Center, and the operator of both companies, Carl Vaughan, for allegedly defrauding tenants in the Richmond metropolitan area.
“When a landlord takes advantage of their tenants, especially when those tenants are low-income or even homeless, they must be held accountable for the harm they have caused,” said Attorney General Herring. “Vaughan allegedly used his companies to take advantage of Virginians who were in tough financial situations – selling them a bill of goods that he would never be able to fulfill. I want to thank my Consumer Protection Section for their hard work on this case and my team and I remain committed to protecting tenants from deceptive and dishonest landlords.”
Attorney General Herring’s Complaint alleges that Vaughan, through both companies, solicited low-income tenants by promising “wraparound services,” such as credit counseling, education services, and assistance with obtaining employment, but ultimately failed to provide these services. Tenants, some of whom were formerly homeless, were told that they could “turn homelessness into homeownership in less than three years” through these programs and paid a premium to receive services promised by Vaughan and his companies.
Attorney General Herring further alleges in his Complaint that tenants were aggressively evicted, often based on inaccurate billing and payment records, using leases that contained terms that violate Virginia law. The Complaint alleges that tenants were often living in extremely poor housing conditions with little understanding of who was responsible for maintenance because they had never been informed that their housing did not belong to Vaughan and his companies, but instead was being leased by Vaughan and sub-leased to them.
The lawsuit was filed in the City of Richmond Circuit Court. Attorney General Herring is seeking restitution on behalf of consumers, civil penalties, and attorneys’ fees, and is asking the court to enjoin JumpStart University, Vasilios Education Center, and Carl Vaughan from further violating the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The Commonwealth is represented by attorneys in Attorney General Herring’s Consumer Protection Section and the Office of Civil Rights.
Youngkin talks to local officials at Bristol campaign stop for gubernatorial race - Bristol Herald Courier
by David McGee
Virginia GOP gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin called his opponent “dangerous” during a Tuesday campaign appearance in Bristol, Virginia.
Speaking to a group of about 35 area sheriffs, commonwealth’s attorneys and lawmakers at Northstar Baptist Church, Youngkin touted his campaign’s support of law enforcement and said public safety is the top issue with voters statewide.
Virginia gubernatorial campaigns ramp up grassroots efforts - Washington Times
Both the Republican and Democratic campaigns are making strides to reach voters in every corner of the state through digital and in-person electioneering, a method that was impacted last year by the coronavirus pandemic.
With polls showing a tight race between GOP nominee Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe, mobilizing voters from the ground up could make the difference.
Virginia lawmakers already discussing speeding up retail marijuana sales - Virginia Mercury
by Ned Oliver
Virginia lawmakers are already discussing speeding up the three-year delay between marijuana legalization last month and the beginning of retail sales.
“We have legalized the use of marijuana, but we have not legalized the actual purchase of marijuana,” said Del. Paul Krizek, D-Alexandria, during the inaugural meeting Tuesday of the legislature’s Joint Commission on Cannabis Oversight.
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This is a daily newsletter keeping you up-to-date on everything happening in Virginia politics. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to support independent journalism in Virginia.