Received this e-mail last night from former First Lady, Secretary of State, U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, in support of Terry McAuliffe’s (D. VA) gubernatorial campaign:
Friend --
Less than a year after grassroots donors and volunteers across the country delivered a resounding defeat to Donald Trump in the 2020 election, Trumpism has reared its ugly head once more — this time in Virginia.
Five times now, Donald Trump has announced a full-throated endorsement of Glenn Youngkin, the self-funding extreme Republican nominee for the Governor’s race who already spent millions of his own dollars on this election.
Let me tell you, extremist Republicans will stop at nothing to get their hand-picked candidate elected Governor. Help my friend Terry McAuliffe take on Donald Trump’s hand-picked candidate by signing up to volunteer for Democrats in Virginia today.
As we saw during the events of January 6th, leaving Trumpism unchecked in any corner of our country is not an option.
It’s on us to fight back against the return of Trumpism. We must unite behind a proven leader like Terry McAuliffe, who has taken on Republican extremism before — and won.
Please, sign up to volunteer with Terry’s campaign to help Terry defeat right-wing extremism in Virginia for good.
Believe me — I know a dangerous Republican extremist when I see one.
– Hillary
Onward Together
120 W 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
United States
Click here to sign up to GOTV.
Here’s some good news about the current state of the race:
Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe raised more money than Republican Glenn Youngkin in the latest fundraising report for the governor's race, as the two candidates continue building on the record-breaking amount of money raised for a gubernatorial race in the state.
McAuliffe raised $12.6 million last month, compared to about $7 million raised by Youngkin.
McAuliffe also had more money left to spend. The former governor's campaign reported that he has about $7.8 million in cash on hand, compared to about $3.5 million for Youngkin.
For the election cycle, McAuliffe has raised more than $45 million. Youngkin has raised more than $42 million for the election cycle.
The leading donor to McAuliffe's campaign in September was DGA Action, which is the political action committee for the Democratic Governors Association. It donated $1.1 million for the period. McAuliffe was Virginia's governor from 2014 to 2018.
The top donor to Youngkin's campaign in September came from RGA Right Direction PAC, which is an arm of the Republican Governors Association. It donated $1.5 million in the reporting period.
Youngkin, who made his fortune as an executive with The Carlyle Group investment firm, loaned himself $4.5 million in the fundraising period covering July and August, but the latest report for September doesn't indicate an additional loan. So far, he has loaned his campaign $15.7 million, which is included in his reported total.
But remember, it’s all about turnout:
The area around Virginia’s capital city is about to be overrun in the closing weeks of the hard-fought governor’s race.
Democrats are sending their biggest guns to back up former Gov. Terry McAuliffe: first lady Jill Biden is coming to the Richmond area on Friday. Former President Barack Obama will be here next weekend. It’s a reflection of how the suburbs that ring the city’s history-laden downtown have become critical in a state that has trended blue but is still no guaranteed win for Democrats.
"So goes Henrico County, so goes the commonwealth of Virginia," Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, a Democrat, said at a fish fry on his city's border earlier this week.
Both McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin have homed in on Richmond and Central Virginia, bombarding the area with on-the-ground visits and TV advertising. Unlike the Washington suburbs in Northern Virginia, a voter-rich area where McAuliffe is expected to dominate, and the state's south and southwest, which are strong for Youngkin, public polling shows the two candidates are essentially tied in the Richmond market.
Richmond isn’t only a key swing area in the race for governor — the region is also home to one of the most tightly divided congressional districts in the country, currently held by Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat who has won her seat by 2 percentage points in back-to-back elections. This November will test the durability of the political shift that propelled Spanberger and other Democrats in America’s suburbs, with President Joe Biden now in the White House and former President Donald Trump already running again in everything but name.
At a pair of campaign events in the region on Sunday, McAuliffe was focused on driving his supporters to vote early. Throughout the race, Democrats have been staring down an enthusiasm gap in polls: Despite McAullife’s narrow lead in most surveys, Republican voters have consistently said they are more enthusiastic about the election.
McAuliffe, in an interview, hinted at that challenge for Democrats with Trump out of the White House. “It’s always a lot here in Virginia to get folks to come out,” he said. “For four years, Trump was a major driver of turnout, there’s no question about it.” He also repeatedly invoked the specter of the former president by tying his opponent to Trump, a common strategy for Democrats throughout the race: “Trump is still around.”
And getting the base out:
Leaning over a glass countertop displaying chorizo and carne salteada, Democrat Terry McAuliffe surveys the number of distinct nationalities he's encountered touring Todos Supermarket in northern Virginia.
"We got Peru, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico," noted McAuliffe, who first visited the grocery chain in 2013, seeking to court Latino voters during his initial run for governor.
Moments later, he asks a butcher: "Have you voted yet?"
Amid an uptick in support for Republicans among the reliably Democratic-leaning demographic, McAuliffe recognizes that even a slight decline in support with Latinos could sink his chances against Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin come Election Day.
"It's critical that I get the Hispanic vote out here," he said, expressing confidence that his campaign's top issues — as well as his opponent's embrace of some of former President Donald Trump's policies — would draw the key demographic to him.
"I've always had great support in the Hispanic community. I fight for them every single day," he said, listing job creation, education and healthcare as his priorities.
Though President Joe Biden won nearly two-thirds of the Latino vote nationwide in 2020, former President Donald Trump outperformed expectations, leading to substantial gains for Republicans nationwide, including in Virginia, which has a growing Latino population.
While Biden won the group's support by 25 percentage points in Virginia, Trump increased his support among Latinos by six points in 2020, losing by a narrower margin than he did in 2016 to Hillary Clinton.
Officials on McAuliffe's campaign say they're not taking any chances, launching a six-figure Spanish language media campaign with ads on television, radio and online, along with dozens of outreach events in the community meant to sway undecided voters — like Carlos Castro, the owner of Todos Supermarket.
"I think the political establishment needs to understand that we don't want -- and we don't need -- special treatment," Castro said of Latino voters like himself.
A former undocumented immigrant, Castro immigrated to the United States in 1980, fleeing a civil war in El Salvador. He now employs hundreds of workers in multiple stores, and hosts visits from political candidates because he says he likes to offer "another opinion" to those vying for office.
"He truly is an American success story," McAuliffe said of Castro, who led him on a tour of the store and introduced him to employees.
Castro, who also hosted Youngkin in September, says his values align better with the GOP. But extremist rhetoric and discrimination toward immigrants like himself have turned him off.
"When we had good Republicans running the country, we had great opportunities, and we kind of like identified with a lot of them ... with the Democrats, we have some difficulties because some of them lean too much into social issues that only bring, you know, division," he said.
"Having all of this bad treatment from the Republican establishment, a lot of us have been forced to support candidates that show they care about the community and fortunately, it's been the Democratic Party lately," he added.
FYI:
The Libre Initiative on Friday endorsed Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, who is competing to become the southern state's first GOP governor since 2014.
Youngkin is in a dead heat against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) in a race that could set the tone for the 2022 midterms.
The Libre Initiative, part of mega-donor Charles Koch's political network, is an advocacy group that promotes free-market ideas among U.S. Hispanics.
Libre's endorsement of Youngkin is aimed at turning out Virginia's Latinos, who comprise 5.5 percent of the state's eligible voters.
Add another big name coming to Virginia:
Vice President Kamala Harris has plans to campaign for Terry McAuliffe before the November election, a source familiar with the plan tells CNN, adding another top name to the growing list of Democrats coming to the commonwealth to help the gubernatorial nominee.
McAuliffe, in an attempt to jolt apathetic Democratic voters just
weeks out from the off-year election, has called on a number of top politicians to help him in his bid to win a second term as Virginia's governor. The strategy has lad Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin to criticize McAuliffe for nationalizing the race.
First lady Jill Biden campaigned for McAuliffe on Friday outside of Richmond, top Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams will campaign with McAuliffe on Sunday in Norfolk and Northern Virginia, and former President Barack Obama will
headline an event in Richmond on October 23.
The McAuliffe campaign has yet to announce another event with President Joe Biden, who first campaigned with the former Virginia governor in July.
But McAuliffe told CNN this week that "Joe Biden will be coming back" to Virginia before the end of the campaign, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday that she expects the President will "do more to help his friend, former Governor McAuliffe" ahead of the November election.
Friendly reminder:
Former President Barack Obama will campaign with fellow Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the final stretch of the Virginia governor's race.
“The stakes could not be greater,” McAuliffe said, as he announced the news Tuesday morning on MSNBC.
McAuliffe's race against the GOP nominee, first-time political candidate Glenn Youngkin, is tightening, according to the latest polls. His effort to win a second, nonconsecutive term in office is one of only two regularly scheduled governor's races in the country this year and is being closely watched for indications of voter sentiment ahead of next year's midterms.
McAuliffe's campaign announced that Obama will join him in Richmond on Oct. 23 to mobilize Virginians during early voting, which began weeks ago and runs in person through Oct. 30.
Obama rallied Democrats in Virginia's capital city in 2017 before Ralph Northam beat Republican gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie by nearly 9 percentage points. He'll follow other high-profile Democrats visiting the commonwealth to support McAuliffe.
And here’s how things are going with the Youngkin campaign:
The event was billed as a rally for Virginia conservatives ahead of next month’s election for governor. But it was mostly about Donald J. Trump.
Each speaker, addressing the crowd of hundreds just outside the state capital of Richmond, declared the former president the rightful winner of the last presidential election and the assumed winner of the next one. The audience raved when Mr. Trump gave a short address over the phone.
But it was the speaker after Mr. Trump who made the pivot from national to local. Amanda Chase, a state senator from Amelia County who has called herself “Trump in heels,” explicitly tied the former president to Glenn Youngkin, the state’s Republican nominee for governor. Supporting one required supporting the other, she said.
“People know I’m not politically correct and I’ll say exactly what I’m thinking,” Ms. Chase said. “And if I’m telling you I’m supporting Glenn Youngkin, then you better be supporting Glenn Youngkin, because he’s the real deal.”
Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic candidate and a former governor, has sought to tie Mr. Youngkin to the former president, while the Republican candidate has largely tried to keep some distance from Mr. Trump, to avoid alienating the all-important suburban, moderate voters who could decide the race’s outcome. But at the grass-roots level, the messages from Virginia Democrats and Republicans are less distinct.
Democrats argue that losing the statewide election on Nov. 2 would be a bad omen for them in the 2022 midterms, and Republicans agree. And while Democrats paint Mr. Youngkin as an acolyte of Mr. Trump who would help pave the way for the former president’s return in 2024, Republicans at the “Take Back Virginia” rally on Wednesday explicitly said the same thing. They were willing to make clear what Mr. Youngkin has carefully avoided.
John Fredericks, a conservative radio host who organized the event and calls himself the “Godzilla of truth,” said the Virginia race was the first step in clawing back the political power that Trump voters believe was stolen from them last year. He was one of several speakers who encouraged the audience to become election workers.
“Let’s win on Nov. 2 and send a message to America that we have had enough,” Mr. Fredericks told the crowd. “You are the motor. You are the engine. You are the deplorables that, if we turn out on Nov. 2 and vote early and be a poll watcher, you can change the course of history in America.”
The disconnect between the political messages of Mr. Youngkin and his base speaks to the careful line that Republicans have been forced to walk. Although the former president’s approval ratings with moderates and independents remain underwater, which helped President Biden win Virginia by 10 points last year, Mr. Trump is still the most potent driver of enthusiasm and energy among the party’s most loyal voters. In an off-year election where turnout is expected to be significantly decreased from presidential levels, courting that energy is paramount for Virginia Republicans.
Mr. Youngkin did not attend the event in Glen Allen, but Ms. Chase spoke with the authority of a campaign surrogate, saying, “I work very closely with the Youngkin campaign.” Mr. Trump, in his telephone address, said, “I hope Glenn gets in there and straightens out Virginia.” At the cash bar, where patrons ordered wine and cocktails over discussions of election integrity, a collection of red signs supporting the Youngkin campaign were available to take home.
By the way, The Washington Post Editorial Board ripped Youngkin a new one over having “Trump in heels” do all the rallying for him:
If Ms. Chase’s loathsome comments bother Mr. Youngkin, he doesn’t let on. Although he said, once, that he doesn’t think fraud occurred in past state balloting and doesn’t expect it this year, he seems content as she rattles on conspiratorially about Democrats’ plans to steal the November elections, much as she says, repeatedly, that they stole last year’s from President Donald Trump.
He appears untroubled that she attended the Jan. 6 rally before the storming of the U.S. Capitol, or by her subsequent remark that the insurrection was staged by “patriots who love their country.” She also blamed antifa or Black Lives Matter “agents of destruction” for the assault and violence that day, a lie dismissed as false by the FBI, among others.
Her conduct and remarks earned Ms. Chase the censure of her state Senate colleagues, on a 24-to-9 vote, based on what the official resolution called her “conduct unbecoming of a Senator.” Separately, her fellow Senate Republicans withdrew her last remaining committee assignment, effectively rendering her an outcast in the party. Mr. Youngkin was not yet then the Republican gubernatorial nominee, but he had ample opportunity to repudiate her — they were rivals for months this year for the nomination — and did not, even as other GOP figures did.
Mr. Youngkin has remained similarly mum on Ms. Chase’s other obnoxious public musings this year. She said the murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd made her “sick,” and asserted that Democratic state Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan, who contested her party’s gubernatorial nomination, was unfit to represent Virginians because of her leadership role in the legislature’s Black Caucus. That was a racist remark.
She is beyond the pale; divisiveness is her brand. Yet it is precisely her extremism that dovetails with Mr. Youngkin’s two-faced electoral strategy, which seeks simultaneously to court his party’s Trump-loving core while appealing to suburban moderates with standard GOP tax-cut talk. He hopes swing voters elsewhere won’t notice. They should.
By the way, I love this:
Democrats are trolling Donald Trump over Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin's efforts to distance himself from the former president, including by flying a plane near his Mar-a-Lago resort asking why Youngkin won't let Trump campaign with him in Virginia.
The Democratic National Committee is behind the effort, which also includes a floating billboard in South Florida that highlights Trump's endorsement of Youngkin and a mobile billboard that is driving around Mar-a-Lago.
Democrats are trying to make the race between Youngkin and former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe about Trump, believing that's a way to bring out the Democratic vote in the off-year election next year.
Also, about time:
A science advocacy group that has supported Democrats is launching a $10 million campaign that includes pushing Republican governors and a GOP gubernatorial candidate to reject conspiracy theories that have led to battles on school boards.
The push comes as debates over vaccines, science and race become more heated – and partisan – in debates about education policy.
314 Action, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that aims to elect candidates to office with a background in science, technology, math or engineering, plans to spend up to $500,000 in the initial phase of their campaign through the end of the year.
That will include digital ads set to start running this month. Other phases of the campaign will start rolling out next year and through the midterm elections in 2022.
The ads set to start running this month will target five Republican governors: Greg Abbott of Texas, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Kim Reynolds of Iowa and Doug Ducey of Arizona. Glenn Youngkin, a former executive at the Carlyle Group and the Republican nominee for the governor’s seat in Virginia, will also be targeted.
A science advocacy group that has supported Democrats is launching a $10 million campaign that includes pushing Republican governors and a GOP gubernatorial candidate to reject conspiracy theories that have led to battles on school boards.
The push comes as debates over vaccines, science and race become more heated – and partisan – in debates about education policy.
314 Action, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that aims to elect candidates to office with a background in science, technology, math or engineering, plans to spend up to $500,000 in the initial phase of their campaign through the end of the year.
That will include digital ads set to start running this month. Other phases of the campaign will start rolling out next year and through the midterm elections in 2022.
The ads set to start running this month will target five Republican governors: Greg Abbott of Texas, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Kim Reynolds of Iowa and Doug Ducey of Arizona. Glenn Youngkin, a former executive at the Carlyle Group and the Republican nominee for the governor’s seat in Virginia, will also be targeted.
Abbott, DeSantis, Reynolds and Kemp are all up for reelection in 2022. Youngkin is running against Democrat Terry McAuliffe in this November’s election. Polls have shown a tight race in Virginia.
“So it’s either you’re for the violent mob or you’re against it,” Josh Morrow, the executive director of 314 Action, told CNBC. “The fact that these school board members are going to these school board meetings and being shouted at, having things thrown at them, having their lives threatened. For us, it’s like if you think that’s ok, then you are going to own this violent radical mob.”
Stacey Abrams organization, Fair Fight, is helping boost voter turnout in Virginia. Received this e-mail this week from Fair Fight:
Only THREE WEEKS remain until Election Day and Virginia Democrats urgently need your help to keep Virginia blue! In 2017, Republicans took control of the House by a single vote. Can you sign up today to help voters who need to fix their mail ballot so that it can count—all from the comfort of your couch?
The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and the entire House of Delegates are on the ballot.That's why we need you to make sure if someone has their mail ballot rejected, they get the chance to fix it right away.
This year, House races will be razor thin, and the Governor’s race is a toss-up— with an anti-voting, anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist on the ballot.
At a time when our democracy hangs in the balance as GOP-controlled states push hundreds of anti-voter bills and try to sabotage our elections, Virginia achieved incredible victories under unified Democratic control—like expanding Medicaid and enacting an omnibus pro-voter law.
Now, the Virginia Democrats need your help to defend the majority, protect that progress, and send a strong message to the country: 2020 was just the beginning—we're still fired up and ready to go!
Can we count on you to join these opportunities from the Virginia Democrats?
Cure Absentee Ballots! We need to make sure every eligible vote cast for Democrats is counted. Join a Ballot Cure Phone Bank — held every Tuesday at 6PM, Thursday at 4PM, and Saturday at 12PM EST. Once you are trained, you can make calls on your own time! Sign up at TinyURL.com/VACureCalls.
Ready for more ways to get involved?
Become a Super Volunteer! Do you have at least 5 hours to give each week between now and Election Day? Are you ready to take your volunteering to the next level? Become a Voter Protection Super Volunteer—many roles are available and most can be done from the comfort of your home! Sign up at TinyURL.com/VAVoterProSuperVols.
Recruit Poll Observers! Virginia Democrats want to make sure there are enough poll observers at all the polling locations that we need. Help build their poll observer team from the comfort of your home by going to TinyURL.com/VARecruitingCalls—and share the link with a friend!
And Be a Poll Observer! Are you able to volunteer in person in Virginia during Early Voting (September 17-October 30) or on Election Day (November 2)? Be a poll observer! Poll observers are the eyes and ears on the ground, responding to the needs of voters and ensuring that every eligible Democratic voter is able to successfully cast a ballot. Full and half-day shifts are available. Reserve your spot and sign up for online training by going to TinyURL.com/VAPollObservingSignup.
Thanks, and let’s get it done!
Team Fair Fight Action
Click here to sign up for Cure Phone Bank.
Click here to sign up to volunteer.
Click here to sign up to recruit poll observers.
Click here to sign up to be a poll observer.
Early voting in Virginia has already started. Click here to register to vote, look up your voting info, find your polling place or ballot drop-off location.
Democracy and Health are on the ballot this year and we need to be ready to keep Virginia Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with McAuliffe and his fellow Virginia Democrats campaigns:
Virginia Democratic Party
Terry McAuliffe
Hala Ayala
Mark Herring