Terry McAuliffe Feeling the Heat, Asks Democrats Not to be Complacent

November 2nd is only a little over one week away and the frontrunners of the race in Virginia are ready to battle it out until the end. The heat is on; Democrat candidate Terry McAuliffe is feeling it.

Although results have been kind to his party in recent years, he doesn’t seem to have the confidence to rely on history. McAuliffe officially kicked off his “Get Out the Vote” bus tour in Arlington, Virginia.

He told reporters the party needs people to get out and vote, as he can’t explain how important it is. According to statewide data, over 500,000 people in Virginia already cast their ballots in early voting, ahead of the November election.

The Democrat candidate’s game plan is to increase voter turnout among Independents and Democrats. He also predicted the Virginia election would have the largest voter turnout in the state’s history. Besides, looking at events and polls, McAuliffe might be right.

The Reason for McAuliffe’s Uncertainty

As we mentioned earlier, Democrats have had the upper hand in Virginia for 12 years. Recent events in the 2020 election should also give the party confidence, as Biden beat Trump by ten points in the state. All this point to the fact the election should be an easy win for Democrats.

Yet, McAuliffe doesn’t believe it will be an easy race; he has every reason not to feel confident in himself or his party. His opponent, Glenn Youngkin, is becoming more popular in the state.

A few months ago, every public poll had McAuliffe winning by considerable margins. Besides, McAuliffe had a mild advantage over the GOP candidate in the summer. However, things have drastically changed, as recent polls now have Youngkin very close to McAuliffe.

Moreover, an average of the most recent polls has McAuliffe leading Youngkin by only two points. This suggests the race is going down to the wire. In addition, a recent survey by Monmouth University shows each candidate has 46% among likely voters.

Besides, the Monmouth poll also showed Republican voters in the state are more enthusiastic about voting than Democrats. With all this in mind, McAuliffe is right not to have the confidence of other Democrats in the state.

Biden’s Performance Might be Affecting McAuliffe

President Biden’s numbers have been tanking in all public polls. Americans seem to be losing trust in the president, as he had done poorly in virtually all key metrics.

Inflation in the country is at a high; the border crisis, terrible jobs reports, supply chain issues, and vaccine mandates have been highlights of the president’s administration.

Experts have opined the president’s performance might affect McAuliffe’s chances in the election. One primary reason is McAuliffe made Biden a key figure in his campaigns. Aside from that, polls show over 60% of Independents in Virginia have unfavorable views of the president.

Lest we forget, there was a trend in Virginia where the party that controls the White House always loses the gubernatorial election. However, Terry McAuliffe broke the jinx in 2013 when he won his election after Obama won a second presidential term.

Will history be repeating itself by working against the man who broke the jinx? We can’t answer this question, but anything is possible. Both candidates must be having sleepless nights because of the uncertainty that comes with this election.

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