A post-Trump test for Democrats looms in Virginia’s governor election
RICHMOND, VA. >> For four years, nothing rallied Democrats like the push to get Donald Trump out of office. Now, they’re not sure what to do without him.
Democrats in Virginia are scrambling to stave off disaster in the state’s governor’s race — the most competitive major election since Trump left the White House. The surprisingly tight contest has exposed the depth of the party’s dependence on Trump as a message and motivator. Without him top of mind for many, and with headwinds from Washington,
Democratic officials privately fear they may lose their first statewide election in Virginia in more than a decade on Tuesday.
Public polling has been shifting in Republican newcomer Glenn Youngkin’s direction in recent weeks, while Democrat Terry McAuliffe, a former governor and close ally of President Joe Biden, has struggled to energize his base as Biden’s approval ratings sink. Republicans, consumed by infighting and crisis while Trump was in office, are suddenly optimistic they can win in a state Trump lost by 10 percentage points last year.
“Virginia is a very blue state — I do not consider Virginia a purple state — so the fact that we’re this competitive speaks volumes about the state of our country and the popularity of Biden,” said Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel.
A loss in the Virginia governor’s race, long considered a bellwether for midterm elections, would trigger all-out panic among Democrats far beyond Virginia. The party is already wary about their chances in elections that will decide control of the House and Senate and statehouses next year.
Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, acknowledged a McAuliffe loss would be a “doomsday” scenario. But he argued that Virginia Democrats would show up and pull off a win for McAuliffe.
“I’m not running around with my hair on fire, not at this point,” he said.
Regardless of the outcome, the race will be picked over for clues about what resonated with voters — and what didn’t.
The politics surrounding Trump, who left office more than nine months ago, remain complicated. McAuliffe’s team believes he remains very unpopular among the Democratic base, independents and even some moderate Republicans in Virginia. As such, he should be a good
motivator for McAuliffe’s coalition. But Trump’s absence from the spotlight, combined with voter fatigue
and the lingering pandemic, seems to have diluted anti-Trump passions — at least for now.