Democrat Virginia Gov. candidate Terry McAuliffe announces Biden will campaign for him AGAIN on Tuesday after new poll showed he is tied with GOP rival Glenn Youngkin
- Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin are tied among registered voters in the Virginia governor’s race, a new poll shows
- The Monmouth University survey showed 46 per cent of registered voters favoring McAuliffe and 46 per cent favoring Youngkin
- Youngkin overtakes McAuliffe for the first time when pollsters used a turnout model that predicted moderate turnout overall with a whiter electorate
- The race has tightened in Virginia – which went for President Joe Biden by nearly 10 points – as Biden’s approval numbers have slipped
- Biden now stands at 43 per cent approval and 52 per cent disapproval among the commonwealth’s voters
- The president will again join McAuliffe on the campaign trail, appearing at a Tuesday night rally in Arlington, one of D.C.’s heavily Democratic suburbs
Democrat Terry McAuliffe announced Thursday that President Joe Biden will campaign for him again, as a new poll shows him tied with Republican Glenn Youngkin in the Virginia governor’s race.
Biden will appear at a rally with McAuliffe Tuesday night in Arlington, Virginia – one of Washington, D.C.’s heavily blue suburbs.
Wednesday’s Monmouth University survey showed 46 per cent of registered voters favoring McAuliffe, the former governor of Virginia who is running for a non-consecutive second term, while 46 per cent support Youngkin, a wealthy businessman who formerly worked for the Carlyle Group.
President Joe Biden (left) will return to the campaign trail to help Virginia Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe (right) at a Tuesday night rally in Arlington. Biden campaigned for McAuliffe in the same D.C. suburb on July 23
Virginia Republican gubernatorial hopeful Glenn Youngkin (pictured) has caught up with McAuliffe in the race, according to a Monmouth University poll that was released Wednesday
While McAuliffe had a five-point advantage of Youngkin in August and September, it vanished in October
Youngkin overtakes McAuliffe for the first time when pollsters used a turnout model that predicted moderate turnout overall with a whiter electorate.
In that scenario, the Republican led the Democrat 48 per cent to 45 per cent.
The race has tightened in Virginia – which went for Biden by nearly 10 points – as Biden’s approval numbers have slipped.
Biden now stands at 43 per cent approval and 52 per cent disapproval among the commonwealth’s voters.
The president has lost support as the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill has bickered over his two key packages – a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and the so-called ‘Build Back Better’ reconciliation package, with no end of negotiations in sight.
Meanwhile, McAuliffe’s five-point advantage in August and September has vanished.
Allies of McAuliffe have pleaded with Washington Democrats to get the bills over the line to help their candidate’s prospects.
Besides Biden’s event next Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris will attend a McAuliffe rally later Thursday, while first lady Jill Biden toured Virginia with the Democrat on Friday.
Biden previously appeared at a rally for McAuliffe in July.
Former President Barack Obama will campaign for McAuliffe – a former Democratic National Committee chair – over the weekend.
Also bad news for McAuliffe: Democrats are less motivated than Republican voters in Virginia and have become decreasingly enthusiastic about the gubernatorial race
In September, Biden helped California Gov. Gavin Newsom overcome a recall election threat – in part because the two men nationalized the election and made it about former President Donald Trump.
McAuliffe will also need to reinvigorate Democratic voters.
The poll showed that while about the same percentage of Republicans and Democrats were motivated to vote in August – 76 per cent of Democrats and 75 per cent of Republicans – now 79 per cent of Republicans are motivated to vote, compared to 72 per cent of Democrats.
The enthusiasm gap has grown between the voters of the two parties in the state.
In August, 34 per cent of Republicans said they were enthusiastic to vote, compared to 21 per cent of Democrats.
In September, enthusiasm grew by 10 points among voters of both parties: Republicans bumped up to 44 per cent and Democrats to 31 per cent.
In October, however, Republican enthusiasm increased by five more points, to 49 per cent.
Democratic enthusiasm actually decreased by five points – currently sitting at 26 per cent.
The Virginia election will be held on November 2.
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