By Carrie Dann and Andrew Rafferty, NBC News
As polls closed in Virginia, the race for governor between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Ken Cuccinelli was "too early to call" with McAuliffe leading, according to NBC News.
Kevin Lamarque / REUTERS
Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe greets campaign workers, after voting, outside Spring Hill Elementary School in McLean, Va.
The Democratic businessman and former political moneyman has led the GOP Attorney General in recent polling, with Libertarian Party candidate Robert Sarvis peeling off limited support from both sides in a contest with broad implications for both parties.
McAuliffe, who failed to win the Democratic nomination for governor four years ago, has maintained a consistent lead in polls this year in part due to Republican infighting that helped the deeply conservative Cuccinelli secure his party's nomination. And the Democrat is hoping to tap into the organization that helped President Barack Obama win the state in two consecutive elections as well as the popularity of his good friends – Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Cuccinelli had distinguished himself as a conservative stalwart during eight years as a state senator and most recently as attorney general. The Republican embraced the ascendant Tea Party movement early on, winning accolades from conservatives for his legal challenges to Obamacare, abortion rights laws and climate change research.
That endeared Cuccinelli to conservatives nationally, but turned some voters at home against him. McAuliffe has highlighted more strident examples of Cuccinelli's views to swing voters across Virginia, a state which has become friendlier to Democrats in recent elections due to changing demographics in the state. Many within the state’s sizable independent population also appear to have found a suitable alternative in Sarvis.
Ken Cuccinelli talks about the "clear and contrasting positions" he and Terry McAuliffe have over Obama's health care plan in the state.
Cuccinelli has also contended with backlash over the October government shutdown, which affected federal workers who reside in Washington’s Northern Virginia suburbs and throughout the state.
McAuliffe, for his part, has fashioned himself as a problem-solving entrepreneur and worked to shake his image as a fundraising whiz who boosted both Clintons by activating a vast network of donors and business interests. He also faced questions about his involvement in electric car company GreenTech, which fell well short of lofty promises of job creation.
With heavy attention on the race during the off-year election, political heavyweights from both parties campaigned for their favored candidates throughout the summer and fall. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and former Rep. Ron Paul stumped for Cuccinelli in the waning days of the campaign, as did Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. McAuliffe was boosted by Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and the multiple appearances by the Clintons.
The presence of the former president and onetime secretary of state is not just about a longstanding friendship with McAuliffe. Should Hillary Clinton decide to run for president in 2016, having a supportive governor in a crucial swing state like Virginia could be a strong asset for her campaign.
Sen. Mark Warner joins AMR to discuss candidate Terry McAuliffe's chances in Tuesday's elections, and how a Democratic Virginia could help candidates in 2016.
And the national political battle played out in this race. While Democrats tied Cuccinelli to Tea Party-affiliated pols like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the GOP contender pushed to make the election a referendum on Obama’s glitch-riddled health care rollout.
Cuccinelli’s struggles to appeal to moderates come as another big-name Republican, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, is poised to breeze to re-election in his blue home state. But Christie, unlike Cuccinelli and Virginia’s lieutenant governor candidate E.W. Jackson, has been disparaged by some in the GOP’s right flank for his more moderate tone.
Jackson trails Democrat Ralph Northam in the race to be the governor’s second-in-command.
The hotly-contested race for attorney general might be Republicans’ best chance to maintain a foothold in the Old Dominion election. Republican State Sen. Mark Obenshain is battling Democrat Mark Herring for the job.
Related:
0 comments:
Post a Comment