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“It’s about bringing people together,” Youngkin said in an interview here on the east coast of Virginia, as the sun went down after a full day of campaigning, “as opposed to that idea of walking the line “.
But make no mistake: he’s facing a careful balancing act, the outcome of which could offer a window into how Republicans can run their campaigns without Trump on the ballot over the course of a year. midterm election which, according to history, also presents considerable hurdles for the party that controls the White House.
Youngkin, 54, a former private equity executive running for political office for the first time, is locked in a tighter than expected race against Terry McAuliffe, 64, a former Democratic Party leader who is running for a second term in office. as governor of Virginia.
“We control the House, the Senate and the White House,” McAuliffe said in an interview. “We need this infrastructure. I can tell you, as a former governor, that it is absolutely essential for our bridges and our roads, so let’s do it and stop talking.”
The November competition will help determine whether the Commonwealth still has the capacity to clinch a statewide victory for a Republican candidate or whether it has become solid blue ground as the last four presidential elections have indicated. .
“The Republican Party has figured out one thing over the past 12 years – that’s how to lose,” Youngkin said. “We have to win.”
The Trump Factor
Virginia and New Jersey are the only two states in the country to hold gubernatorial elections the year following a presidential campaign. The races can give a first glimpse of the mood of the electorate, especially for the president’s party.
The dysfunction and division displayed within the Democratic Party, as well as Biden’s declining approval ratings over the summer months, raised the optimism of Republicans in Virginia much higher than many party officials did. had anticipated it.
A key wild card in the race is Trump and the extent to which he could be used to ignite his Republican base or to unite the Democratic base.
“Donald Trump wants to use this election to kickstart his return to this country,” said McAuliffe, who invokes Trump’s name far more than most Republicans, seeking to portray his rival as a clone of the former president.
Yet it is an open question how successful attempts to get Trump into the race have been.
For his part, Youngkin rarely mentions Trump by name. He said he was seeking to create a coalition of “Always Trumpers, Never Trumpers, One-Problem Voters, Libertarians, Tea Party People,” as well as Democrats and Independents who have grown disillusioned with the left turn of the party and its ability to govern.
He’s testing how big the Republican Party tent can be, but his approach is already raising questions from Trump, who told a Richmond radio station last week: “The only guys who win are those who embrace the movement. MAGA. “
Asked about the former president’s comments during an interview here, Youngkin downplayed any sensitivity or concern.
“He knows exactly where I stand,” Youngkin said. “I’m a candidate from Virginia first. I’m on the ballot. It’s Glenn Youngkin running in Virginia.”
The covid policy
Still, Youngkin’s positions are under closer scrutiny, including his belief that vaccinations should be mandatory for measles, mumps and rubella, but not for Covid-19. He struggled to explain his reasoning in a debate on Tuesday, but insisted in a CNN interview on Wednesday that science, not politics, guides his opinions.
“There’s nothing about politics in there for me,” Youngkin said, trying to sidestep the issue of teachers ‘and children’s health workers’ mandates. “Should this be mandatory for young children? I think we should just take a step back and the best way to do that is to encourage everyone to get vaccinated.”
Pressed again by his opposition to the mandates for the Covid-19 vaccine, which several polls show are supported by a solid majority of voters in Virginia and large business groups, Youngkin did not clarify until after. an assistant takes him to the next stop in the campaign.
But during his remarks at an event for the Republican candidates at a farm here, Youngkin highlighted his opposition to mandatory vaccinations as a key distinction with his Democratic opponent.
“Terry McAuliffe wants people who don’t get the vaccine to lose their jobs. He wants to fire them,” Youngkin said, calling it an example of government overtaking.
For his part, McAuliffe said his rival’s opposition to vaccination warrants was disqualifying.
“I think that’s probably the most defining issue,” said McAuliffe, who from 2014 to 2018 ruled Virginia, the only state in the country that doesn’t allow governors to serve two consecutive terms.
“A great race for the country”
In the final month of the campaign, both candidates seek to portray the other as too extreme for mainstream voters. They are arguing over their respective ideas to revive the economy, as well as fights over the Second Amendment and the integrity of the elections.
Early voting is already underway, the first time it has been proposed for a governorship race, which officials from both parties say could increase turnout for the 2.6 million people who voted in the election. of the 2017 gubernatorial race. It remains to be seen whether turnout approaches the 4.5 million people who competed in the 2020 presidential race in Virginia, where Biden beat Trump by 10 percentage points.
“The votes are there,” McAuliffe said. “We just have to alert everyone that there are dire consequences if you don’t vote.”
The final month of the race is filled with at least some degree of uncertainty, especially with the legislative stalemate in Washington that McAuliffe is rising against more and more, seeking to distance himself from bickering and inaction. .
“It’s a big race for the country,” said McAuliffe. “This may send the signal that Democrats, at dawn at 10 pm, may be on the rise.”
As for Youngkin, he seeks to capitalize on voter dissatisfaction with Democratic politics, taxes and spending, but focuses much more on McAuliffe. He said the race should be about Virginia squarely – an implied effort to prevent the race from becoming a referendum on the national Republican Party.
In many campaign stops, the former president Youngkin regularly refers to is neither Trump nor Biden, but Bill Clinton.
“If Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton had a son, it’s Terry McAuliffe!” Youngkin said to the thunderous applause here from a Republican crowd about Clinton’s longtime ally. “He’s a swamp creature.”
It’s a partisan punchline that needed little explanation in this state located just across the Potomac River from Washington.
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