McAuliffe says he will not be running for president in 2020

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said Wednesday that he would not join the crowd in the running to win the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

The former governor said he would instead focus his efforts on helping the Democratic Party win a majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.

"We have problems in Virginia, and I worry about Virginia, since February we have a lot of problems there," McAuliffe told CNN host Chris Cuomo, referring to recent scandals involving the Democratic Governor, the Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.

"We have the opportunity to take both the House and the Senate, I have invested a lot in this state and I adore that state, we have to win the House and the Senate in that state."

McAuliffe said that state elections later this year will have a disproportionate impact as lawmakers are on the cusp of redrawing Virginia's congressional districts.

"The people we elected this year will be present in 2021 when they redraw all the cards. This election will determine the next 10 years in Virginia, "he said.

McAuliffe has never been seen as a major candidate for the nomination, but his decision has implications for the rest of the presidential world because of his deep ties to the Democratic fundraising community.

During his long political career, he has established himself as one of the leading magnates of the Democratic Party. He's close to both former President Clinton and Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonBudowsky: 2020 Dems should debate the Fox GOP senators double at the request of Clinton's investigative documents on emails The memo: Sanders becomes Dem leader. MOREand he was president of the National Democratic Committee before launching himself into electoral politics.

His absence from the race means that dozens of long-time McAuliffe friends in the donor and donor communities are now up for grabs.

McAuliffe had been heading for a presidential candidacy for years. Just last month, he told his friends that he was inclined to get into the race.

He would have been a little centrist in a more and more liberal democrat field, even though it was hard to say whether there would have been a way for a centrist white democrat, pro-business, in the race, especially if the former friend of the vice president of McAuliffe, the former vice president Joe BidenJoseph (Joe) Robinette BidenTrump mourns Bernie Sanders "crazy" after Fox News town hall The Memo: Sanders becomes Dem leader. Several Dems from 2020 say they are ready to face the Fox News PLUS City Hall joined the field.

McAuliffe, however, seemed to suggest that the centrist track could be successful against Trump next year in the primary primary Democratic Platoon.

"I think most of them beat Trump. I love Joe Biden … But listen, we're going to have a good, healthy process, "he said.

Updated 10:05