Democrats are sending a slew of political celebrities to Virginia to help prop up Terry McAuliffe’s gubernatorial campaign, fearing a loss in the state where President Joe Biden won by 10 points could foreshadow a midterm shellacking.
On Thursday, McAuliffe’s campaign announced Biden would join him on the campaign trail Tuesday.
Vice President Kamala Harris attended a rally Thursday night, while First Lady Jill Biden appeared with the ex-governor and former Democratic National Committee chair a week ago.
Over the weekend, former President Barack Obama will appear with McAuliffe.
And adding a real celebrity into the mix, singer Dave Matthews will play an acoustic set on Sunday on behalf of McAuliffe in Charlottesville, where Dave Matthews Band was formed in the early 90s.
President Joe Biden (left) will appear with former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (right) at a campaign event on Tuesday, the McAuliffe campaign announced Thursday. Worried Democrats are sending their political celebrities to help McAuliffe beat Glenn Youngkin
McAuliffe (left) appeared with Vice President Kamala Harris (right) at a campaign event Thursday night in Dumfries, Virginia. A Monmouth poll this week showed McAuliffe tied with Republican rival Glenn Youngkin, spooking Democrats
Dave Matthews, the frontman of the Dave Matthews Band, which heralds from Charlottesville, Virginia, will appear at a McAuliffe event on Sunday, alongside Stacey Abrams and Jaime Harrison
Former Georgia gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams and DNC Chair Jaime Harrison will also appear at the Charlottesville concert event.
Bill and Hillary Clinton – who McAuliffe got his political start with – haven’t actively campaigned for him, but did host two private fundraisers, the Associated Press said.
Biden previously appeared at a rally for McAuliffe in July.
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.
The party was motivated to act, in part, because of a Monmouth University survey that dropped Wednesday showed McAuliffe tied with Republican newcomer Glenn Youngkin.
The 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.
Youngkin overtakes McAuliffe for the first time when pollsters used a turnout model that predicted moderate turnout overall with a whiter electorate.
Former President Barack Obama (right) will appear with McAuliffe (left) this weekend in Virginia. He’s photographed campaigning with McAuliffe when the former Democratic National Committee chair was running for his first term in 2013
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.
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.
McAuliffe appeared with First Lady Jill Biden (right) at a rally Friday in Richmond, Virginia. He needs to close the enthusiasm gap between Democratic voters in the commonwealth and Republicans
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.
Allies of McAuliffe have pleaded with Washington Democrats to get the infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better reconciliation bill over the line to help their candidate’s prospects.
The Associated Press reported that when McAuliffe ran into Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and close political ally, at a Newport News campaign stop, he pressed him on the infrastructure bill.
‘Greatest member of Congress to ever serve! He’s our man!’ McAuliffe told Scott. ‘You gonna get me an infrastructure bill?’
Scott paused awkwardly at the query.
‘Uhhh, it’ll be last minute,’ the lawmaker said.
Voters will head to the polls on November 2.