Nov. 3,
2013--Two days before Election Day, President Barack Obama joined Terry
McAuliffe, the Democratic candidate for governor, at a rally at
Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia. McAuliffe is
seen as almost certain to win the race; his campaign has consistently
and effectively
painted Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, the Republican candidate,
as an extremist. Cuccinelli's campaign has also been hurt by
investigations into gifts given to incumbent Gov. Bob McDonnell (R),
the man he hopes to succeed; McDonnell has been absent from the
campaign trail. The recent federal government shutdown,
instigated by Republicans in Congress, hasn't helped Cuccinelli.
Additionally, McAuliffe's campaign has raised
substantially more money than Cuccinelli's. Finally, Libertarian
Robert Sarvis
could siphon some votes from Cuccinelli. On the other side of the
equation, Obama
has undergone a rough patch in
the past several
weeks with revelations of eavesdropping on foreign leaders and the
recent
debacle over the HealthCare.gov website. Republicans sought to
make
ObamaCare an issue (for example, an RNC research briefing issued today
proclaimed "ObamaCare’s Old Dominion Disaster...As Obama Campaigns For
Terry McAuliffe And Virginia Democrats, ObamaCare Continues To Hurt
Virginians). Analysts look for clues to 2014 and 2016 races in
the 2013 campaigns, and Virginia, as a swing state, is of particular
interest. Balancing out predictions of a McAuliffe win
in Virginia is the other governor's race; in New Jersey Gov.
Chris
Christie (R) is seen as almost certain to win a second term. |