President Obama Rallies with Terry McAuliffe in Arlington, Virginia   ...1 of 4 >
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. 

Although the rally started at 1 o'clock people began lining up in the morning.
Supporters of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican candidate, demonstrated on the opposite side of the street.  In addition to a number of Women for Cuccinelli signs, there were many handmade signs with slogans such as "Obamacare is bad medicine," "Obamacare Hurts Women #StandWithKen," "Obamacare is about control not health care," "Hands off my Healthcare," "Virginia Rejects Obama/McAuliffe," "Liar=Obama, Liar=McAwful, Liar=Biden" and "Benghazi matters."
It was a fine fall day, and attendees of the rally were happy to be there.
U.S. Reps. Jim Moran (VA-8) and Gerry Connolly (VA-11) arrive.  Arlington is prime Democratic territory; McAuliffe is working for a big turnout here, whereas Cuccinelli has not campaigned in this area.
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