McAuliffe, Youngkin clash over abortion, COVID in 1st debate

GRUNDY, Va. – Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin clashed implicit termination and vaccination policies Thursday successful Virginia’s archetypal gubernatorial statement of the wide predetermination season, arsenic each sought to formed the different arsenic extreme.

The candidates met astatine the Appalachian School of Law successful Grundy, a tiny municipality successful southwest Virginia, wherever the statement got disconnected to a comparatively heated start, with cross-talk and occasional snide remarks.

The archetypal questions of the nighttime dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left much than 12,000 Virginians dormant and hospitalized tens of thousands more. The candidates' answers highlighted the already wide differences connected however they would attack attempting to negociate the pandemic.

Asked his presumption connected President Joe Biden's sweeping caller vaccine mandates issued earlier this month, Youngkin called himself a beardown advocator for the COVID-19 vaccines but said helium thought the president lacked the authorization to “dictate” that workers person one.

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“I person been a strong, beardown advocator for everyone to get the vaccine. I bash judge that individuals should beryllium allowed to marque that determination connected their own,” said Youngkin, a erstwhile concern enforcement and governmental newcomer.

McAuliffe criticized Youngkin arsenic failing to amusement leadership, saying aboriginal successful the debate: “His Day One program would beryllium to unleash COVID due to the fact that helium doesn’t judge we should mandate vaccinations."

He besides accused Youngkin of urging assemblage students to usage loopholes to get past universities’ vaccine mandates, with the Democrat’s run promptly releasing a portion of Youngkin saying, “I promote radical to ... basal up for your exception.”

The candidates' differences connected abortion, vigor argumentation and acquisition were besides connected show Thursday nighttime successful the hour-long debate.

Apart from this week’s callback election successful California, lone Virginia and New Jersey are electing governors this year, and the Virginia contention is by acold the astir competitive. That’s meant the contention has drawn outsized nationalist attraction arsenic a imaginable indicator of elector sentiment heading into the 2022 nationalist midterm elections.

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Polls person mostly shown McAuliffe, who antecedently served arsenic politician from 2014-2018, with a flimsy borderline implicit Youngkin.

While Virginia has been trending bluish for implicit a decade, Republicans are optimistic astir their chances this year, hoping that a divers statewide summons and a humanities inclination of absorption successful Virginia to the enactment successful power of the White House volition boost their odds.

Youngkin, a erstwhile co-CEO of the concern steadfast The Carlyle Group, besides has the immense idiosyncratic wealthiness to assistance bankroll his campaign.

Campaign concern records filed Wednesday that covered the past 2 months showed Youngkin with a important fundraising vantage implicit McAuliffe, acknowledgment to $4.5 cardinal Youngkin loaned his campaign. But McAuliffe, a prodigious fundraiser, volition participate the last 2 months of the run with an vantage successful currency connected hand, with $12.6 cardinal successful the slope compared to $6 cardinal for Youngkin, the records show.

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Once champion known arsenic a apical Democratic Party fundraiser, McAuliffe jumped into the race successful December with thing adjacent to incumbent status, having preceded existent Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam successful office. Virginia instrumentality does not let politician to service consecutive terms.

McAuliffe went connected to triumph a resounding victory successful June’s five-way Democratic primary.

Youngkin captured the GOP information successful a seven-way normal successful May.

Thursday’s statement was moderated by Susan Page, the Washington bureau main of USA Today, who assertively pressed some candidates erstwhile they avoided questions. Page was joined by panelists Bob Holsworth, a seasoned Virginia governmental analyst, and Candace Burns, an anchor for TV presumption WTVR successful Richmond.

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Princess Blanding, an activistic and pedagogue making a long-shot third-party bid, was not portion of the event.

The statement was held a time earlier aboriginal in-person voting was to statesman astatine section elector registration offices and was the archetypal of 2 debates the candidates person agreed to earlier the Nov. 2 election. The 2nd is planned for Sept. 28 astatine a assemblage assemblage successful bluish Virginia.

Also connected the ballot this autumn are races for lawyer wide and lieutenant governor, positions presently held by Democrats. Democrats volition besides beryllium defending their bulk successful the House of Delegates, with each 100 seats connected the ballot.

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Rankin reported from Nellysford, Virginia.

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