Obama to campaign with McAuliffe in Virginia governor's race

RICHMOND, Va. – Former President Barack Obama volition run with chap Democrat Terry McAuliffe successful the last agelong of the Virginia governor's race.

“The stakes could not beryllium greater,” McAuliffe said, arsenic helium announced the quality Tuesday greeting connected MSNBC.

McAuliffe's contention against the GOP nominee, first-time governmental campaigner Glenn Youngkin, is tightening, according to the latest polls. His effort to triumph a second, nonconsecutive word successful bureau is 1 of lone 2 regularly scheduled governor's races successful the state this twelvemonth and is being intimately watched for indications of elector sentiment up of adjacent year's midterms.

McAuliffe's run announced that Obama volition articulation him successful Richmond connected Oct. 23 to mobilize Virginians during aboriginal voting, which began weeks agone and runs successful idiosyncratic done Oct. 30.

Obama rallied Democrats successful Virginia's superior metropolis successful 2017 earlier Ralph Northam bushed Republican gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie by astir 9 percent points. He'll travel different high-profile Democrats visiting the commonwealth to enactment McAuliffe.

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First woman Jill Biden is acceptable to sojourn connected Friday. Stacey Abrams, the voting rights activist, grassroots organizer and erstwhile Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, volition run with McAuliffe successful Norfolk and bluish Virginia connected Sunday.

McAuliffe said connected “Morning Joe” that Obama would beryllium coming Saturday, successful a mode that suggested the sojourn would precede Abrams’ events. His run past had to clarify his remarks.

McAuliffe stumped with President Joe Biden successful July. A caller canvass conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed the president's popularity has slumped aft a slew of challenges, and Biden has not announced plans to return.

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Maddie Anderson, a spokeswoman for the Republican Governors Association, highlighted remarks McAuliffe made to Politico successful July, erstwhile helium said he'd invited Biden to sojourn “every week.”

“McAuliffe and Co person intelligibly work the polls and asked Joe Biden to get retired of their mode and are asking each different Democrat superstar to run for him instead,” she said successful a statement.

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Youngkin but has not visited Virginia to enactment the erstwhile backstage equity executive.

McAuliffe, who preceded Northam successful office, called Youngkin a “Trump wannabe” connected Tuesday and said a triumph for Youngkin would get Trump “off the mat” and footwear disconnected another statesmanlike tally successful 2024.

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“We can't fto it happen,” helium said.

Youngkin has said helium would ballot for Trump successful 2024 if Trump is the Republican nominee.

In a written statement, Youngkin run spokeswoman Macaulay Porter said voters are rejecting McAuliffe's platform, “so his effect is to bring successful much politicians to assistance gully a assemblage larger than 12 people.”

Election Day is Nov. 2, and Tuesday is the past time to registry to vote.

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