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Democrat Terry McAuliffe will face off against Republican Glenn Youngkin in Virginia’s gubernatorial election Nov. 2. Polling indicates McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014 to 2018, is neck-at-neck with Youngkin, former CEO of global investment company The Carlyle Group.
Incumbent Governor Ralph Northam is ineligible to run as Article V of Virginia’s constitution prevents governors from serving consecutive terms. Virginia is the only state to prohibit incumbent governors from running for immediate re-election and one of a handful of states that selects its governor in an off-year.
The Republican primary was held May 8 through ranked-choice voting — Youngkin was declared the Republican nominee later that week after the party voted to hand count the ballots, a process that takes longer than machine or software counting.
Born and raised in Virginia, Youngkin worked at The Carlyle Group for 25 years. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Youngkin founded the Virginia Ready Initiative with the help of his wife, Suzanne Youngkin, which aims to help prepare unemployed Virginians to acquire in-demand jobs.
Youngkin’s platform focuses on lowering the cost of living for Virginians, decreasing crime by fully funding law enforcement and reviving job growth.
The Democratic convention elected McAuliffe June 8 after he secured 62.2 percent of the vote.
McAuliffe competed against four other candidates, including former state delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy, state senator Jennifer McClellan, current Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax and delegate Lee Carter.
During his time as governor, McAuliffe worked to restore voting rights to previously incarcerated individuals who were prohibited from voting even though their sentences were complete. He also largely helped decrease unemployment and pushed to include Virginia in the U.S. Climate Alliance.
This year, key issues on McAuliffe’s platform include rebuilding Virginia’s economy in the wake of COVID-19 and ensuring quality education and healthcare for all Virginians.
With experts predicting that the race between McAuliffe and Youngkin will be a preview for the 2022 midterm election, Virginia’s gubernatorial race has garnered national attention.
Though recent Gallup polls show President Biden’s approval rating has declined through September to a low of 42 percent, the state of Virginia has not elected a Republican governor in over a decade, when Republican candidate Bob McDonnell won in 2009.
With the weight and attention this election holds, several student organizations have been energizing voters and advocating for their candidate. College Republicans and University Democrats have been at the forefront of these efforts.
Hunter Hess, fourth-year College student and president of University Democrats, explained members of UDems have mainly been phone banking and canvassing to help get out the vote for McAuliffe.
“We need to make sure we keep the House of Delegates, keep the Senate and make sure we keep the governorship as well, because it's really, really important to keep if we want to keep making progress on these issues we care about,” Hess said.
Democrats have controlled the General Assembly for the past two years. In that time, Democratic legislators passed reforms making it easier to vote, passed the Clean Economy Act, introduced a plan to increase minimum wage to $15 by 2025 and banned the death penalty.
University Democrats have been working throughout the fall to register people to vote by hosting weekly voter registration drives. In-person early voting began Oct. 17 and will be held until Oct. 30. The deadline to request an absentee ballot was Oct. 22.
College Republicans have been making similar efforts, including phone banking and assisting people with requesting an absentee ballot. Libby Klinger, third-year College student and president of CRs, said the organization has also been driving students to polling locations.
“It's one thing just to request the ballot, but it's another thing to actually ensure that the student fills it out and sends it back home in order to be counted,” Klinger said. “In the fall, we are really focused on campaigning because you can't have real change without having Republicans in office.”
Other CIOs are also thinking forward to issues on the ballot this year, including Hoos for Life and Planned Parenthood Generation Action at U.Va. Policies regarding reproductive rights are expected to play a large role in this election, as states some Southern states have recently instituted strict abortion laws, including in Texas, where abortions will be restricted to as early as six weeks.
While Hoos for Life does not endorse a specific candidate, Riley Jay, second-year College student and member of Hoos for Life, did comment on the weight this election holds.
“The previous administration [was] very pro-choice, and was very much relaxing restrictions on abortion,” Jay said. “We hope that with the next governor — whoever that might be — that we shift in the opposite direction.”
McAuliffe has pledged to be a "brick wall" in defending reproductive rights. In a Sept. 16 debate, McAuliffe indicated he would support loosening a requirement that three doctors sign off on the procedure. Conversely, Youngkin describes himself as pro-life, but said at the same debate that he would not have signed Texas’ new law banning most abortions.
PPGA has also been working to get out the vote and has endorsed McAuliffe.
Elliana McGovern, third-year Batten student and president of PPGA, said the organization has been participating in phone banking and participating in events such as the Women’s March.
“We're actually an affiliate of Planned Parenthood, so all the efforts that they've been doing to get the vote out have been incorporated by our clubs,” McGovern said.
Both candidates visited the University this fall to speak about their campaigns — McAuliffe addressed students Aug. 25 regarding the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations and participating in the gubernatorial election, while Youngkin attended a tailgate for the Virginia football game against Wake Forest Sept. 24.
Democratic nominee and delegate Hala Ayala and Winsome Sears, Republican nominee and former delegate, are running for lieutenant governor. Incumbent Democrat Mark Herring and Republican Jason Miyares are running for attorney general. In Charlottesville, Republican Philip Hamilton and incumbent Democrat Sally Hudson are candidates for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Polling locations can be found on the Virginia Department of Elections website or by contacting the General Registrar of the area. Voting is typically located at a nearby school or recreation center. Additionally, Student Council is committed to reimbursing the first 200 Uber and Lyft rides taken by students to early vote.
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