Glenn Youngkin, Terry McAuliffe in last-minute scramble to rally voters

Associated Press
Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021 3:51 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021 3:51 p.m.

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Kids watch the proceedings from the windows of a garage Sunday as Democratic gubernatorial candidate former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe speaks to supporters during a rally in Richmond. McAuliffe will face Republican Glenn Youngkin in the November election.

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, center, speaks with Army veterans Russell Claar, left, and Wayne Robinson after a rally in Fredericksburg, Va., Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021.

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, center, speaks to supporters during a rally in Fredericksburg, Va., Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. Youngkin will face Democrat former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in the November election.

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Supporters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate former Gov. Terry McAuliffe listen to his speech during a rally in Norfolk, Va., Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. McAuliffe will face Republican Glenn Youngkin in the November election.

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Vice President Kamala Harris waves to the crowd as she and Democratic gubernatorial candidate former Gov. Terry McAuliffe greet supporters during a rally in Norfolk, Va., Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. McAuliffe will face Republican Glenn Youngkin in the November election.

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Vice President Kamala Harris waves to the crowd along with Democratic gubernatorial candidate former Gov. Terry McAuliffe during a rally in Norfolk, Va., Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. McAuliffe will face Republican Glenn Youngkin in the November election.

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Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe speaks during a campaign visit to the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Democratic Party headquarters in Harrisonburg, Va., Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021.

RICHMOND, Va. — Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin were making last-minute pushes Sunday to energize voters across Virginia in the final days of the competitive and closely watched governor’s race.

With the state’s early voting period finished, the campaigns turned their attention to Tuesday’s contest, each trying to fire up his party’s base to drive up turnout for an election that will be scrutinized as a bellwether ahead of next year’s midterms.

McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014 to 2018, and Democrats are scrambling to stave off disaster after public polling has shifted in Youngkin’s direction in recent weeks. Republicans are optimistic about their chances in the commonwealth, where they haven’t won a statewide race since 2009.

After campaigning across northern Virginia on Saturday, Youngkin departed for the far southwest corner of the state. Stops along his bus tour included a prayer breakfast, a worship service, a barbecue at the home of a powerful state lawmaker, a meet-and-greet in the state’s farthest-flung corner and an evening get-out-the-vote rally.

McAuliffe, who preceded Democrat Ralph Northam as governor in the only state that doesn’t allow its executive to serve consecutive terms, spent Saturday in Virginia’s southeastern corner before planning stops Sunday in suburban Richmond and northern Virginia.

With hours to go in Virginia’s gubernatorial campaign, nearly a quarter of voters say education is their top issue. Does that mean Republican Glenn Youngkin’s message is working? @evamckend shares her reporting from the campaign trail with @mkraju. #InsidePoliticsSunday pic.twitter.com/Fs68Kh3z2Q

— Inside Politics (@InsidePolitics) October 31, 2021

McAuliffe has brought in a series of high-profile surrogates including President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama and celebrity musicians Pharrell Williams and Dave Matthews in the final stretch. Youngkin, meanwhile, has eschewed virtually all public campaign visits from well-known party allies who would typically flock to a hot race.

That includes former President Donald Trump, who is holding a telerally for Youngkin on Monday. Youngkin said he will not be participating. Youngkin more fully embraced Trump during the Republican nominating contest, but since becoming the nominee, he has walked a tight line as he tries to court moderate voters in a state that Trump lost by 10 percentage points to Biden in 2016.