Glenn Youngkin, the businessman turned Republican nominee for governor in Virginia is reminding voters of his opponent’s past as an election truther.
Youngkin has sought to thread the needle between enthusing Republicans and not offending moderates, a difficult task made trickier by former president Donald Trump’s suggestion last Thursday that Youngkin could only prevail if he embraced the “MAGA movement.”
The candidate has affirmed that he believes Biden won the 2020 presidential election, but raised eyebrows when in a recent sit-down with Axios, he declined to say whether he would have voted to certify it were he a member of Congress.
Terry McAuliffe, who is vying for a second term against Youngkin, was critical.
How can Glenn not say that he wouldn’t object? Really? After all that happened?
We can’t let someone so beholden to the madness of Donald Trump anywhere near the Governor’s Office. https://t.co/0oQ9WaA046
— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) September 26, 2021
Youngkin has responded by reminding voters of McAuliffe’s own history of sowing doubt in America’s electoral system, with a new page on Twitter being promoted by his campaign.
In particular, McAuliffe has long been insistent that George Bush stole the 2000 presidential election. Shortly after taking over as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 2001, for example, McAuliffe claimed that the Supreme Court had “tampered” with the results.
Terry McAuliffe repeatedly claimed the 2000 election was stolen. It’s on tape. #BigLie pic.twitter.com/mAY2mIyMtc
— Team Youngkin (@TeamYoungkin) September 27, 2021
At the 2004 Democratic National Convention, McAuliffe insisted to a roaring crowd that “we actually won the last presidential folks, they stole the last presidential election!”
Big liar @TerryMcAuliffe told a #BigLie in 2004:
“They STOLE the last presidential election!” pic.twitter.com/UImRxe0tEt
— Team Youngkin (@TeamYoungkin) September 27, 2021
McAuliffe is on the record asserting that Al Gore “did win the election” as late as 2017, and he even strangely has asserted that his father passed away, at least in part, as a result of Bush’s victory.
The FiveThirtyEight polling average shows a tightening race between Youngkin and McAuliffe, with the latter holding a lead of less than three percentage points. Virginia has not had Republican governor since Bob McDonnell, who was succeeded by McAuliffe in 2014.
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