Former President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are set to campaign in support of Terry McAuliffe's bid to become Virginia's governor again, The Washington Post is reporting.
Also campaigning for the Democrat will be Stacey Abrams, who ran unsuccessfully for Georgia governor.
Obama will hit the campaign trail for McAuliffe later this month in an attempt to boost the turnout of Black voters. Abrams is set to do the same. Also campaigning will be Keisha Lance Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta.
Pelosi, D-Calif., will host a fundraiser on behalf of McAuliffe.
McAuliffe, who was Virginia's governor from 2014 to 2018, is competing against Republican Glenn Youngkin for his old job.
The Virginia governor's election is considered a major political bellwether ahead of the midterms. Traditionally, the party that wins the presidential race loses in Virginia in the following election.
The Post noted that public opinion polls show McAuliffe with a slim lead.
A poll released last week from the Wason Center at Christopher Newport University had McAuliffe at 49%, to Youngkin's 45%, which is within the poll's margin of error.
Some Democrat leaders are convinced the outcome of the Virginia race could have a major impact on the party's legislative agenda and political standing as next year's midterms approach.
While first lady Jill Biden will also stump for McAuliffe, President Joe Biden has not announced any campaign events during the final weeks.
The Washington Examiner noted McAuliffe told supporters last week that Biden was "unpopular today, unfortunately, here in Virginia, so we got to plow through."
Republican Governors Association spokeswoman Maddie Anderson said McAuliffe's remark reflected his own internal polling, along with public surveys.
"I'm sure the White House was none too pleased to hear their endorsed candidate admit the president was dragging him down, so saying under pressure that Biden would be coming back to campaign was McAuliffe's way to compensate for that," she said. "Whether or not Biden actually goes back to Virginia remains questionable. Biden is deeply unpopular, and it certainly would not help McAuliffe."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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