The Democrat Establishment is Lining up Behind Terry McAuliffe

The dust has barely settled from the 2020 federal elections and Virginians - thanks to Virginia's election cycle with odd year elections - find themselves facing another round of elections for the Virginia General Assembly and the Commonwealth's top statewide offices. Jockeying is going on both sides of the aisle as Democrats and Republicans seek to select their nominees.  For governor, part of me hopes the Virginia Republican Party (which is truly detached from objective reality) manages to nominate the utterly delusional Amanda Chase who touts herself as "Trump in heels" given that the party convention route usually favors the most extreme far right candidates.  On the Democrat side, the so-called party establishment appears to be opting for a safer approach by lining up behind former Governor Terry McAuliffe who seeks a second term following incumbent Ralph Northam who cannot run for reelection.  Some are whining that the party should ignore the goal of political parties - which is to win elections - and seek a minority and/or woman candidate.  As the father of two strong and intelligent daughters, I am hardly anti-woman, but believe that winning in November 2021 is the number 1. priority.  Like the party establishment, I will be backing McAuliffe.   A piece in the Washington Post looks at the state of the Democrat nomination.  Here are excerpts:

From the Norfolk waterfront to the busy streets of Alexandria, Virginia’s Democratic establishment turned out in force this week to anoint their preferred candidate for governor in this fall’s election.

Many of them were female and Black leaders who have risen to power in the past four years and transformed the political landscape of this old Southern state. Social justice and racial equity were the themes of the day. But the candidate they and Gov. Ralph Northam all came out to endorse had a distinctly familiar look: Terry McAuliffe — a 64-year-old White man who already served a term as governor, ending in 2018.

For a state party that has won national acclaim for breaking new ground, the embrace of the tried and true McAuliffe brand seems like a throwback. After all, Virginia Democrats have a diverse set of candidates to choose from in the June 8 primary. Two offer the chance to make history by becoming the first Black woman to govern any state.

Today, about half the members of that caucus [Virginia Legislative Black Caucus] have endorsed McAuliffe — though neither Aird nor the caucus leader, Del. Lamont Bagby (D-Henrico), is endorsing any candidate.

When Northam was politically crippled in early 2019, McAuliffe came to the rescue during crucial elections for every seat in the General Assembly, campaigning and flexing his prodigious fundraising powers, much like a surrogate governor. And Democrats rode an anti-Trump wave to make unexpected gains, seizing majorities in the legislature for the first time in a generation.

It’s those gains that Democrats are eager to protect this year, when all 100 seats in the House of Delegates are on the Nov. 2 ballot, along with governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. Northam, like all Virginia governors, is prohibited by the state constitution from seeking a second consecutive term.

In a normal election year, Fairfax might be seen as the favorite to succeed Northam — the lieutenant governor job being a traditional steppingstone, as it was for Northam. . . . . Instead, it’s McAuliffe who is positioning himself as the de facto successor to Northam in a field that also includes state Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan (Richmond), former delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy (Prince William) and Del. Lee J. Carter (Manassas).

Most elected party members are loath to say anything publicly about McAuliffe that might sound negative because of his powerful position. But tensions bubbled to the surface Tuesday in an extraordinary scene at the first televised debate featuring the five Democratic gubernatorial candidates.

Two days later, when Northam threw his weight behind McAuliffe with the House speaker, House majority leader and president pro tempore of the Senate by his side, McClellan called a hasty news conference in Richmond.

McAuliffe has not directly addressed questions about the racial dynamics of the contest, pointing to his record of job creation and expanding access to health care for all Virginians. “His record, ability to deliver results, and vision for the future have earned him the support of hundreds of Virginia leaders, including deep and overwhelming support from Black leaders, and Terry is incredibly proud of this strong and diverse coalition,” campaign manager Chris Bolling said.

Some Black Democrats say skin color has nothing to do with their pick for governor.

“It would make no difference who was in this race. I’ve known Terry for decades, I know he can deliver,” said Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth), who as president pro tem of the Senate is arguably the most powerful Black woman in Virginia’s history.

But Democrats nationwide have wrestled with the fact that Black women have long been the stalwart base of the party but have historically been shut out of positions of leadership.

Bob Holsworth, a longtime Richmond political analyst, said he’s struck in particular by how many Black mayors around the state have come out for McAuliffe — including in Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Norfolk and Richmond.

“There is a certain kind of conservative pragmatism that says, he’s won before, he can win again. That you’re better off with a proven candidate,” Holsworth said. Democrats might be particularly cautious this year, which is the first time they’ll have to test their newfound dominance without having Donald Trump in the White House to motivate blue voters.

Northam’s political adviser, Mark Bergman, essentially cast the governor’s endorsement of McAuliffe in pragmatic terms: “The governor feels that . . . progress could be washed away if we don’t win in this November’s election, so having a proven vote-getter, a proven candidate is good for the party and good for our ability to hold the majority in the House,” Bergman said.

He pointed out that Northam also endorsed Del. Jerrauld C. “Jay” Jones (D-Norfolk) for attorney general over Herring, the incumbent.

Jones, who is Black, said earning Northam’s nod was noteworthy.

“He endorsed a young, Black state legislator seeking to be the state’s chief law enforcement officer. I think that is important and symbolic and is lifting up voices that have traditionally been left out,” Jones said.

James E. “JJ” Minor III, head of the Richmond branch of the NAACP, credited McAuliffe with building genuine connections with Black communities — attending Black churches, knocking on doors.  “Not just during the campaign — he was doing it for the whole four years he was governor,” Minor said.

And he praised McAuliffe’s efforts as governor to restore voting rights for hundreds of thousands of convicted felons — a disproportionate number of whom were Black.

Even Democrats who privately grumble at McAuliffe’s entry into the race credit him for that effort and worry that his popularity is hard to counter as long as support for any other nominee is divided among multiple qualified alternatives.

“With three candidates that are seeking to get the Black vote against a White previous governor who does well with Black voters and Black elected officials, it is a real challenge,” said a Democratic official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive party matters.

That leaves them wringing hands in private that the others are highly qualified politicians but not ideal candidates — with worries that McClellan doesn’t show enough fire and Carroll Foy, who stepped down from her second term in the legislature to run for governor, doesn’t have enough experience.

“Can these two Black women get elected when competing with the Republicans? I’m not so confident with that,” said a Black Democratic official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to handicap the race.

Republicans have been mired in their own dysfunction, squabbling internally over how to stage a convention on May 8 to choose a nominee from a field of eight candidates.