“No, no! Don’t go,” urged Barack Obama. “Don’t go. Vote! Get out of here and vote.” The former president’s appeal was made on the 23rd, to an audience that flocked to see him in Richmond and reacted angrily to statements about the risks of a Republican victory in the Virginia gubernatorial election.
“[A votação] it is a choice that will define not only the next few years, but the next decades of human history,” he said, in a speech that interspersed jokes about married life and warnings about civilization being in danger. It will be concluded this Tuesday (2) — arouses national attention as it has already served as an indicator of the country’s electoral future.
In 2008, Obama won the White House with a landmark victory and saw, the following year, the Democrats lose the Virginia government. In 2010, then, Republicans comprehensively won the so-called “midterms”, midterm legislative elections, and regained power in Congress, blocking much of the then president’s proposals in the following years.
In 2017, the opposite happened: the Democrats won in Virginia a year after Donald Trump came to power and, the following year, regained control of the House in the “midterms”.
In 2021, President Joe Biden’s party fears that a defeat in the state could mean another change of wind. In his first year in office, the Democrat has faced difficulties, such as the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, a new wave of Covid and the delay in approving investment packages in Congress — an issue that, it must be said, faces challenges even within the your caption.
So, to seek victory, the party has sent strong figures to campaign in Virginia. In addition to Obama and Biden himself, Vice President Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia congressman who led campaigns to increase access to the vote, went to the state.
“Democrats try to mobilize young, non-white voters, who usually don’t vote when there’s no presidential election,” says Alex Keena, professor of political science at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University). Attendance in local elections is usually between 25% and 30%, half of what is registered in disputes by the White House.
As part of the strategy, Obama held his rally on the VCU campus in Richmond. He spoke alongside Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat who was governor from 2014 to 2018 and is seeking a new term — the state does not allow consecutive re-election.
McAuliffe, 64, has made a career in banking. He is close to the Clinton family — he managed Hillary’s campaign for the Democratic presidential candidacy in 2008 — and, in government, he improved the local economy and made the successor. In business life, he was involved in somewhat controversial deals, such as the sale of a company based in Bermuda that would later fail, leaving 12,000 unemployed.
The Democrat, who calls himself a civil rights advocate, had a good lead at the start of the campaign, but polls in the final stretch show a technical tie with Republican Glenn Youngkin, 54, former chairman of the investment group Carlyle. In his first election campaign, he has been winning voters as he strengthens his position on conservative issues.
In response, Democrats say Youngkin could restrict abortion-like rights, as happened in Texas this year. “Are we going to sit back and watch all the progress we’ve made be destroyed? Are we going to become the next Texas? The next Florida?” Eileen Filler-Corn, the mayor of the state council, asked in a recent speech.
At the Obama rally, the topic was addressed by those present. “Access to health care is a human right, as is a woman’s choice over her body. It’s a shameful example in Texas of politicians making decisions for women,” says Rhawny Leach, 29, a Richmond resident.
On the other hand, Republicans promise to increase parental power over school content after the Democratic candidate defended teacher autonomy. “McAuliffe wants the government to stand between parents and their children,” Youngkin accused. The republican wants family members to be able to veto access to books that have sex reports and that teachers stop teaching content with a racial bias.
“Some Republicans think schools are teaching students to be racist against whites, which is probably not true, but it works as a call for white people and racists to vote,” says Alex Keena. The professor compares the picture with the 1960s, when the courts determined the end of racial segregation in the country’s schools, and some politicians — most of them Democrats — promised to stop the change in order to gain votes.
Racism has a long history in the region. Virginia was one of the states that tried to break away from the USA in 1861, to maintain the current slavery, which gave rise to the Civil War. Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy, a kind of new country formed by the southern states, defeated and reincorporated in 1865.
Today, Virginia’s electorate is often divided geographically: upstate residents vote more Republican, while in big cities like Richmond and Arlington (next to Washington), there is a greater preference for Democrats. Last year, Biden won the state by 10 percentage points, but today 53% disapprove of his administration, according to The Washington Post.
On the 23rd, Youngkin also held a rally, at a shopping center on the outskirts of the capital, with a rural setting and a stage on the grass. The public was greeted by volunteers wearing “Farmers for Youngkin” T-shirts (Farmers by Youngkin).
Most of those present were from elderly people and white families. “I’m undecided, but Youngkin has a pro-life position [antiaborto] it weighs a lot on me,” said Mary, 67, who declined to give her last name. Another supporter, Michael Kelci, 72, highlighted religious issues. “God will give him victory,” he said, holding up a crucifix.
The rally began with a prayer and the US anthem. Despite the 13°C cold, Youngkin wore a red shirt and vest. With an excited speech, he seeks to repeat the model of the entrepreneur who is not political, capable of governing as someone who runs a company. It promises to lower the cost of living by lowering taxes, loosening labor rules to create jobs and strengthening math education.
“In the last eight years, neighboring states have grown up to 120% faster than Virginia. In my world, if your competitors grow 120% more, you get fired. Democrats should be fired,” the Republican said, echoing the Trump’s catchphrase on the program “The Apprentice”.
Not by chance, Youngkin received public support from the former president, but has sought a complex balance between trying not to be associated with his figure and not scaring away voters still attached to him. Steve Bannon, the politician’s former strategist, held a rally in favor of the candidate, in which the former president participated by telephone — Youngkin himself did not attend.
Trump was not mentioned in the act on the 23rd, but his name appeared on t-shirts and caps of supporters, as well as his ideas. “I’m sure the 2020 election was stolen,” said James Manship, 68, who was dressed as former President George Washington. “There is a lack of means to audit the results, and I fear that something might happen in this vote as well.”
Youngkin sought to evade the issue at the start of the campaign, but later said he believed Biden won fairly. At the same time, it talks about strengthening electoral integrity and ensuring that all votes are counted — to cherish the public who believe in theories of fraud, for which there is no evidence.
The election in Virginia will also serve to attest to how much the idea of questioning the results of the polls continues to attract support or boos.
.
