Obama accused Youngkin, who he claimed was a friend and all-around good guy, of encouraging “lies” and conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud in 2020 elections. Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, has maintained the false narrative that election fraud was a major factor in the January 6 rebellion at the U.S. Capitol.
“Either he believes in the same conspiracy theories that led to a mob or he doesn’t believe it but is willing to accept it, to say or to do whatever it takes to get elected. Obama stated that maybe this is worse because it says something about Obama’s character.
Youngkin, an ex-private equity executive and first-time candidate, made “election integrity” the core of his campaign. He refused for months to state whether President Joe Biden had been legitimately elected. Since then, he has stated that Biden was legitimately elected and that there wasn’t widespread fraud in the last year’s elections.
Obama described McAuliffe, the state’s governor between 2014-2018, as an experienced and steady hand. He told the crowd of about 2,000 people outside Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond that the Nov. 2, election would “show that we are not going to indulge our worst instincts.”
Former president stated that he understands voters’ fatigue from both the country’s divided politics and the strain of this pandemic. He said that there is too much at stake not to vote.
“We don’t have the time to be tired. He said that sustained effort is what is needed.
Youngkin campaign spokesperson, when asked for comment, called Obama’s comments “false statements” while accusing The Associated Press (The Terry and The Left) of “indulging in the fantasies of Terry and The Left because they can’t run on the failed record and radical vision of the future.”
Youngkin’s campaign stated that election security is a bipartisan concern. It attempted to make a comparison between today’s false claims of fraud and 2000’s presidential election. McAuliffe attacked the Supreme Court decision, claiming the election was stolen.
McAuliffe seeks a return to office as the incumbent can not serve consecutive terms. Two weeks before the Nov. 2, election, polls show that a tight race is underway in a state Biden won by 10 percentage points last autumn.
New Jersey will also hold an election for governor Nov. 2. But, it is the Virginia race that has attracted national attention as a potential indicator of voter sentiment prior to next year’s midterms.
Numerous Democratic elected officials, including U.S. Reps. Donald McEachin (and Bobby Scott), U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (and Gov.) are among them. Ralph Northam also spoke at Saturday’s event.
Officials portrayed the election as one between a leader and an extremist who would reverse the progressive reforms that were implemented in the two years of Democratic full control of the state government. This included an expansion of voting rights, abortion access, and tighter gun laws. Multiple speakers agreed that the race is close.
Northam stated, “We can’t take any chances.”
Many speakers tried to tie Youngkin and his running-mates to Trump.
“Glenn Youngkin’s extreme views are unacceptable. Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said that this man is a Trump fanboy.
During Northam’s 2017 election for governor, Obama visited Virginia’s capital to rally Democrats against Republican Ed Gillespie. Gillespie lost by approximately 9 percentage points.
This was the latest in a string of high-profile Democrats making appearances in the state to support McAuliffe’s candidacy. These include Stacey Abrams (voting rights activist), Keisha Lance Bottoms (atlanta mayor) and Kamala Harris (Vice President). Kamala Harris told the crowd that “this race is tight.”
Biden, who campaigned alongside McAuliffe in the summer, will join McAuliffe as the Democratic nominee for northern Virginia on Tuesday.
On Saturday, national Republican groups criticised McAuliffe for his procession of high-profile surrogates.
McAuliffe will go down with Biden as poll numbers continue to plummet, and no amount heavy-hitter politicians will fix the ship, said Maddie Anderson, spokesperson for the Republican Governors Association.
Youngkin, who generally avoided outside supporters on the last stretch, held a Saturday night rally in suburban Richmond to mark the beginning of a statewide bus tour.
He spoke to about 2,000 people near a grocery store and gave a half-hour overview of his platform. He promised to cut taxes, reduce red tape, ban critical racism, and create a comprehensive charter school program.
He stated that the election was an opportunity to change the state’s trajectory to one in which the “relentless pursuit for a better life, and of prosperity isn’t burdened or stopped by self-dealing politicians.”
He said that “this thing is a toss up” and predicted that he would win.
Youngkin didn’t directly address Obama’s harshest criticisms. The former college basketball player made a joke about one aspect of Obama’s comments, saying that he had challenged Obama, a basketball fan, to a one-on-one game.
Trump has not endorsed Youngkin and Youngkin’s campaign is not responding to questions from The Associated Press asking if he has. Trump has supported Youngkin several times. He also called in to a rally that was organized by a right-wing radio host to urge the crowd to vote for him.
