Well, Biden is technically campaigning in Arlington Tuesday night for his pal Terry McAuliffe, but it might as well be an event that benefits Glenn Youngkin. As we have covered extensively, Biden is unpopular in Virginia, McAuliffe said so himself on a video chat with supporters. In all recent polls, Biden is at least 10 points underwater in Virginia as far as approval numbers go, a state he carried by 10 points in 2020 but can’t seem to get any love from right now. Call it a failing domestic agenda coupled with a bust economy and disastrous foreign policy, Biden’s presidency is a political dud, and it’s burying McAuliffe in his question to once again hold the title of Governor.
For Biden, like McAuliffe, there is literally no good news coming from the Democratic agenda right now to speak of, so the point of Biden’s visit to Virginia will be what exactly? To remind Democratic voters that they hate Donald Trump?
President Biden will campaign for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Tuesday, one week out from an election that will test his electoral brand and amid one of the most consequential weeks of his presidency.
His appearance comes as he works to bridge a divide between Democrats on Capitol Hill to pass two major pieces of his agenda — a bipartisan infrastructure package and a massive spending package — while also preparing to face world leaders at the Group of 20 summit in Rome later this week and at next week’s United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
Biden’s agenda is stalled in Congress with no end in sight of ongoing negotiations and watering down of his domestic agenda. The disaster in Afghanistan is still a dangerous mess even though it’s no longer being reported on. The economy is in shambles with inflation rising out of control. To top it off, the U.S. southern border is still festering and Biden is presiding over the implementation of an intrusive and possibly unconstitutional Covid vaccine mandate.
With that backdrop, President Joe Biden will stand on stage with Terry McAuliffe and give him his full support and endorsement. From one swamp dweller to another, these two know how to survive in Washington and enrich themselves at the taxpayer’s expense.
Biden’s approval ratings are headed down at about the same rate as McAuliffe’s poll numbers in Virginia:
What’s noteworthy is that Biden will barely be stepping foot in Virginia, making sure to only stay in Arlington, a deep-blue heavily Democratic stronghold just across the Potomac from DC:
Biden will visit Virginia Highlands Park in Arlington, just a 15-minute drive from the White House, to campaign for McAuliffe on Tuesday. The president in July went to Northern Virginia to campaign for the former governor.
“The fact that Joe Biden is only willing to barely cross the Potomac and rally in blazing-blue Arlington tells you everything you need to know about how scared Democrats are about their base and also their toxicity with middle-of-the-road voters in the rest of the state,” said Brent Buchanan, a Republican pollster and CEO of the polling firm Cygnal.
Does McAuliffe even want Biden’s help? It’s a wonder he accepted this campaign event to appear together. McAuliffe wouldn’t dare have Biden go anywhere else in the state, into swing counties where Biden’s unpopularity would further sink McAuliffe’s waning chances.
It’s amazing to think that just a few months ago, McAuliffe was supposed to win Virginia by 10 points and ride in on Biden’s presidential popularity. After all, Biden won Virginia handily in 2020, Democrats should’ve barely had any competition in any statewide races in 2021.
As it stands now, McAuliffe is going to need a miracle to stop Youngkin’s momentum, and it’s unlikely that someone as polarizing and unpopular as President Biden will be able to do it.
