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Governor Ralph Northam held a press conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss the debate that took place last night between his party’s candidate, Terry McAuliffe, and the Republican nominee, Glenn Youngkin. He also supported his party’s lieutenant governor candidate earlier in the day with a fundraising email as both parties dig in for tight races down the homestretch.
Youngkin has often jointly criticized Northam and McAuliffe on the campaign trail. After serving as a state senator for six years, Northam was elected lieutenant governor in 2013 for McAuliffe’s first term as governor. Then Northam won in 2017 to become governor himself and eventually endorsed McAuliffe during the Democratic primary earlier this year.
“It is so important that we get accurate information to Virginians,” Governor Northam said during a press call Wednesday, noting that he believes Youngkin has a “dangerous anti-vaccine agenda.”
Youngkin has received the COVID-19 vaccine and strongly encouraged Virginians to get it, but he has pushed back, full-stop against any type of vaccine mandates. He stumbled a bit during the debate when asked if he supports mandatory vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella. “Data associated with those vaccines is something that we should absolutely understand the difference between this vaccine,” Youngkin responded at first, before being pushed to answer the question directly. “Those vaccines can be mandatory. I do believe the COVID vaccine is one that everyone should get, but we shouldn’t mandate it.”
“I find this simply unbelievable,” Northam said Tuesday about those comments from Youngkin.
Youngkin’s campaign confirmed to Virginia Scope after the debate that he supports mandatory vaccinations for measles, mumps, and rubella.
“Glenn is peddling dangerous views that would do grave harm to Virginia’s health and safety,” the governor said Wednesday. “As a pediatrician, I can tell you this stuff is really, really dangerous.”
Youngkin’s campaign responded to the comments from Northam. “Glenn Youngkin is doing what leaders do: setting an example, spreading the word about the COVID vaccine’s benefits, and encouraging others to join him in getting vaccinated,” said Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for Youngkin. “Terry McAuliffe is doing what power-hungry rulers do: threatening to ‘make life difficult’ for anyone who refuses to comply with the rules he has been caught ignoring.”
Before stumping for McAuliffe in the afternoon, Northam sent out a fundraising email in support of the Democratic lieutenant governor nominee, Hala Ayala — another candidate he endorsed during the primary races earlier this year.
“As a leader in the House of Delegates, she has overseen Medicare expansion to over 400,000 Virginians, passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, raises to teacher pay, and expansion of background checks to protect us all,” Northam wrote in the email. That statement is a bit misleading, as Medicaid Expansion happened during Ayala’s first term when she was a freshman and Republicans held the majority in both chambers of the General Assembly. Ayala was present in the House for the passage of the rest of the items listed by Northam, however.
Northam’s endorsement likely put Ayala over the edge during a tough race for the nomination with her House colleague Del. Sam Rasoul D-Roanoke. Ayala had the backing of the establishment Democrats already, but Northam, a highly popular figure in the Democratic Party at the time, helped seal the deal. “Hala is battle‑tested and ready to fight for all Virginians,” Northam continued in the email. “Her personal story is a Virginia story. I’m proud to call her a friend.”
As for the attorney general race, the two-term Democratic incumbent Mark Herring seems poised for victory over his Republican challenger, Jason Miyares. Herring is the only one on the Democratic statewide ticket to not actually receive Northam’s endorsement during the primary. The governor endorsed Herring’s primary challenger Jay Jones, a state delegate from Norfolk.
Northam’s remains popular with Virginia Democrats after passing a majority of the party’s agenda during the last two years in Richmond. That makes him a perfect fit to help rally the party’s base — something that Democratic strategists are worried about. The polling for all of the races shows Democrats leading slightly among respondents, but enthusiasm to vote recently polled higher for Republicans and the election analysts at Cook Political Report changed their rating in the gubernatorial race to a “toss-up” Friday.
Also on the ballot in Virginia this November is all 100 House of Delegates seats.
“The governor will be out campaigning for the Democratic ticket and to ensure the Democrats hold the majority in the House,” said Mark Bergman a political advisor to Governor Northam. “Virginia made a lot of progress over the last eight years under Democratic leadership and we need to keep it going.”
Early voting has already begun for the Nov. 2 election.
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