Obama to campaign with McAuliffe in neck-in-neck Virginia governor's race

The former president will swing by Richmond this month to campaign for the former Governor vying for a second non-consecutive term

By Sophie Mann

Published: October 12, 2021 1:49pm

Updated: October 12, 2021 2:50pm

Former President Barack Obama will campaign alongside fellow Democrat Terry McAuliffe as he competes to again become the governor of Virginia. McAuliffe announced the guest appearance Tuesday morning saying, "the stakes could not be greater."

McAuliffe is currently neck-in-neck with Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin, the former co-CEO of the Carlyle Group and a first-time political candidate. The polls show a dead heat between the two in a state that has primarily leaned blue for the last several elections.

Obama will join McAuliffe on Oct. 23 in Richmond in an effort to mobilize Virginians during the early voting period, which began several weeks ago and last through the 30th of this month. Election Day in Virginia is Nov. 2. Obama previously came out to support current Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam before he defeated Republican Ed Gillespie in 2017.

McAuliffe's campaign, which has struggled in recent weeks, is now pulling out the stops to ensure turnout for the Democrat. First lady Jill Biden will visit the campaign on Friday. Democratic voting activist and former candidate for the Georgia governorship Stacey Abrams will also swing by on Sunday when the campaign is in Norfolk and northern Virginia.

In July, President Joe Biden delivered a speech in northern Virginia with the McAuliffe campaign, though sagging poll numbers for the Democrat president have made a return visit an uncertainty.