Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is ready to run for governor once again.
The Democrat announced his campaign launch for the 2021 gubernatorial race on Wednesday, emphasizing the need to invest in education.
“To build a strong post-COVID economy, the best workforce in the world, and to create a clear path for the middle class, we need to make an unprecedented investment into education,” McAuliffe said at a press conference in Richmond.
McAuliffe, 63, served as governor from 2014 to 2018, succeeding Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell. McAuliffe was succeeded by current Gov. Ralph Northam, a fellow Democrat. In Virginia, governors are barred from serving consecutive terms, but they are allowed to run for a second term at a later time.
The former governor proposed an investment of $2 billion per year into education, including increases in teacher pay, ensuring every student is able to access coursework and classes online, and expanding preschool access to students who are below the age of 5. McAuliffe also talked about the inequities facing students of color and students living in rural areas of the state.
“The one thing we cannot afford to do is to keep black and brown and rural children from being able to access what they need to get a quality education,” McAuliffe said. “We need to make sure that every child is prepared for the 21st-century jobs. Virginians are desperately ready for this.”
Additionally, he vowed to pay for the college education of educators who teach for five years in a high-demand field. The reward back would be a state-paid education to a college or university, including historically black colleges.
The Republican Governors Association accused McAuliffe of trying to “dramatically reshape” Virginia with his far-left vision.
“Time and time again, Terry McAuliffe has proven to be the typically slick politician that is so often negatively depicted in movies and sitcoms,” RGA Executive Director Dave Rexrode said in a statement. “Always out for himself, calculated, and driven by his own massive ego, it’s no surprise that McAuliffe is running for governor of Virginia for the third time.”
McAuliffe is facing competition within his own party with two other gubernatorial hopefuls announcing bids for next year, prompting for a crowded summer primary.
State Sen. Jennifer McClellan and state Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, both black women, are also eyeing the governorship. At a time when Democrats and Republicans have taken pride in diversifying their field of candidates and elected officials, both are running in hopes of making history along with motivating a minority voting bloc, according to Politico.
The shake-up may help render the negative image of the blackface controversy that has mired Northam and state Attorney General Mark Herring’s legacies when 2019 reports revealed that the officials, both white men, wore blackface decades ago.
Northam’s Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax is also planning to run in 2021, though his campaign may face challenges over sexual assault allegations that were brought up against him last year. Fairfax has denied all such accusations.
McAuliffe was able to pull strong support from black voters in his 2013 run, and several members of Virginia’s legislative black caucus have donated to his political action committee this year.
In his announcement, McAuliffe touched on the running theme of addressing inequities in every aspect of society, claiming he has the best record to show for it.
“We have a huge opportunity here in Virginia to address the inequities of the past, to move Virginia forward, to create a better future for all Virginians,” McAuliffe said. “But it’s going to take big, bold, proven leadership to get it done. I’m ready.”
