House Speaker Nancy Pelosi jumped the gun on the Virginia gubernatorial Democratic primaries today by announcing her endorsement for former Gov. Terry McAuliffe and issuing a fundraising letter for him.
“I’m proud to endorse Terry McAullife to be Virginia’s next governor because his record of leading on progressive issues is second to none,” she said.
Some said that her early endorsement would rock the primaries and would make McAuliffe the presumptive winner. He already was far ahead of his competitors in fundraising and endorsements due to his popularity as the governor before current Gov. Ralph Northam.
In Virginia, governors can only serve one four-year term at a time. Only one other former governor has been elected to serve a second term.
He is running against former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, state Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan, and Del. Lee Carter.
McAuliffe has strong ties to Pelosi and the party. He was former President Bill Clinton’s chief fundraiser and worked hard to elect Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016. He was also the former Democratic Party chairman.
And he has expressed interest in running for president. If he wins a second term, he would leave office in 2026, exactly the time that potential presidential candidates will be considering their 2028 bids.
Virginia’s gubernatorial election is an off-year event, coming the year after presidential elections. As a result, it is often seen as an indication of whether Virginians are satisfied with the newly elected president.
In her fundraising letter, Pelosi tied McAuliffe’s GOP challengers to President Trump.
“His bold vision is precisely what we need right now — but extremists in the Virginia Republican Party disagree. Instead of moving the commonwealth forward, all they want to do is continue Donald Trump’s dangerous legacy in the Virginia governor’s office,” she wrote.
Pelosi added, “You don’t have to look any further than the violent insurrection at our Capitol last week to understand what a disaster that would be for the commonwealth.”
