FAIRFAX, Va. — Virginia Democratic leaders are so confident in Hillary Clinton’s Super Tuesday victory they are already looking ahead to November.
While the former secretary of state leads in the polls by more than 20 points, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Sen. Time Kaine and Reps. Bobby Scott and Gerry Connolly all came out to George Mason University to stump for Clinton on the eve of the primary.
“The day before Super Tuesday where is Hillary Clinton?” McAuliffe asked the crowd at George Mason University. “In the greatest state in the greatest nation on earth, the commonwealth of Virginia! Virginia is Clinton country!”
McAuliffe has close ties to the Clintons and his name has often been floated as a potential running mate. During her speech Clinton applauded the governor’s record of creating jobs across the state.
But the focus wasn’t just on Virginia’s 110 delegates. Democrats stumping for Clinton were already thinking of the swing state’s electoral votes in a race against the Republicans this fall.
“If you like arm wresting you want to vote for the Republican nominee this year,” Connolly said of Trump. “If you believe this is serious business and we need someone to run the country, then you’re going to vote for Hillary Clinton.”
He added, “It is actually a sad thing to see the other party implode in front of us.”
Kaine agreed that Clinton would eventually be “facing off against Donald Trump” in November and that Virginia would be extremely important in determining the outcome. Virginia used to be reliably Republican in presidential elections, but Barack Obama won there in 2008 and 2012.
“All of a sudden Virginia is now front and center, battle ground, spotlight on. We are probably going to be, more than any other state, the state that [is the] bellwether about how things will go in November,” Connolly said.
The event was the first of two rallies she’ll hold in Virginia Monday.
