Former President Barack H. Obama Jr. jumped into the battle for Virginia with robocalls raising the stakes in the campaign that all comes to a head on November 7, as all 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for grabs, and Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin leads GOP efforts to hold onto the House of Delegates and gain control of the State Senate.
“Hi, it’s President Barack Obama with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee,” said the 44th president, speaking in an audio file obtained by Germon owned-Politico on behalf of the PAC he runs with the man who served as his attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr. NDRC is the left’s leading organization dedicated to challenging House districts as drawn by state legislatures, and forcing them to be redrawn to benefit Democrats.
I’m calling to remind you that today is Election Day in Virginia. The people we elect in the State Senate and House of Delegates will make decisions that affect your everyday life. Now’s the time to make our voices heard. Polls close at 7:00 p.m. today, Tuesday, November 7. Go to www.iwillvote.com to find all the voting information you need to cast your ballot today.
The website iwillvote.com is a get-out-the-vote site paid for by the Democratic National Committee.
Politico reported that Obama recorded a second call—and both of them would be targeted to 100,000 voters, but the president did not mention abortion rights, which has been the signature and significant issue for Democrats.
Youngkin has made capturing majorities in both chambers a personal mission, and he has raised more than $18 million for his Spirit of Virginia PAC for the effort.
In 2021, the governor’s coattails gave Republicans a 52-48 advantage in the House of Delegates. In 2019, Democrats took control of the State Senate with a 22-18 edge—and that majority has allowed Democrats to jam up Youngkin’s conservative agenda.
If the governor, who is limited to one four-year term, succeeds this off-cycle, winning the trifecta of Republican control of both chambers and the governor’s office, he will have flipped the script that the Old Dominion is a purple state trending blue.
Youngkin also becomes a potential rival to former President Donald J. Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination.
Obama endorsement record spotty
Unlike Trump, Obama does not campaign for other candidates as often or with as much media heat as Trump—and he has had mixed success in Virginia.
Obama spoke at a rally for Democrat Terry McAuliffe in his 2021 gubernatorial campaign against Youngkin, but Youngkin beat McAuliffe with 51 percent.
Unlike Trump, Obama has tried to influence foreign elections.
In 2016, Obama essentially endorsed Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, but despite Obama’s support—or because of it—Renzi’s party was crushed, and he resigned as premier.
Also in 2016, Obama traveled to the United Kingdom to bolster Prime Minister David Cameron’s campaign to keep the UK in the European Union in the so-called “Brexit” referendum campaign. Appearing with Cameron, the president said if Great Britain voted to leave the EU, the UK would go to the back of the queue in any discussions for a new trade agreement with the United States.
When Great Britain voted on June 23, 2016, Cameron and the Remainers lost to the Brexiteers with 48 percent to 52 percent—and Cameron resigned as prime minister.
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Neil W. McCabe is a staff reporter for The Virginia Star.
Photo “Barack Obama” by Barack Obama. Background Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Doug Kerr. CC BY-SA 2.0.
