Virginia: McAuliffe (D) Takes 8 Point Lead Over Cuccinelli (R)

From the Washington Post: 

The shift in the race has come almost exclusively from female voters, who prefer McAuliffe by a 24-point margin over Cuccinelli. The candidates were effectively tied among women in a Washington Post poll in May.

McAuliffe’s strength among women is likely due in part to an intense campaign to portray Cuccinelli as a threat to women and the issues they care about most deeply. A new McAuliffe ad, for instance, features a Norfolk OB-GYN speaking directly to the camera about how she is “offended” by Cuccinelli’s position on abortion.

The challenge for Cuccinelli is stark: Nearly half of all voters view him unfavorably, and they trust his opponent as much as or more than the Republican on every major issue in the race, according to the poll. On trust to handle issues of special concern to women, McAuliffe leads Cuccinelli by 23 points. 

Both candidates have very deep flaws (both have favourability numbers that are upside down) and they both have challenges which the article goes into more deeply, but it seems that Cuccenilli's negatives outweigh McAuliffe's.

Ken Cuccinelli Turns on Bob McDonnell

Ken Cuccinelli (R-VA)

From the New Civil Rights Movement: 

A new Quinnipiac poll that has Cuccinelli down 6 points to Democrat Terry McAuliffe, seems to have spooked The Cooch. After weeks of hitting McAuliffe with one brutal attack ad after another, McDonnell and the Virginia Republican party seemed to have decided Governor McDonnell’s ethics scandal has become a drag on the ticket. We all know what that means, it’s under-the-bus time.

Late last week Cuccinelli released a new TV ad called “Facts”, in which he claimed credit that he “personally launched the investigation into Bob McDonnell and called for reform to strengthen ethics laws.” The ad fails to mention Cuccinelli also took $18,000 from Bob McDonnell’s sugar daddy. No doubt just an oversight.

“Cuccinelli’s actions tell me he knows he has a problem.” Chuck Todd said. He added that four months ago, Cucinelli planned on using his close relationship with Bob McDonnell to persuade moderates he was not as conservative as they might think.

Michael Steele, past chairman of the RNC, analyzed Cuccinelli’s old McDonnell problem. “The voters of Virginia know that the governor is not going to be on the ballot. They can’t show their disgust, disdain, dislike for what he’s done at the ballot box. The next best thing is to take it out on the leading candidate for the GOP.”

Virginia GOP Advisor Favors Terry McAuliffe (D-VA)

McAuliffe (left) & Cuccinelli (right)

From Washington Post: 

"Re: St. Petersburg International Film Festival / "Guest of Honor" Invitation

Dear Ms. Averbakh:

- See more at: http://instinctmagazine.com/post/wentworth-miller-rejects-russian-film-festival-invite-gay-man-i-must-decline#sthash.jlqCOZ9u.dpuf

Boyd Marcus, a veteran Republican political consultant whose client list has included U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and former Gov. Jim Gilmore, is endorsing Democrat Terry R. McAuliffe and advising his campaign against GOP nominee Ken Cuccinelli in Virginia’s neck-and-neck race for governor.

The announcement by McAuliffe’s campaign, confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday in a phone interview with Marcus, rocked Virginia politics and exposed the clearest sign to date of bad blood within the GOP between its establishment and the tea party conservatives who comprise Cuccinelli’s ardent army and control the state Republican Party machinery.

Marcus, who most recently guided the aborted gubernatorial campaign of Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, became a paid adviser to McAuliffe knowing it would sever many longtime GOP ties for him. But he felt it necessary.

“I was looking at the candidates, and I saw Terry McAuliffe as the guy who will work with everybody to get things done,” Marcus told the AP in a telephone interview...

Virginia Gubernatorial Race: MacAuliffe Leads Cuccinelli

Terry MacAuliffe

From Huffington Post: 

Democrat Terry McAuliffe has a 6-point lead over Republican state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, with McAuliffe taking 48 percent to Cuccinelli's 42 percent among Virginians likely to vote in this year's election.

Neither candidate is especially popular, and both have faced a spate of unflattering headlines: Cuccinelli received thousands of dollars in gifts from a controversial political donor, while an electric car company McAuliffe helped to found is under investigation by the SEC.

Voters were torn on McAuliffe, with 34 percent viewing him favorably, 33 percent unfavorably, and 31 percent saying they hadn't heard enough. Cuccinelli had more detractors, with 35 percent rating him favorably, 41 percent unfavorably, and 22 percent undecided.

Few believe the race has focused on the issues: only 32 percent said Cuccinelli spends more time outlining his ideas than attacking McAuliffe, and just a quarter thought McAuliffe spent more of his time explaining his platform.

Election 2013: Virginia's Extreme GOP Slate

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Virginia Gov. Candidate Supports Marriage Equality

From the Washington Blade:

Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Friday publicly backed marriage rights for same-sex couples for the first time.

“I believe everyone should be treated fairly,” the former Democratic National Committee chair said in response to a question on the subject during a Google chat. “I personally favor civil marriage for committed couples of the same-sex.”

McAuliffe’s comments come a week after Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, against whom he will likely face in the commonwealth’s gubernatorial election later this year, reaffirmed his opposition to nuptials for gays and lesbians during an appearance on News Talk with Bruce DePuyt.