Terry McAuliffe may have a real race on his hands this time. After the party cleared the field for him in 2013, the establishment-friendly Clinton-backed scion of DC probably hoped for a repeat in 2021. However, events seem to be paralleling his failed 2009 bid instead, facing a State Senator from outside of NOVA and a delegate from within who resigned to take on the race.
The latter, Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy (HD-02), who resigned her seat earlier this month, may prove the more formidable opponent. She raised an impressive $350,000 from three trade unions recently, complementing her already impressive $785,910 raised as of June 30th. Of course, she’s been preparing for this ever since her election in 2017.
In fact, she’s been big labor’s best friend in the legislature. She’s cosponsored bills to raise the minimum wage and increase regulations on employers. Rest assured right-to-work would be on the chopping block in a Carrol Foy administration.
So, while disastrous for Virginia, Carrol Foy positioned herself very well for a Democratic primary win.
And she’s certainly not treating Terry with kid gloves. In a statement she released after McAuliffe’s announcement, Carrol Foy attacked McAuliffe as a “career politician” only “interested in maintaining the status quo,” or in other words, the “Old Virginia Way” Terry McAuliffe tore into during his announcement.
And State Senator Jennifer McClellan (SD-09) is no slouch either. She raised $410,792 as of June 30th and boasts over a decade of legislative experience, vastly outpacing all of her Democratic rivals (but not some potential Republicans). Of course, that’s not even mentioning the two other declared candidates: self-declared socialist Delegate Lee Carter (HD-50) and disgraced Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax.
Much like his buddy Hillary Clinton, Terry McAuliffe may not have the coronation he was hoping for. Though it definitely remains to be seen if he escapes from the fight bloody or doesn’t escape at all.
Either way, Virginians should grab their popcorn and watch the spectacle.