The Story:
On Tuesday, June 8, Terry McAuliffe defeated his intra-party rivals in a primary to become the Democratic Party’s nominee for the post of Governor of Virginia. A win in this campaign would make McAuliffe the first person in fifty years to win a second non-consecutive term as Governor of that state. (Under Virginia’s constitution, consecutive terms in that office are not permitted.)
Background:
McAuliffe has a long relationship with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. When the Clintons moved out of the White House in January 2001, it was McAuliffe who guaranteed the loan with which they purchased their new home in Chappaqua, New York. He was later the co-chair of Secretary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008. The closeness of this relationship is highly charged: it draws political lightning in his direction.
Among McAuliffe’s first acts when he became Governor the last time around, in January 2014, was an executive order prohibiting discrimination in matters of state employment for reasons of gender identity or sexual orientation.
The Thing to Know:
The Republican candidate against whom McAuliffe will now run is Glenn Youngkin, former CEO of The Carlyle Group, a prominent private-equity investment firm. This will surely be an expensive campaign, given Youngkin’s personal wealth on the one hand and McAuliffe’s formidable Rolodex and fund-raising skills on the other.
