Progressives Are Not to Blame For McAuliffe's Loss

In the wake of Terry McAuliffe's loss in yesterday's Virginia governor's race, some among the political establishment are already seeking to blame progressives for the loss. In response to this scapegoating, Erica Payne, President and founder of the Patriotic Millionaires, released the following statement:

"The finger-pointing over Terry McAuliffe's loss in the Virginia governor's race has already begun.

McAuliffe is blaming Washington Democrats, and Centrists are blaming House Progressives.

Here's what we think:

1. In a hyper-local race that largely hinged on education, it is absurd to think that Democrats passing a glorified highway bill that addressed virtually no top issues for voters would have had any impact whatsoever. This one goes in the "you have got to be kidding me" column.
2. If federal politics had anything to do with this loss, the blame should clearly rest on moderate Democrats for their dedication to blocking the overwhelmingly popular Biden agenda at every turn and undermining the public's faith in Democrats' ability to govern effectively.
3. And as always in politics: "It's the candidate, stupid." On that front, McAuliffe left a lot to be desired.
   1. On the campaign front: McAuliffe made too many unforced errors on education throughout his campaign.
   2. On his CV: McAuliffe's decades-long status as a money man for the neoliberal Clinton machine and a moderate politician with entirely-too-close ties to Wall Street clearly did not help spur turnout among Democratic voters."