Terry McAuliffe
Terry McAuliffe (Democratic Party) was the Governor of Virginia. He assumed office on January 11, 2014. He left office on January 13, 2018.
McAuliffe (Democratic Party) ran for election for Governor of Virginia. He lost in the general election on November 2, 2021.
McAuliffe served as Governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018, succeeding Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), who was term-limited and ineligible for re-election in 2013.
The 2013 election marked McAuliffe's second bid for the governorship in Virginia; he ran for the office in 2009, finishing second in the Democratic primary behind Creigh Deeds, who lost to McDonnell in the general election.[1]
McAuliffe served as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005. He was also co-chairman of President Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign and chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.[2]
In 2009, former presidential candidate Ralph Nader sued McAuliffe, alleging that he and others had conspired to deny Nader ballot access in his 2004 presidential bid. The court later rejected the allegations and dismissed the case.[3]
Biography
McAuliffe is the son of U.S. Army Captain Jack McAuliffe and Millie McAuliffe, and the youngest of four brothers. A Syracuse, New York, native, he began a business paving driveways for nearby homes and businesses at age 14. After graduating from high school, McAuliffe earned his bachelor's degree from Catholic University. He later received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown Law School.[4]
He went on to become a businessman, political adviser for the Democratic Party and former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, serving from 2001 to 2005. He served as co-chairman of President Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign and chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.[2]
Education
- Bachelor's degree - Catholic University
- Juris Doctor - Georgetown Law School
Elections
2021
See also: Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021
Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021 (June 8 Democratic primary)
Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021 (May 8 Republican convention)
General election
General election for Governor of Virginia
Glenn Youngkin defeated Terry McAuliffe, Princess Blanding, and Paul Davis in the general election for Governor of Virginia on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Glenn Youngkin (R) ![]() | 50.6 | 1,663,596 |
![]() | Terry McAuliffe (D) | 48.6 | 1,600,116 | |
![]() | Princess Blanding (Liberation Party) ![]() | 0.7 | 23,125 | |
Paul Davis (Independent) (Write-in) ![]() | 0.0 | 0 | ||
Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2,593 |
Total votes: 3,289,430 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brad Froman (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Virginia
Terry McAuliffe defeated Jennifer D. Carroll Foy, Jennifer McClellan, Justin Fairfax, and Lee Carter in the Democratic primary for Governor of Virginia on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Terry McAuliffe | 62.1 | 307,367 |
Jennifer D. Carroll Foy | 19.8 | 98,052 | ||
Jennifer McClellan | 11.8 | 58,213 | ||
![]() | Justin Fairfax | 3.6 | 17,606 | |
![]() | Lee Carter | 2.8 | 13,694 |
Total votes: 494,932 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Republican convention
Republican Convention for Governor of Virginia
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Glenn Youngkin in round 6 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
Total votes: 12,555 |
||||
![]() |
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Merle Rutledge (R)
- Kurt Santini (R)
- Paul Davis (R)
Campaign finance
2013
- See also: Virginia gubernatorial election, 2013
McAuliffe won election to the state executive office of Governor of Virginia in 2013.[5] McAuliffe ran uncontested for the Democratic nomination in the June 11 primary. Then, on November 5, 2013, he defeated outgoing Republican state attorney general Ken Cuccinelli and Libertarian Robert Sarvis in the general election.[6][7] After an unexpectedly close race at the end of a long season filled with campaign ads opposing each other from both sides, McAuliffe spoke of the two parties working together. “The truth is, this election was never a choice between Democrats and Republicans,” McAuliffe said. “It was a choice about whether Virginia would continue the mainstream, bipartisan tradition that has served us so well over the last decade.”[8]
- General Election - 2013 Governor's Race
Virginia Gubernatorial General Election, 2013 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
Democratic | ![]() |
47.8% | 1,069,789 | |
Republican | Ken Cuccinelli | 45.2% | 1,013,354 | |
Libertarian | Robert Sarvis | 6.5% | 146,084 | |
N/A | Write-in | 0.5% | 11,087 | |
Total Votes | 2,240,314 | |||
Election Results via Virginia State Board of Elections. |
Race background
Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) was ineligible to run for re-election in 2013 because of term limits. Term limits for governors in Virginia are more strict than any other state in the country. Under the commonwealth's constitution, no governor may serve back-to-back terms. This means that McDonnell, unlike other governors in their first term, was ineligible to run for re-election.
There are no such term limits on the attorney general, and many were surprised at former AG Ken Cuccinelli's (R) decision to run for governor, rather than seek another term. If not for Cuccinelli, outgoing Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling would have been the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to succeed McDonnell.[9] Due to the state Republican Party's decision to change their candidate nomination method from open primary election to closed nominating convention starting in 2013, and Cuccinelli's presence in the race, Bolling withdrew his bid for the GOP nod in November 2012.[10][11] About the alternative of seeking re-election to his current post, Bolling stated that “Under normal circumstances, I would be open to the possibility of running for another term as lieutenant governor, but I would not be interested in running on a statewide ticket with Mr. Cuccinelli.”[12] He later said he regretted dropping out of the race as early as he did.[13]
McDonnell had previously pledged his support for Bolling's candidacy, in part because Bolling refrained from challenging McDonnell for governor in 2009. After Bolling bowed out, McDonnell chose to endorse fellow Republican Cuccinelli for his successor, despite Cuccinelli's outspoken opposition to McDonnell's Transportation Initiative, which was considered to be the centerpiece of his gubernatorial legacy. Ironically, Cuccinelli's future general election opponent, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, had been equally outspoken on the issue, but as an advocate and defender of the outgoing governor's approach to amending the state's transportation funding policy.[14][15]
In response to the major party picks, the Libertarian Party held a special convention and nominated Robert Sarvis as the party's official gubernatorial candidate.[16]
Like Cuccinelli and Sarvis, McAuliffe faced no primary opponent. Days from the election, McAuliffe held a comfortable polling and fundraising lead over Cuccinelli and Sarvis. Aggregated polling data had the Democratic nominee with an average edge of seven percentage points over Cuccinelli--an advantage that could have been attributed in large part to female voters' 58-34 preference of McAuliffe, since he and Cuccinelli were almost neck-and-neck among men.[17][18] During the last campaign finance reporting period, ending October 28, McAuliffe reported raising $8.1 million to Cuccinelli's $2.9 million, and holding $1.6 million in cash on hand, which was twice the size of Cuccinelli's warchest. Sarvis was trailing both with a reported $81,595 raised and $58,584 on hand.[19][20][21] Hillary Clinton's decision to come out in support of McAuliffe on October 19 - marking her first campaign event appearance since stepping down as U.S. Secretary of State - further enhanced the Democrat's frontrunner status.[22] Former President Bill Clinton threw in his support soon thereafter, followed by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, who joined the McAuliffe campaign effort in the final week of the election season.[23]
The three contenders squared off in the general election on November 5, 2013, which McAuliffe won by a 2.6 percent margin.[24]
Impact of US government shutdown on governor's race
The 2013 federal government shutdown coincided with the home stretch of the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial race, which created a fresh backdrop for the battle between major party nominees Terry McAuliffe (D) and Ken Cuccinelli (R).[25] Each campaign released an ad during the aftermath of the shutdown.[26]
Hoping to use the shutdown to further advance his 5.3 percent polling lead by associating Cuccinelli with Republican members of Congress, McAuliffe's ad emphasized Cuccinelli's ties to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).[27] The ad cited Cuccinelli's past effort to defund Planned Parenthood, asserting that it had slowed the passage of other legislation, and also claimed Cuccinelli had been sufficiently opposed to Mark Warner's 2004 budget to call for a shutdown of the state government.[28]
Cuccinelli's ad aimed to discredit McAuliffe by referencing articles from The Washington Post and the Richmond-Times Dispatch criticizing McAuliffe's prospective budget plan and alleging that McAuliffe had threatened to shut down the government in the event that the plan did not pass. The radio spot also accused McAuliffe of being "against compromise, against working together to find solutions,” pointing to McAuliffe's support for Democratic members of Congress who had supported the government shutdown.[29][30]
The shutdown was also referenced by Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis, who argued that it had soured voters on the major parties. "People are looking for other options they don't like what they have to see from those two parties and we're trying to fill that void with principled advocacy for more freedom in our economic sphere and personal lives," stated Sarvis.[31][32]
Noteworthy events
GreenTech Automotive
Prior to becoming governor, McAuliffe founded an electric car company called GreenTech Automotive, which sought overseas investors through a federal program run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The program, known as EB-5, allows foreign workers to gain special visas if they contribute at least $500,000 towards the creation of U.S. jobs. Frustrated with the processing speed of the department, McAuliffe sought faster review for his company's request for more than 200 visas through EB-5. On December 15, 2010, McAuliffe wrote a letter to former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano asking for assistance to speed the consideration of GreenTech's petition for visas. McAuliffe also repeatedly contacted DHS official Alejandro Mayorkas, regarding the slow movement of the requested visas.[33]
During hearings related to Mayorkas' promotion to a new position at DHS, six whistleblowers came forward to the inspector general about the favoritism shown in expediting the visas requested by McAuliffe. A report issued on March 24, 2015, by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security found that McAuliffe was given special treatment through DHS for the visas, and that Mayorkas had "created an appearance of favoritism and special access" in the department. The report, however, ultimately did not find evidence of law-breaking.[34][33]
GreenTech had previously undergone an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in August 2013, when Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) revealed government documents that implicated McAuliffe in special treatment through DHS. McAuliffe was also entrenched in the controversy surrounding GreenTech's financial misconduct, as reported by Watchdog beginning in December 2012.[35][36][34]
Less than one month before McAuliffe's victory in the November 2013 gubernatorial election, Watchdog published new e-mail evidence alleging his involvement in GreenTech's practice of leaning on the Department of Homeland Security to expedite their funding requests. The e-mails were made available by a FOIA request and included exchanges between McAuliffe and former secretary Janet Napolitano’s chief of staff in November 2012, as well as one between high level staff at DHS urging visas to be expedited to avoid a potential closure of a plant in Mississippi if EB-5 applications were not approved.[36]
Campaign finance
Terry McAuliffe[37] Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
Post-Primary Report | July 15, 2013 | $5,427,906.50 | $1,940,051.66 | $(6,259,712.87) | $6,012,697.51 | ||||
8 Day Pre-General Report | October 28, 2013 | $1,823,195.10 | $8,126,073.18 | $(8,333,747.15) | $1,615,521.13 | ||||
Running totals | |||||||||
$10,066,124.84 | $(14,593,460.02) |
Endorsements
McAuliffe's 2013 gubernatorial campaign was endorsed by the following individuals and organizations:[38][39]
- President Barack Obama[40]
- First Lady Michelle Obama[41]
- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton[42]
- Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton[43]
- Republican mayor of Virginia Beach Will Sessoms[44]
- Republican former Virginia Del. Vince Callahan
- Democratic Mayors Paul Fraim (Norfolk) and McKinley Price (Newport)
- Republican Mayor Will Sessoms (Virginia Beach)
- U.S. Senator Tim Kaine
- Former Independent Delegate Katherine Waddell
- U.S. Senator Mark Warner
- Former Independent Delegate Watkins Abbitt[45]
- Former Virginia House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong
- Former Republican Governor of Virginia Linwood Holton.
- Holton decided to endorse McAuliffe over his party's nominee, Ken Cuccinelli, because he said he believes McAuliffe "will put partisan politics aside and work every day to move Virginia forward."[46][47]
- Human Rights Campaign
- League of Conversation Voters
- Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia
- Virginia Professional Firefighters
- NARAL
- Virginia Education Association
- Equality VA
Polls
All candidates
Governor of Virginia: All candidates | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Terry McAuliffe (D) | Ken Cuccinelli (R) | Robert Sarvis (L) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
Emerson College Poll (October 25-20, 2013) | 42% | 40% | 13% | 5% | +/-3.24 | 874 | |||||||||||||
Christopher Newport University Poll of Likely Voters (October 25-30, 2013) | 45% | 38% | 10% | 7% | +/-3.0 | 1,038 | |||||||||||||
AVERAGES | 43.5% | 39% | 11.5% | 6% | +/-3.12 | 956 | |||||||||||||
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]. |
Governor of Virginia: All candidates | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Terry McAuliffe (D) | Ken Cuccinelli (R) | Robert Sarvis (L) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
Quinnipiac University Poll (October 30, 2013) | 45% | 41% | 9% | 4% | +/-2.9 | 1,182 | |||||||||||||
Washington Post/Abt-SRBI Poll (October 24-27, 2013) | 51% | 39% | 8% | 1% | +/-4.5 | 762 | |||||||||||||
Public Policy Poll (Early voters) (October 19-20, 26-27, 2013) | 55% | 40% | 3% | 2% | +/-- | 1,433 | |||||||||||||
Old Dominion University Poll | 44% | 37% | 7% | 9% | +/-5.0 | 670 | |||||||||||||
Wenzel Strategies (October 21-22, 2013) | 41% | 40% | 10% | 9% | +/-3.85 | 640 | |||||||||||||
Quinnipiac University Poll (October 15-21, 2013) | 46% | 39% | 10% | 4% | +/-3.0 | 1,085 | |||||||||||||
Rasmussen Reports Poll (October 20, 2013) | 50% | 33% | 8% | 5% | +/-3.0 | 1,000 | |||||||||||||
NBC4/NBC News/Marist Poll (October 13-15, 2013) | 46% | 38% | 9% | 7% | +/-4.0 | 596 | |||||||||||||
Quinnipiac University Poll (October 2-8, 2013) | 47% | 39% | 8% | 6% | +/-2.9 | 1,180 | |||||||||||||
Public Policy Poll/Harper (October 5-6, 2013) | 44% | 35% | 12% | 9% | +/-2.9 | 1,150 | |||||||||||||
AVERAGES | 46.9% | 38.1% | 8.4% | 5.6% | +/-2.31 | 969.8 | |||||||||||||
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]. |
Governor of Virginia: All candidates | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Terry McAuliffe (D) | Ken Cuccinelli (R) | Robert Sarvis (L) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
Christopher Newport Poll (October 1-6, 2013) | 47% | 38% | 9% | 11% | +/-3.1 | 886 | |||||||||||||
Rasmussen Reports Poll (September 23, 2013) | 44% | 38% | 6% | 11% | +/-3.0 | 1,050 | |||||||||||||
NBC News/Marist Poll (September 17-19, 2013) | 43% | 38% | 8% | 11% | +/-4.2 | 546 | |||||||||||||
Washington Post-Abt SRBI poll (September 19-22, 2013) | 47% | 39% | 10% | 3% | +/-4.5 | 562 | |||||||||||||
Harper Polling/Conservative Intel (September 15-16, 2013) | 42% | 37% | 10% | 11% | +/-3.51 | 779 | |||||||||||||
Quinnipiac University Poll (September 9-15, 2013) | 44% | 41% | 7% | 6% | +/-3.1 | 1,005 | |||||||||||||
League of Women Voters/Public Policy Polling (August 27-28, 2013) | 44% | 37% | 9% | 9% | +/-- | 500 | |||||||||||||
Emerson College Poll (August 23-28, 2013) | 45% | 35% | 10% | 11% | +/-3.8 | 653 | |||||||||||||
Public Policy Polling (July 11-14, 2013) | 41% | 37% | 7% | 5% | +/-4.0 | 601 | |||||||||||||
Roanoke University Poll (July 8-14, 2013) | 31% | 37% | 5% | 27% | +/-4.3 | 525 | |||||||||||||
AVERAGES | 42.8% | 37.7% | 8.1% | 10.5% | +/-2.73 | 710.7 | |||||||||||||
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]. |
McAuliffe vs. Cuccinelli only
Governor of Virginia: Cuccinelli v. McAuliffe (June 2013 - present) | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Terry McAuliffe (D) | Ken Cuccinelli (R) | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
Public Policy Poll/Harper (October 5-6, 2013) | 52% | 42% | 6% | +/-2.9 | |||||||||||||||
Washington Post-Abt SRBI poll (September 19-22, 2013) | 49% | 44% | 7% | +/-4.5 | 562 | ||||||||||||||
Purple Strategies Poll (September 6-10, 2013) | 43% | 38% | 19% | +/-3.5 | 800 | ||||||||||||||
Rasmussen Reports (September 3-4, 2013) | 45% | 38% | 10% | +/-3.0 | 998 | ||||||||||||||
Internal Poll (August 13-18, 2013) | 48% | 44% | 8% | +/-4.0 | 600 | ||||||||||||||
Quinnipiac University Poll (August 14-19, 2013) | 48% | 42% | 9% | +/-2.9 | 1,129 | ||||||||||||||
Quinnipiac University Poll (July 11-15, 2013) | 43% | 39% | 16% | +/-3.1 | 1,030 | ||||||||||||||
Rasmussen Reports Poll (June 5-6, 2013) | 44% | 41% | 12% | +/-3.0 | 1,000 | ||||||||||||||
AVERAGES | 46.5% | 41% | 10.88% | +/-3.36 | 764.88 | ||||||||||||||
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]. |
Governor of Virginia: Cuccinelli v. McAuliffe (February 2013 - May 2013) | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Terry McAuliffe (D) | Ken Cuccinelli (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
Public Policy Polling (May 24-26, 2013) | 42% | 37% | 21% | +/-3.8 | 672 | ||||||||||||||
Quinnipiac University (May 8-13, 2013) | 43% | 38% | 17% | +/-2.7 | 1,286 | ||||||||||||||
NBC News/Marist Poll (April 28-May 2, 2013) | 43% | 41% | 16% | +/-3.0 | 1,095 | ||||||||||||||
Washington Post (Likely Voters) (April 29-May 2, 2013) | 41% | 51% | 8% | +/-5.0 | 663 | ||||||||||||||
Washington Post (Registered Voters) (April 29-May 2, 2013) | 41% | 46% | 13% | +/-4.0 | 887 | ||||||||||||||
Roanoke College Poll (April 8-14, 2013) | 29% | 34% | 38% | +/-3.9 | 629 | ||||||||||||||
Quinnipiac University (Feb. 14-18, 2013) | 38% | 38% | 21% | +/-2.0 | 1,112 | ||||||||||||||
AVERAGES | 39.57% | 40.71% | 19.14% | +/-3.49 | 906.29 | ||||||||||||||
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]. |
Media
McAuliffe Campaign Ads | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
| |||
|
|
| |||
|
|
| |||
|
|
| |||
|
2009
McAuliffe ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Virginia in 2009, losing in the Democratic primary election to State Senator Creigh Deeds.
- 2009 Virginia Gubernatorial Election - Democratic Primary
Governor of Virginia Democratic Primary Election, 2009 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
![]() |
49.8% | 158,845 | ||
Terry McAuliffe | 26.4% | 84,387 | ||
Brian J. Moran | 23.8% | 75,936 | ||
Total Votes | 319,168 | |||
Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections. |
Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Terry McAuliffe did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
McAuliffe's campaign website stated the following:
“ |
This year has been incredibly difficult for Virginians across the Commonwealth as we fight to get this pandemic under control and begin our economic recovery. But it has also shown us the best of who Virginians are and it has given us a big opportunity to address the challenges facing our future. Terry is running for governor because we need o think big and be bold to move the Commonwealth forward and create a better future for all Virginians. Terry believes that now is the time to push Virginia forward to build a stronger and fairer post-COVID economy. As Virginia's next Governor, Terry will continue the fight for civil rights and voting rights, attract businesses to create the best jobs and raise wages, ensure all Virginians have access to quality affordable healthcare, build a clean energy economy to address climate change, and address the affordable housing crisis our communities are facing. Most importantly, Terry will make and unprecedented investment in education. The time is now to ensure a world-class education for every Virginia child. Our future and our children cannot wait. Ensuring an Equitable, World-Class Education for Every Child
Creating Good-Paying Jobs and a Thriving Economy for All Virginians
Recovering From COVID-19 and Securing Virginia’s Future
Building A Healthier Virginia
Prescription for a Healthier Virginia
Taking Action to Protect Virginians from Gun Violence
Securing Virginia’s Clean Energy Future & Protecting Our Natural Resources
Creating a Flourishing Rural Economy
Growing Greener Pastures by Investing in Virginia’s Agriculture & Forestry Industries
Making Higher Education More Affordable and Connecting Virginians to Opportunities
Making Virginia the Best State in the Nation for STEM-H and Computer Science Education
Establishing Virginia as the Best State in the Nation to Start and Grow a Business
Ensuring Every Virginian Has A Safe and Affordable Place To Call Home
Ensuring that Virginians have Access to Regular Nutritious Meals
Reforming our Criminal Justice System to Create a Stronger, Fairer Commonwealth
Ensuring a More Inclusive, Open and Welcoming Virginia
Supporting Women in the Workforce
Lifting Up Black Virginians: Terry’s Plan to Create a Stronger, More Equitable Commonwealth
Supporting Virginia's Seniors
Virginia is for Vaccine Lovers
|
” |
—Terry McAuliffe's campaign website (2021)[49] |
2013
McAuliffe outlined his plans for handling the following issues, if elected governor, on his official campaign website:
- Jobs and the Economy:
"There are millions of cutting-edge energy jobs waiting to be created, and we need them here in Virginia."[50]
- Education:
"Total funding per student is down even as we’ve got more and more students entering our system. Only 87% of our kids are graduating high school on time. As Governor, I will support our kids and our schools. We’re going to take the best ideas from around the country and give teachers and administrators the resources and freedom they need to make Virginia a global leader in education."[51]
- Transportation:
"Virginia is a great place for business but one of the things holding us back from the top is an infrastructure system that can feel outdated and inefficient."
"By focusing on projects that best serve the economic travel needs of our citizens and businesses — along with key safety improvements — we will ensure that those rail, road, and bridge projects that absolutely must get done do get done. Second, we need to incentivize regional planning and implementation of smart growth planning."[52]
- Healthcare:
"Expanding Medicaid will cover nearly 400,000 uninsured Virginians. Covering the uninsured will also help reduce health care costs for those with insurance already."[53]
- Veterans' Health:
"For their physical health, veterans need better access to services and a state government willing to fight for them with the VA. As Governor I will do everything in my power to provide bridge healthcare services while veterans wait for VA care and I will push for reforms at the federal level to improve this system."[54]
- Women:
"I strongly believe that women should be able to make their own healthcare decisions without interference from Washington or Richmond."[55]
Political career
Governor of Virginia (2014 - 2018)
McAuliffe was elected Governor of Virginia in 2013. He was sworn into office on January 11, 2014. His term ended on January 13, 2018.
Voting rights for felons
2014
In April 2014, McAuliffe announced several efforts to reinstate voting rights for felons, including shortening the waiting time for some offenders and removing the waiting period altogether for those convicted of drug-related offenses. McAuliffe claimed to have restored the voting rights of 800 people since taking office, building on the efforts of his predecessor, former Gov. Bob McDonnell (R).[56]
2016
On April 22, 2016, McAuliffe issued an executive order that restored civil rights to convicted felons that have completed their sentence and any parole or probation requirements. The order enabled an estimated 206,000 people to register to vote, serve on a jury or as a notary public, and run for public office. At the time, Virginia was one of four states that permanently prohibited felons from voting.[57][58]
Supporters of the move asserted that the order addressed the disproportional disenfranchisement of black voters in Virginia: According to Sentencing Project, one in five black adults in the state had lost their voting rights, compared to one in 13 nationwide.[57] A.E. Dick Howard, a constitutional law scholar and the director of the commission that rewrote the Virginia Constitution in the 1960s, said, "The last ghost of the 1902 convention was buried today," in reference to the state's constitutional convention, which Howard described as "committed to white supremacy." Howard also said changes to the constitution made in the 1960s gave the governor broad authority regarding the restoration of civil rights.[57] Historically that power has been exercised by Virginia governors on a case-by-case basis.[59]
Opponents of the move responded that violent offenders should not have their rights restored. Some Republican legislators—including State Speaker of the House William Howell (R)—accused McAuliffe of issuing the order to garner votes for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D). McAuliffe chaired Clinton's 2008 presidential election campaign. Howell filed a complaint with the Virginia Supreme Court in May 2016.[60]
On July 22, 2016, the Supreme Court struck down McAuliffe's order in a 4-3 decision, ruling that the governor had exceeded the authority of his office. “Never before have any of the prior 71 Virginia Governors issued a clemency order of any kind ... without regard for the nature of the crimes," wrote Chief Justice Donald Lemons in the majority opinion.[61] McAuliffe issued a statement that he had directed his office to begin restoring civil rights one-by-one to the more than 13,000 felons that had registered to vote since the April executive order.[61]
McAuliffe announced on August 22 that he had reviewed each case individually, and that his office had begun mailing out instructions on how to re-register to vote the week prior.[62]
Stance on Syrian refugee resettlement
- Main article: U.S. governors and their responses to Syrian refugees
On Nov. 13, 2015, a group of terrorists carried out an attack in Paris, France, over which the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility. Following the attacks, U.S. governors began to declare their support or opposition to Syrian refugee resettlement in their states. McAuliffe expressed support for the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state of Virginia. A statement from his office said:
“ | The Governor and his public safety team are in constant communication with federal authorities about all refugee resettlements, including those involving refugees from Syria. Every refugee who is settled in the U.S. undergoes intensive security screening. ... Nothing is more important to the Governor and his team than keeping Virginians safe.[48] | ” |
—Statement from the Office of the Governor[63] |
Veto record
In April 2016, McAuliffe vetoed 32 of the 811 bills put before him by the Republican-led state legislature, the most vetoes in a single session since 1998.[64][65] The governor had informed the legislature earlier that year that he intended to block legislation that would restrict access to abortion, infringe upon civil rights, or violate other Democratic policy priorities.[66]
McAuliffe vetoed ten bills in 2014, his first year in office, and 26 bills in 2015.[66] Republican House Speaker William Howell (R) expressed opposition to McAuliffe's veto record as evidence that the governor was not interested in working with the legislature.[64]
Presidential preference
2016 presidential endorsement
✓ McAuliffe endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[67]
- See also: Endorsements for Hillary Clinton
2016 Democratic National Convention
- See also: Democratic National Convention, 2016
Terry McAuliffe | |
Democratic National Convention, 2016 | |
Status: | Superdelegate |
State: | Virginia |
Supporting: | Hillary Clinton |
Delegates to the DNC 2016 | |
Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • State election law and delegates • Superdelegates by state |
McAuliffe was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Virginia.[68] McAuliffe was one of 13 superdelegates from Virginia. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus results to support a specific presidential candidate. McAuliffe supported Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.[69]Clinton formally won the Democratic nomination for president on July 26, 2016.[70]
What is a superdelegate?
Superdelegates in 2016 were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[71]
Virginia primary results
- See also: Presidential election in Virginia, 2016
Hillary Clinton won the Virginia Democratic primaries, defeating opponent Bernie Sanders by almost 30 percentage points. Multiple news outlets called the election in her favor shortly after polls closed at 7:00 pm EST.[72] Clinton lost the Virginia Democratic primary in 2008 to Barack Obama. Clinton won nearly all of the counties in the eastern half of the state including those surrounding Washington, D.C. (she won Arlington County 67 to 33 percent). Sanders picked up some of the state's more rural counties in the western half.[73]
Virginia Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
![]() |
64.3% | 504,741 | 62 | |
Bernie Sanders | 35.2% | 276,370 | 33 | |
Martin O'Malley | 0.5% | 3,930 | 0 | |
Totals | 785,041 | 95 | ||
Source: CNN and Virginia Department of Elections |
Delegate allocation
Virginia had 108 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 95 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[74][75]
Thirteen party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[74][76]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
McAuliffe currently resides in Fairfax, Virginia. He and his wife, Dorothy, have five children: Dori, Jack, Mary, Sally, and Peter.[4]
See also
2021 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "June 2009 Primary Results," accessed April 10, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Terry McAuliffe, "Democratic Leadership," accessed March 23, 2012 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; name "leadership" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ United States District Court for the District of Columbia, "NADER et al v. MCAULIFFE et al. MEMORANDUM OPINION. Signed by Judge Ricardo M. Urbina," January 7, 2009
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Terry McAuliffe for Governor, "Terry's Story," accessed April 11, 2013
- ↑ Quinnipiac Institute, "Sen. Warner Has Big Early Lead In Virginia Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Say Economy Will Get Better With Obama," November 14, 2012
- ↑ Associated Press - abc7.com, "Terry McAuliffe qualifies for Virginia June Democratic primary ballot," March 27, 2013
- ↑ ‘’FOX News,’’ “Democrat Terry McAuliffe wins Va. governor’s race, Fox News projects,” November 5, 2013
- ↑ Politico, Terry McAuliffe edges Ken Cuccinelli; Chris Christie coasts, November 6, 2013
- ↑ Richmond Times Dispatch, "Bolling on Cuccinelli: 'Nothing he does surprises me'," December 6, 2011
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedwapo1
- ↑ Washington Post, "Bill Bolling decides not to seek GOP nomination for VA governor," November 28, 2012
- ↑ The Roanoke Times, "Could Bolling run for governor as an independent?," November 28, 2012
- ↑ The Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Bolling regrets dropping out of the race so soon," April 22, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedcollegian
- ↑ Washington Post, "Cuccinelli vs. McAuliffe: Virginia governor’s race holds the eyes of the nation," March 29, 2013
- ↑ Independent Political Report, "Robert Sarvis Receives Libertarian Party of Virginia Nomination for Governor in 2013," accessed April 27, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "McAuliffe opens up double digit lead over Cuccinelli in Virginia governor's race," October 28, 2013
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "HuffPost Pollster: 2013 Virginia Governor: Cuccinelli vs. McAuliffe," accessed September 18, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "Terry McAuliffe outraises Ken Cuccinelli by $3M," October 15, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "McAuliffe tops Cuccinelli in fundraising race for Virginia governor," September 17, 2013
- ↑ The Richmond Times-Dispatch, "McAuliffe maintains cash edge over Cuccineli," September 17, 2013
- ↑ The Hill, "Hillary Clinton to campaign in Virginia with McAuliffe (Video)," October 14, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Obama, Biden to hit the trail for McAuliffe Va. governor bid, first lady cuts radio ad," October 29, 2013
- ↑ ABC 7, "Terry McAuliffe qualifies for Virginia June Democratic primary ballot," March 27, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "Virginia governor race 2013: Shutdown roils contest," October 4, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Five things to watch in the Cuccinelli-McAuliffe debate," September 25, 2013
- ↑ RealClearPolitics, "Virginia Governor - Cuccinelli vs. McAuliffe," accessed October 7, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "In Virginia governor’s race, McAuliffe calls on Cuccinelli to denounce shutdown, Cruz," October 7, 2013
- ↑ YouTube, "Terry McAuliffe Radio Ad: Cuccinelli and the Architect," October 5, 2013
- ↑ YouTube, "Shutdown," accessed October 7, 2013
- ↑ Real Clear Politics, "Virginia Gov: Cuccinelli vs. McAuliffe vs. Sarvis," accessed October 7, 2013
- ↑ NBC29.com, "Robert Sarvis: I'm giving voters a better option," October 5, 2013
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Washington Post, "Report: Va. governor received special treatment from Homeland Security," March 24, 2015
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Washington Post "Car company with ties to Terry McAuliffe probed by SEC," August 2, 2013
- ↑ Watchdog, "VA: As he runs for governor, McAuliffe wheels and deals electric cars in Mississippi," December 10, 2012
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 Watchdog, "New emails add evidence McAuliffe pressed US officials to approve Greentech funding," October 8, 2013
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Campaign finance report: Terry McAuliffe for Governor," July 15, 2013
- ↑ McAuliffe for Governor, "Elected Officials from Arlington Endorse Terry McAuliffe for Governor," March 11, 2021
- ↑ McAuliffe for Governor, "Organizations," accessed September 5, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Obama, Biden to hit the trail for McAuliffe Va. governor bid, first lady cuts radio ad," October 29, 2013
- ↑ ABC News, "Michelle Obama to Campaign for Terry McAuliffe," June 3, 2013
- ↑ CNN PoliticalTicker, "Bill Clinton to hit the Virginia campaign trail for McAuliffe," October 20, 2013
- ↑ The Hill, "Hillary Clinton to campaign in Virginia with McAuliffe (Video)," October 14, 2013
- ↑ 13newsnow.com, "Virginia Beach mayor set to endorse Terry McAuliffe for governor," September 16, 2013
- ↑ Blue Virginia, "Watkins Abbitt Endorses Terry McAuiffe in Evington on Wednesday," July 31, 2013
- ↑ Blue Virginia, "Former Republican Governor of Virginia Linwood Holton Announces Support for McAuliffe," June 14, 2013
- ↑ The Roanoke Times, "Former Del. Ward Armstrong won't run statewide in 2013," December 3, 2012
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Terry McAuliffe's campaign website, “Terry's Vision,” accessed Oct. 25, 2021
- ↑ McAuliffe for Governor, "On the Issues: Jobs and the Economy," accessed March 26, 2013
- ↑ McAuliffe for Governor, "On the Issues: Education," accessed March 25, 2013
- ↑ McAuliffe for Governor, "On the Issues: Transportation," accessed March 25, 2013
- ↑ McAuliffe for Governor, "On the Issues: Healthcare," accessed March 26, 2013
- ↑ McAuliffe for Governor, "On the Issues: Veterans' Health," accessed March 2, 2013
- ↑ McAuliffe for Governor, "On the Issues: Women," accessed March 25, 2013
- ↑ NBC4.com, "McAuliffe alters felons' voting rights procedures," April 18, 2014
- ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 WTOP, "Virginia governor enables 200,000 felons to vote in November," April 22, 2016
- ↑ Governor Terry McAuliffe, "Governor McAuliffe Restores Voting and Civil Rights to Over 200,000 Virginians," April 22, 2016
- ↑ WTOP, "Va. Supreme Court overturns felons' rights restoration," July 22, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "GOP sues to block McAuliffe order to let 200,000 Virginia felons vote," May 23, 2016
- ↑ 61.0 61.1 The Washington Times, "McAuliffe begins to grant voting rights to felons individually after court ruling," July 22, 2016
- ↑ NPR, "Virginia Governor Restores Voting Rights To Felons, Again," August 22, 2016
- ↑ WTKR, "McAuliffe remains in favor of keeping Virginia open to Syrian refugees," November 17, 2015
- ↑ 64.0 64.1 The Washington Post, "McAuliffe has voted more bills in a session than any Virginia governor since 1998," April 11, 2016
- ↑ Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) vetoed 37 bills in 1998.
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 Culpeper Star-Exponent, "McAuliffe wields veto pen with vigor, striking most bills in nearly two decades," April 13, 2016
- ↑ Rachel Weiner, The Washington Post, "McAuliffe finds himself back in campaign mode for Hillary Clinton," April 19, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia's list of superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention is based on our own research and lists provided by the Democratic National Committee to Vox.com in February 2016 and May 2016. If you think we made an error in identifying superdelegates, please send an email to [email protected].
- ↑ Five Thirty Eight, “The Endorsement Primary,” June 7, 2016
- ↑ To find out which candidate a superdelegate supported, Ballotpedia sought out public statements from the superdelegate in other media outlets and on social media. If we were unable to find a public statement that clearly articulated which candidate the superdelegate supported at the national convention, we listed that superdelegate as "unknown." If you believe we made an error in identifying which candidate a superdelegate supported, please email us at [email protected].
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Hillary Clinton Wins Virginia, Georgia; Bernie Sanders Takes Vermont," March 1, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Virginia Primary Results," March 2, 2016
- ↑ 74.0 74.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
- ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Bob McDonnell (R) |
Governor of Virginia 2014-2018 |
Succeeded by Ralph Northam (D) |
|
|
![]() |
State of Virginia Richmond (capital) |
---|---|
Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2024 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |