After staking out a double-digit lead in the Virginia Democratic gubernatorial lead Terry McAuliffe is sinking like a stone. The Public Policy Poll now has him in second place. Apparently, the Washington Post endorsement of his rival Creigh Deeds (not to mention the scathing coverage of McAuliffe’s business dealings and overbearing personality) has taken some wind out of his sails. And then his other rival Brian Moran has been blasting negative ads pointing out McAuliffe’s past involvement with, among other things, Global Crossing.
This chart from all the recent polls says it all: McAuliffe is plummeting, Deeds is rising and Moran is holding steady. Keep in mind however, that just as we saw in New Jersey, the turnout is likely to be low so the winner will prevail on his Get Out The Vote machine. Despite McAuliffe’s troubles, I would not count him out. He has money and an organization, which are essential to turning out his supporters.