Progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blamed the Democrats’ loss in the Virginia gubernatorial election for Terry McAuliffe’s failure to “energize a progressive base” with his “100% moderate campaign.”
During Posted a story on Instagram on Wednesday night As the New York Democrat highlighted the many Democrats’ victories across the country, Ocasio-Cortez accused McAuliffe of being too moderate.
“Plus, on the election front, I actually think we’ve got good news too. I know Virginia has been a big bummer. And frankly, if anything, I think the results show the limits of trying to run a 100% super moderated campaign don’t raise or You speak or activate a progressive base,” she said.
“And frankly, we weren’t really called upon to contribute to this race.”
In the run-up to Election Day, McAuliffe appeared to be firmly ahead of Republican Glenn Yongkin, who could catch up and overtake him in multiple polls at the last minute.
But the AOC must not have been paying attention, because throughout her campaigns Yongkin repeatedly criticized several items of the progressive agenda, most notably the application of critical race theory in schools.
Education and parental involvement in schools dominated the race, with Youngkin appealing to parents wanting to voice concerns about certain curricula as McAuliffe pledged to keep their opinions out of the classroom.
During a debate in September, the former Virginia governor said publicly, “I don’t think parents should tell schools what they should teach.”
McAuliffe’s push to keep parents out of classroom planning led Republicans to accuse him of wanting to “repress and silence” parents in order for schools to push a “radical political agenda”.
Youngkin pressed this further amid a public debate over sexually explicit novels, such as “The Beloved” – which was the impetus behind the bipartisan bill, McAuliffe vetoed as a conservative that would have given parents the opportunity and the right to allow their children to opt out of readings explicit nationality.
While McAuliffe defended his comments and the veto, it appeared to distance him further from his parents.
“[W]chicken [parents] I heard Terry McAuliffe say… that parents have no role in educating their children… This is no longer a campaign, and it’s starting to be a movement led by parents,” Yongkin He said during Wednesday’s clip From “Tucker Carlson Tonight”.
With the Republicans’ rise in pre-election polls, some have compared McAuliffe’s decline to that of President Biden, whose approval rating has fallen several times since taking office. Biden took Virginia by 10 percentage points last year during the 2020 presidential election.
After Yongkin’ victory, many House Republicans and the GOP National Committee predicted a “red wave” in the upcoming elections as the Republican Party looks to retake the House in 2022.
Not all Democrats were saddened or worried by McAuliffe’s loss. last Wednesday evening Representative Tulsi Gabbard She broke away from her party and celebrated, calling the result “a victory for all Americans.”
“McAuliffe’s loss is a victory for all Americans. Why? Because it was a resounding rejection of efforts to divide us along race, parental disenfranchisement, and arrogant deaf leaders. It benefits us all,” tweeted the former Hawaii representative and former presidential candidate.
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