Democrats Increasingly Repulsed by Northam

Ralph Northam, who currently serves as Terry McAuliffe's lieutenant governor, is the Democratic Party's nominee for governor of Virginia.

While Northam has always maintained a lead in the polls, he is running against a formidable opponent: Ed Gillespie, the former chairman of the RNC.

When Gillespie ran for U.S. Senate from Virginia in 2014, he was behind by double digits in the polls  and he lacked extensive funding. However, he still managed to come within a point of defeating incumbent Democrat Mark Warner. Now, Gillespie enjoys widespread support from the Republican Party financially and otherwise.

As a result, Gillespie has a real shot of victory. Some polls show him ahead, and the RCP average shows him behind by only 3.6 points. Even this average is a poor indicator of how strongly Gillespie is doing, for it includes a Quinnipiac poll that is practically an outlier.

For the Democrats, the problem with Northam is two-pronged. Firstly, Ralph Northam is not a candidate that people can easily get enthused about. He is a career politician, he voted in favor of sanctuary cities, and he has made numerous gaffes when running advertisements. The Republican Governors' Association writes,

With eight days to go until Election Day in Virginia, Democrats continue to show clear signs of panic over Ralph Northam’s struggling campaign. After two weeks marked by tightening poll numbers, botched attacks on his opponent, and a scandal involving his running mate, NBC News reports that “fear among some Democratic leaders” has not subsided for Northam, calling his candidacy 'less than thrilling.'

The advertisement in question involves young Latinos being chased by a Gillespie supporter in a truck. Even the left-leaning Washington Post condemned the spot, which was produced by a Northam-aligned group, writing,

The Latino Victory Fund ad was vile. Among other faults, it glossed over the fact that Mr. Gillespie condemned the white-supremacist violence in Charlottesville far more directly than did President Trump.

Secondly, Gillespie is a good candidate. He is honest, he has a strong policy platform that is ripe with details, and he has the right ideas for rejuvenating the economy in Old Dominion. Compared to Ralph Northam, who comes off as dull, Gillespie is inspiring.

Early voting has commenced in Virginia, and Election Day is on November 7, 2017. Even though Northam is in the lead, the race is all but deadlocked since the polling average is basically within the margin of error.

Gillespie supporters, head to your local phone bank and get to work. Old Dominion counts on it.