Cory Booker to campaign for McAuliffe in Virginia

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) will stump for Terry McAuliffe in Virginia on Wednesday, becoming the latest national Democrat to go to bat for him ahead of next week’s gubernatorial election. 

Booker, a former candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, is set to stop by a campaign office in Northern Virginia in an effort to boost McAuliffe in the run-up to Election Day. 

McAuliffe, a former governor seeking a second term, is facing off against Republican Glenn Youngkin, who has narrowed the polling gap with his Democratic opponent in recent weeks. While Election Day is still a week away, early voting is already underway in the commonwealth.  

McAuliffe has brought in several prominent national Democrats to stump for him in recent weeks, including Vice President Harris and former President Obama.

President Biden is set to campaign for McAuliffe in Arlington on Tuesday. 

The Virginia governor’s race is seen as a bellwether for the 2022 midterm elections, when Democrats will have to defend their razor-thin congressional majorities. 

While Virginia has drifted to the left in recent years, the governor’s race has become increasingly competitive. A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released Tuesday shows McAuliffe and Youngkin tied at roughly 45 percent each, while another 5 percent of likely voters remain undecided.