Former Governor Terry McAuliffe says he won’t seek the Democratic nomination for President, because he’s got work to do in Virginia.
Instead of running for the White House, McAuliffe told CNN’s Chris Cuomo Wednesday evening that he will help Virginia Democrats win back the state House and Senate this November…as a campaign coordinator.
“The folks that we elect this year, they will be around when they redraw all the maps. In fairness, this election will determine the next ten years in Virginia and that’s why I’m staying home and doing what I need to do to help Virginians," McAuliffe said.
Current Governor Ralph Northam, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring are all still mired in scandal and have failed to raise significant money for fellow Democrats ahead of these key races.
With decades of experience as a skilled fundraiser at both the state and federal level, McAuliffe is better positioned to open Democratic donor’s checkbooks.
McAuliffe had been making the case for months that he could offer a centrist alternative to a large pool of more liberal Democratic candidates
The former Governor says he knows he could defeat President Trump but he was asked by Democratic leadership to help the party retake the state House and Senate in November.
McAuliffe did not clearly indicate if he was interested in running for another term as Governor in 2021. In Virginia, Governor's cannot run for two consecutive terms, but can run again four years or more later.
