I.O.U.’s Give the Democrat an Edge in Virginia

From The New York Times:

Their cheeks brushed as they whispered into each other’s ears, Bill Clinton and Terry McAuliffe, together again.

“I love Terry McAuliffe and his wife and their kids,” the former president croaked hoarsely last week, explaining why he was on this three-day, nine-city swing through Virginia on behalf of Mr. McAuliffe, the Democratic candidate for governor. “They’ve been great friends to Hillary and to Chelsea and to me for a very long time.”

After many years as Mr. Clinton’s chief fund-raiser and then as the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Mr. McAuliffe has amassed one of the largest favor banks in American politics. And now as he reaches for elected office himself, Democrats are returning the favors with endorsements, strategic advice and, of course, an avalanche of money.

 

Armed with a much larger war chest, Mr. McAuliffe has battered his opponent, Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, with a barrage of negative ads and has put himself in a position that would have surprised many Democrats just a year ago: ahead in the polls just two days from the election.

 

Mr. McAuliffe also seems to have learned from his first run for governor of Virginia in 2009, when he was tagged as a carpetbagger and lost in the Democratic primary. In the years since, he has applied his famously effective scratch-my-back skills to the state’s Democratic hierarchy, which rewarded him by preventing a primary challenge this year.

 

Mr. McAuliffe has found himself well positioned to exploit the growing split between Tea Party conservatives and the Republican Party’s business wing. A number of Virginia business leaders, some prominent Republicans among them, have abandoned Mr. Cuccinelli to back Mr. McAuliffe, arguing that he would be more effective at creating a positive business climate in the state.

 

After his humiliating defeat in the 2009 Democratic primary, Mr. McAuliffe sought to ingratiate himself with party officials statewide, writing checks from his own fortune for about $140,000 to scores of state candidates. The amounts were not huge — $500 to $15,000 — but they made an impact.

 

Mr. McAuliffe’s relationship with the Clintons is far more intimate than those typical of political moneymen. He shared cigars with Mr. Clinton on the Truman Balcony of the White House and played cards late at night with the president. Both families vacationed together. So it was no surprise that Mr. and Mrs. Clinton showed up as Mr. McAuliffe’s closers.

 

The Cuccinelli campaign is pulling out all stops to prevent that. The Republican has mustered a brigade of his own surrogates in the final get-out-the vote push. They include Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and former Representative Ron Paul.

 

All are Tea Party favorites who should motivate Mr. Cuccinelli’s base to turn out in the off-year election, when voters tend to be older and whiter than the coalition that again put Virginia in Mr. Obama’s column last year. It is a trend that favors Mr. Cuccinelli, and it may be his best hope against Mr. McAuliffe.

Mr. Cuccinelli is also hoping that the appearance of the ultimate Democratic surrogate, Mr. Obama, with Mr. McAuliffe on Sunday will bring attention to what he has tried to make the chief issue in the final days: the disastrous debut of the federal health insurance marketplace.