Ken Cuccinelli’s attempt to win the Virginia governor’s race by yearning for a return of sodomy laws came to an abrupt end Tuesday night. Democrat Terry McAuliffe beat Cuccinelli, the Republican state Attorney General, 48% to 46%. A third-party libertarian candidate picked up the rest of the vote.
Cuccinelli had been expected to lose the race, but he lost by a narrower margin than anticipated. The stench of defeat had surrounded his campaign for weeks, and as Election Day drew nearer, Cuccinelli abandoned any pretense of looking moderate and appealed wholeheartedly to his right-wing followers.
Probably just as galling to Cuccinelli as the loss was losing to McAuliffe, a flawed candidate at best. McAuliffe ran for governor four years ago and lost and has been described as having a “visceral loathesomeness.”
Despite an inauspicious start, McAuliffe managed to portray Cuccinelli as an even worse choice than himself.He used Cuccinelli’s antigay rhetoric to portray the Republican as an extremist (which, thanks to Cuccinelli’s own words, wasn’t that hard). Polls suggested that voters don’t like McAuliffe, but they like Cuccinelli even less.
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Also losing in Virginia tonight was E.W. Jackson, the Republican’s lieutenant governor candidate and all-around nutburger. Jackson distinguished himself in the campaign by lying about his impossibly lengthy record of homophobia.
Republicans will try to spin this as a case of doing better than expected against the odds (McAuliffe outraised Cuccinelli by $15 million). But the fact is, it’s a case of conservative voters turning out in an off-year election. And even then, that wasn’t enough. A different candidate with a different message would have made all the difference. (Just look north to New Jersey, where Chris Christie romped to re-election by knowing when to fold). Instead, the GOP stuck with the man of extreme principles and got the loss they deserved.
TampaBayTed
What’s scary about the Virginia gubernatorial race is that the “Cooch” only lost by a 2 point margin. And “Big Daddy Christie” won by a sizeable margin in New Jersey after the Democrats in that state threw their candidate under the campaign bus.
Atomicrob
Well, thankfully this guy lost, probably because of the northern Virginia D.C. suburbs. Christie is a dangerous phony. People view him as bipartisan because he walked around the beach with Obama, but he’s still anti gay.
krystalkleer
this numbnut had ZERO chance of ever winn’n…GUYS both gay and not so gay (and some str8 ones…let’s be real here) love a BLOW JOB…PERIOD!
don’t matter who’s give’n it as long as they can get it!! bad platform to go against mister (Cuccinelli is probably gett’n his “wounds” licked at some glory hole) http://getoffmydress.blogspot.com/2013/11/whats-up-doc.html
AxelDC
OMG, they killed Kenny’s career!
GayTampaCowboy
I watched this race very carefully and when you look at how Hispanics, African Americans and women voted, the GOP better REALLY LOOK long and hard (pun intended) at their MESSAGING moving forward. Being anti-abortion, anti-immigration reform, anti-equality, anti-healthcare is a recipe for defeat! Part of me HOPES they continue their swing to the far right!!!!
DickGreenleaf
What a maroon-B.Bunny
dvlaries
29 years in this state, and only because of the work opportunity. It was bad when they almost put Oliver North in elected office, badder still with that embarrassing oaf George ‘Macaca’ Allen, and real bad when O’Donnell won, but only a Cuccinelli could have made it worse.