Politico Whacks McAuliffe on Election Day for Claim About Trump Event in Virginia: ‘That Was a Lie’

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Politico Playbook took aim at Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Tuesday for his claim that former President Donald Trump campaigned in the state for his opponent

“Guess how Glenn Youngkin is finishing his campaign?” McAuliffe said at a campaign event at a Fairfax brewery on Monday evening, the evening before Virginia voters headed to the polls. “He is doing an event with Donald Trump here in Virginia.”

Playbook opined on Tuesday: “That was a lie. Trump wasn’t in Virginia and he never campaigned with Youngkin, though he did make the case for the GOP candidate — ‘fantastic guy!’ — during a brief ‘tele-rally.'”

McAuliffe has fervently sought to tie his opponent, Glenn Youngkin (R), to the former president, naming Trump 13 times during the 15-minute speech alone. Youngkin, in turn, has attempted to capitalize on the Trump fixation, most recently with an ad this week that featured a montage of McAuliffe saying nothing but “Trump.”

RealClearPolitics’ survey compilation showed Youngkin holding a narrow 1.7 percent lead over McAuliffe as of Election Day. Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball on Monday similarly moved the race from “lean Democrat” to “lean Republican.” If Youngkin prevails, it will be the first time Virginia has elected a Republican governor since 2009.