‘Congressional Dems Hurt Terry McAuliffe’: Senate Democrats Blame Colleagues, Legislative Inaction for Virginia Loss

Josh FeldmanNov 3rd, 2021, 2:46 pm
 
Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 22: The U.S. Capitol Building is seen on October 22, 2021 in Washington, DC. Following a breakfast meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that Democrats were nearing a deal on reconciliation. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Democrats in Congress are starting to blame colleagues for their big loss in Virginia Tuesday night.

Terry McAuliffe, seen as the likely winner months ago, lost to Glenn Youngkin.

Some Democrats have pointed to the weeks of negotiations over infrastructure and the spending bill with Biden administration agenda items, and the fact that they didn’t get either passed sooner.

Both of Virginia’s Democratic senators were pretty upfront saying so Wednesday, with Sen. Tim Kaine telling reporters, “Look, Congressional Dems hurt Terry McAuliffe. I mean, I’m going to be blunt.”

“If we had been able to deliver infrastructure and reconciliation in mid-October, he could have sold universal pre-K, affordable child care, infrastructure, creating jobs,” Kaine said, arguing that it’s time for Democrats to “get results.”

Sen. Mark Warner, meanwhile, said he heard frustrations from voters that Democrats “weren’t getting more things done.”

He took a direct shot at House progressives, saying, “Only in Washington could people think that it is a smart strategy to take a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure and prevent your president from signing that bill into law.”

Warner also said that appealing to “very liberal voters” does not win you Virginia.

Senator Brian Schatz (D- HI) reacted to the Virginia race by saying “screaming Trump at the top of our lungs won’t work” and “passing legislation wouldn’t cure everything but it would help, and it is what we are here to do anyway.”

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D- CT), meanwhile, told reporters that Democrats lost because of a “failure to deliver.”

“Window’s closing. We have no more time,” he said. “As one who will be running for reelection in 2022, I need results that I can show the American people that Congress can deliver.”

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D- IL) acknowledged “the protracted endless negotiations have taken their toll on our party.”

Senator Joe Manchin (D- WV), unsurprisingly, had a different takeaway from the results.

He told reporters that the message from voters was that “if we’re going to do something, let’s take time and do it right.”

“We’re talking about revamping the whole entire tax code. That’s mammoth,” Manchin said.

When asked about complaints from Democrats that they didn’t move fast enough, the senator responded, “We just have a difference of agreement on that.”

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Josh Feldman - Senior Editor

Josh Feldman is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Email him here: josh@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter: @feldmaniac