National Democrats are jittery about Va. governor's race
By David Weigel and Ed O'Keefe October 22 at 6:26 PM
LAS VEGAS — The Democratic National Committee gathered here over the past week with one worry on every activist’s mind: We’d better not lose the Virginia governor’s race.
It’s a surprising case of the jitters over a place that hasn’t elected a Republican to statewide office in eight years — and that voted resoundingly against Donald Trump last year. But nationally, Democrats haven’t won a marquee race since losing the presidency. They lag Republicans in fundraising. A loss for Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam against Republican Ed Gillespie on Nov. 7 could stir doubts about message and strategy just as the party is gearing up nationally for next year’s all-important midterm elections.
“We’re Ground Zero,” Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, said inside the Bally’s casino here, where party leaders and activists from all 57 states and territories gathered over the past few days. “All eyes are on us. I can understand that, because last year broke my heart.”
Less clear is whether the jitters will help — or whether a Northam victory gives Democrats any kind of road map for 2018. Leaders and activists spent a lot of time in Las Vegas talking about Nevada and Virginia, two increasingly urban and diverse states that bucked 2016’s Trump wave, as models for what every state party could achieve if they organized and elevated their activist base.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/national-democrats-are-jittery-about-va-governors-race/2017/10/22/22bec7ee-b5c9-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html