President Joe Biden is returning to the campaign trail for Terry McAuliffe in the close race for Virginia governor.
McAuliffe’s campaign announced Thursday that Biden will join the Democratic candidate at a Tuesday evening event in Arlington. It will be Biden’s second appearance for McAuliffe, following a July rally, also in Arlington, the densely populated county outside Washington, D.C., that skews heavily Democratic.
McAuliffe’s decision to bring Biden back comes as polls show the Nov. 2 election tightening between him and Republican Glenn Youngkin. A survey released this week by Monmouth University found McAuliffe’s earlier lead evaporating, with both candidates at 46 percent among registered voters. McAuliffe has lost ground among independents and women, according to the poll.
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The poll also had tough numbers for Biden. A majority of respondents — 52 percent — said they disapproved of his job performance.
McAuliffe had acknowledged Biden’s declining popularity in recent weeks, raising questions about whether he’d invite the president to campaign with him down the home stretch. McAuliffe, a former governor who was barred by Virginia law from serving a second consecutive term, has held events over the last week with first lady Jill Biden and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. He was scheduled to campaign Thursday with Vice President Kamala Harris and Saturday with former President Barack Obama.
Youngkin has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. But the former CEO of the private equity giant Carlyle Group has no plans to rally with Trump and has avoided campaigning with other high-profile Republicans in the race’s closing days. Biden beat Trump by 10 percentage points in Virginia last year.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
