At DNC Meeting, Nervous Dems Fret Over Ralph Northam’s Struggling Gubernatorial Campaign

Democrat worries over Ralph Northam’s struggling gubernatorial campaign in Virginia continue to dominate headlines heading into the final two weeks of the election. With polls showing Northam in a dead-heat race with Republican Ed Gillespie, despite the Commonwealth’s recent blue trend in statewide elections, the Washington Post reports from the DNC meeting that Democrats are becoming increasingly nervous about Northam’s chances for victory and what they mean for the Party going forward.

After the Democratic National Committee went “all in” for Northam by investing in his campaign while he deals with scandals, declining poll numbers, and growing signs of panic from his own campaign staff, party insiders seem to be very eager to throw Northam’s struggling campaign under the bus.

The Washington Post reports:

“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…

Northam’s defeat would let activists argue that the party that picked Hillary Clinton over Sanders (Vt.), and Tom Perez over Sanders-backed Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.) for Democratic National Committee chairman in February, had once again bet against progressives and lost. It would set the stage for more infighting in 2018…

‘That sense of complacency led people to take their foot off the gas,’ Martin said. ‘We saw a dip in volunteers in the last few weeks, turnout dropped. That can’t ever happen again…’

The DNC began pouring resources into Virginia in July, spending $1.5 million up front to hire 40 staff members. In addition, national staff members were loaned out to run communications for campaigns down the ballot…”