NBC: Shutdown Could Hurt GOP In Virginia Elections

NBC News reports:

When Republicans forced a government shutdown in October 2013 in a fruitless quest to defund Obamacare, their Virginia gubernatorial candidate, Ken Cuccinelli, lost by fewer than 3 points. At the time, Cuccinelli’s top strategist lamented that “more than anything,” the shutdown “is what cost us the race.”

Ten years later, a new generation of House Republicans is on the verge of sparking a shutdown just ahead of another important election in Virginia, which could throw a wrench into Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s goals of capturing both chambers of the General Assembly. Early voting is already underway and the off-year election is being closely watched for clues about the 2024 presidential election landscape.

The 2013 shutdown “definitely helped us,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who was a freshman senator in 2013 and said Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe’s poll numbers improved as a result. “And people do see it since only one side ever flirts with shutdown — Republicans.”

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Virginia Republicans say the 2013 government shutdown lost them a governor’s race.

Now, the government is poised to shut down again as early voting begins in this key swing state that will be closely watched for clues about the 2024 election. https://t.co/GDCo54NyOZ

— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 29, 2023