Former Bill Clinton campaign manager and Democratic strategist James Carville sent a tartly worded fundraising email to supporters of former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Monday, telling them, “I hate guys like Glenn Youngkin.”
It’s the latest frantic, even desperate-sounding email pitch sent out by McAuliffe, governor from 2014 to 2018, who is seeking a second, nonconsecutive term. Political professionals typically avoid overt professions of hatred of a political rival in campaign literature, making the email a stark sign of growing Democratic concern about the race.
New Orleans native Carville, known as “the Ragin’ Cajun,” has actively campaigned for McAuliffe in Virginia’s gubernatorial election as the race draws closer both on the calendar and in the polls.
In the Monday fundraising email, Carville wrote, “Folks, I gotta tell you the truth: I hate guys like Glenn Youngkin.”
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“First, he amassed tons of wealth by stepping on the little guy at a ruthless private equity firm,” the email continued. “Then he used that wealth to buy the Republican nomination in this race for governor. Now, he’s indulging Donald Trump’s dangerous lies about the 2020 election to win over support from right-wing extremists.”
“Day after day, we see this guy bring out the worst of the Republican Party — we can’t let him win this race,” the email added before asking for donations because “we can’t afford to waste another moment.”
In an interview last week on MSNBC, Carville called the race “a toss-up.”
“There is no doubt about it, I am scared to death,” Carville said, adding that he has “sent out 47 emails” for McAuliffe.
A Monmouth University poll last week found Youngkin and McAuliffe tied for support in the race.
As Democrats grow increasingly concerned about the race, a number of the party’s most prominent figures have traveled to the commonwealth to campaign for McAuliffe. In remarks at a campaign event over the weekend, former President Barack Obama decried the “politics of meanness and division and conflict, of tribalism and cynicism” in America.
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Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini noted on Twitter that Carville’s email was a stark departure from Obama’s message.
Ragin’ Cajun schtick aside, not sure it’s a good idea to be stoking “hate” for your opponent when the whole Obama message from the weekend was rejecting the politics of division. pic.twitter.com/s4saks7pbH
— Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) October 25, 2021
