Meet The Candidate: Terry McAuliffe Seeks Nomination For Governor

VIRGINIA — Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is one of five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for governor of Virginia in 2021.

McAuliffe, who served as Virginia governor from 2014 to 2018, is seeking a second term. He is running against state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, Lieutenant Gov. Justin Fairfax, Del. Lee Carter and former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy for the Democratic nomination.

Early voting in the Democratic primary is currently underway and continues until June 5 for the June 8 Democratic primary that will include candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

During his first term as governor, McAuliffe was named “Public Official of the Year” in 2017 by GOVERNING magazine.

One of his proudest accomplishments, according to his campaign website, was successfully reversing a law that disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of Virginians. More than 200,000 Virginians had their voting rights restored under his leadership.

Learn more about Terry McAuliffe and why he is running for governor of Virginia in 2021:

Age (as of Election Day)

64

Position Sought

Governor

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Why are you seeking elective office?

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of Virginians' lives — from our economy and education, to housing, healthcare, and beyond. In order to truly recover, we must rebuild a stronger, more equitable Commonwealth that lifts up all Virginians, and that's why I'm running for governor.

As Virginia's next governor, I will create good jobs and invest in our workers, ensure all Virginians have access to quality affordable health care, address the affordable housing crisis and prevent evictions, continue to fight for civil rights and voting rights, and make an unprecedented investment to ensure every Virginia child receives equitable access to a world-class education.

I am building a broad and diverse coalition of support and my campaign has been endorsed by more than 325 elected officials and local leaders across the Commonwealth — including 35 members of the General Assembly and dozens of local and young leaders from every corner of the Commonwealth — and together we will make critical progress for Virginians.

I'm proud of the campaign we're running and I'm incredibly proud of the broad coalition of support we are putting together, from leaders like Governor Ralph Northam, Congresswoman Elaine Luria, Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas, House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, and more than 300 other elected leaders from across the Commonwealth. And I'm even more proud to have the support of so many amazing young student and professional leaders in my campaign.

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I launched my campaign with a bold, comprehensive plan to give every Virginia child a world-class education, because I fundamentally believe education is the most important issue facing our next governor. As governor, I will make a $2 billion annual investment in education to give every Virginia child — no matter their race or their zip code — equitable access to a world-class education. Through this investment, I will get every Virginia student online, expand pre-school to every 3 and 4 year old child in need, and raise teacher pay above the national average for the first time in Virginia history. We are going to make Virginia the best state in the nation for STEM-H and computer science education, create new pathways for students to achieve good paying jobs without a four-year degree, and make sure every Virginia student is prepared for a brighter future and set up to succeed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the disparities and inequalities Virginia students face in education. But let’s be clear: these disparities were not created by the pandemic, they were only worsened by it. Despite being one of the wealthiest states in the nation, Virginia’s education system has been underfunded and plagued by racial, socioeconomic and geographic inequities for far too long. We have to break down the barriers and systemic racism that have allowed us to predict a student’s success based on their zip code or caused Black and Latino students to fall behind at higher rates. These same inequities have kept too many young women and students of color from high-demand, high-paying careers, like STEM-H and computer science fields.

As governor, I secured a record investment in education funding, expanded preschool to thousands of children, reimaged the high school experience and eliminated 5 SOLs, and created innovative workforce development programs to prepare students for the jobs of the future. And thanks to my efforts Virginia served more than 13 million more school meals. Through the biggest, boldest investment in education in Virginia history, I will ensure every Virginia child receives equitable access to a world-class education. In a generation, these investments will pay off in the form of a generational budget surplus for Virginia.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I'm running because we need to think big and be bold to move Virginia forward and create a better, brighter future for all. We can't tinker around the edges. We've got to rebuild the Commonwealth of Virginia from this crisis better, stronger, and more equitable than we were before — that means creating good jobs, investing in education, and tackling the systemic racism and inequities in healthcare, housing, and our criminal justice system that have held back Black and Brown Virginians for far too long.

Despite facing an extreme Republican legislature that wanted to take Virginia back, as Virginia's 72nd Governor I made important progress for the Commonwealth on the economy and education, and I stood up for Virginians' most basic civil rights at every turn. I secured a record $1 billion investment in education and expanded preschool to thousands of children, created 200,000 jobs and raised personal income 14 percent, and successfully stood up to every Republican attack on Virginians' reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ equality.

One of the proudest accomplishments of my life was reversing a racist Jim Crow era law and restoring voting rights to 173,000 Virginians previously convicted of felonies — more than any governor in American history. But we need to finish the job and overturn this racist policy once and for all by enshrining the automatic restoration of voting rights into Virginia's constitution. As Virginia's next governor, I will work with the legislature and voters to get this done during my first year in office.

How would you assess Virginia's handling of the coronavirus, and why?

Virginians have been fortunate to have a doctor in Governor Northam leading our Commonwealth through this pandemic, especially given Donald Trump’s failure to take this virus seriously or show any concern for American lives. And I know we can all rest easier now that President Biden has enacted the American Rescue Plan, bringing more help to Virginians. But our road to true recovery is long, and our next governor must continue to build Virginia back better, stronger, and more equitable than it was before.

Virginia's workforce is the backbone of our economy and in order to rebuild after this pandemic we have to make sure our workers have access to the support they need, including necessary compensation, benefits and affordable childcare. As governor, I will fight to accelerate Virginia's minimum wage increase to $15 by 2024, make sure all workers have access to paid sick, family and medical leave, and make sure child care is more accessible and affordable. I will also work to ensure that all Virginians have access to quality, affordable health care and a safe and affordable place to call home, and I will make an unprecedented investment in education to ensure every Virginia child has equitable access to a world-class education and a brighter future.

What laws or policies will you pursue to help the state recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Though this pandemic has created many challenges and Virginians are hurting, it has also shown our resilience and presented us with an opportunity to build back better. Three of the most important areas we need to focus on are rebuilding a stronger and more equitable post-COVID economy, investing in our education system, and making sure every Virginian has access to high-quality affordable health care.

COVID-19 has laid bare some of the worst inequities in our economy and we've got to take big and bold action to make sure that all Virginians benefit from the post-COVID economy. We can't risk an entire generation of workers, particularly women and women of color, being left behind. This means creating good jobs, protecting employees, making childcare more accessible and affordable, rebuilding our thriving network of small businesses, increasing funding for mental health services, and accelerating Virginia's minimum wage increase to $15 by 2024.

As governor, I will create a revolving fund to provide low-interest loans to small businesses, revamp the regulatory process to ensure that small businesses have access to the support they need, and lift up Black and Brown-owned businesses by building upon the Small Women and Minority-owned micro-loan program that I began as Virginia’s 72nd Governor. And the economic crisis created by this pandemic is only making the affordable housing crisis Virginia faces worse. As governor, I will act boldly and decisively to make sure every Virginian has a place to call home, end racist and discriminatory lending practices, increase the supply of affordable housing, and tackle homelessness once and for all.

As governor, I will make an unprecedented $2 billion investment in our education system to make sure all Virginia kids have access to an equitable, world-class education. This investment means we will be able to increase teacher pay above the national average for the first time in Virginia history; expand pre-school to every 3 and 4 year old child in-need; get every Virginia student online; cultivate the next generation of high-qualified, diverse educators; and make Virginia the best state for STEM-H and computer science education. We will also work to break down the barriers and systemic racism that keep too many young women and students of color from high-demand, high-paying careers, like STEM-H and computer science fields, and ensure that all students have access to the skills and training they need to succeed - whether through a four-year degree or a new five year high school to career program that my administration will implement.

From economic strains to lack of treatment availability to the impact of isolation, the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on our physical and behavioral health and our overall well-being. As governor, I will take a holistic approach to ensuring that every Virginian has access to the physical and behavioral health care they need. In 2017, I laid the groundwork for expanding Medicaid and making sure thousands of Virginians got health coverage, but despite that, far too many Virginians remain uninsured and underinsured, or unable to afford their healthcare premiums or costs. This includes nearly 100,000 children who lack health insurance. That's not just unacceptable, it's morally wrong and we've got to fix it.

Making matters worse, we continue to see a rise in prescription drug prices. It's unconscionable that during a pandemic Virginia families could have to choose between paying for lifesaving prescription medications or putting food on their families’ tables, while pharmaceutical companies continue to rake in profits. As governor, I will partner with President Biden's administration to ensure all Virginians have access to quality, affordable health care coverage, and I will implement a new state watchdog over prescription drug prices to ensure no Virginian is forced to choose between medication or a meal.

How would you assess the General Assembly's work in the latest session, which saw passage of a host of bills on racial equity and criminal justice reform?

For centuries, Virginia’s criminal justice system has disproportionately targeted communities of color. Thanks to Gov. Ralph Northam and Virginia Democrats, our Commonwealth made great strides in the past year by banning no-knock warrants, improving training, and empowering civilian review boards. It is past time we reevaluate not only how we prevent crime, but how we charge, sentence, and rehabilitate people who become involved with the criminal justice system. And we have to address the racial inequities that result in over-policing, over-arresting and over-incarcerating Black Virginians.

As governor, I will continue to fight to reform Virginia's criminal justice system with an approach rooted in equity and second chances. First things first: we have to make the restoration of voting rights automatic for Virginians who have paid their debt to society. When I was governor, one of my proudest achievements was overturning a racist, Jim Crow Era law and restoring civil rights to over 173,000 Virginians, more than any governor in history. But there is more work to be done now. We have an opportunity to take big, bold action to ensure more Virginians are given second chances. If I am elected Virginia's next governor, I will work tirelessly to ensure the passage of a second resolution for an automatic restoration of rights constitutional amendment and its approval by voters during the first year of my administration.

But that is just the start. As governor, I will ensure all past marijuana possession convictions are expunged, that revenues are reinvested back into communities that have been disproportionately impacted, and that Black and Brown Virginians have meaningful ownership opportunities in this new industry. I will also launch an “Office for Returning Citizens,” because more than 10,000 people return home each year from our Department of Corrections, and once a person has paid their debt to society we must welcome them back to our communities as full, contributing members. We will work with peer navigators to serve as community connectors and help people get access to the resources they need.

And if we truly want people to have second chances, we have to expand our narrow parole laws so more people have the chance to start over, and we have to expunge criminal records so that people can get jobs and support themselves and their families.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

As Virginia's next governor, I will leverage this moment to go big and be bold as we rebuild Virginia from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger and more equitably than before. I will fight for our workers by accelerating Virginia's minimum wage increase to $15/hour by 2024, make sure all Virginians have access to paid sick days and paid family medical leave, and make child care more accessible and affordable. I will also work to create good jobs and rebuild Virginia's thriving network of small businesses, particularly Black and Brown-owned businesses that have been hit the hardest by this pandemic.

Investing in education will be one of my top priorities. I will work with our Democratic legislature to make an unprecedented $2 billion annual investment in education so that we can expand pre-school to every 3 and 4 year old child in need, get every Virginia student online, and raise teacher pay above the national average for the first time in Virginia’s history. As governor, I made significant progress in preparing our students for good paying jobs by making Virginia the first state in the nation to mandate computer science education for all K-12 students and developing innovative workforce development programs, like the New Economy Workforce Credentials Act and the Power Line Training School.

Now, I will build on that progress and make Virginia the best state in the nation for STEM-H and computer science education and tackle the disparities that keep far too many young women and students of color from accessing careers in these high-paying, high-demand fields. I will also work to address the critical teacher shortage Virginia is facing and invest to ensure that our educators reflect the diversity of our students. To do this, I will establish the Lucy Simms Educator Program, which will cover tuition at Virginia’s public or historically Black colleges and universities for students who commit to five years of teaching in our public schools. The time is now to go big on education -- our future and our children cannot wait.

Health care is another critical issue that I will also work to address as Virginia's next governor. Despite Virginia successfully expanding Medicaid to nearly 550,000 people, for which I fought tirelessly against a right-wing Republican legislature as governor, more than 700,000 Virginians are still uninsured, including 100,000 children. As governor, I will work closely with President Biden's administration to lower premiums, as well as expand access to Medicaid and telehealth in the Commonwealth to make health care more affordable and accessible. And I will create a new state watchdog and pass a Prescription Drug Sunlight Law to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the continued rising cost of prescription drugs, so that no Virginian is forced to choose between medicine and a meal.

As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, I fought tirelessly to expand health care coverage across the Commonwealth. When Republicans refused to act on Medicaid expansion, I found other ways to expand dental care, mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, and other health services to tens of thousands of Virginians in need through my “A Healthy Virginia” plan. And I embedded the $421.7 million estimated savings from Medicaid expansion into my final budget and secured the critical provider assessment on hospitals to help fund it, laying the groundwork for Governor Northam and our Democratic legislature to successfully pass Medicaid expansion.

Much as with health care, Virginia is facing a housing crisis that has only gotten worse with the pandemic. As of the fall, more than 260,000 households were facing eviction in the Commonwealth. I will work to ensure every Virginian has a place to call home by providing relief and protections to tenants, creating much needed affordable housing, and confronting discriminatory lending practices and promoting Black and Brown homeownership. As governor, I fought for crucial investments into the Virginia Housing Trust Fund, leading to a 27 percent decrease of homelessness among families throughout my term, and I functionally ended veteran homelessness by ensuring every community has a sustainable, systematic response to prevent homelessness whenever possible and to allow veterans in need of housing to secure a home within 90 days. As governor, I will continue to prioritize investment in Virginia's Housing Trust Fund and continue the fight against homelessness going forward to ensure that every Virginia has a safe place to call home.

I will also continue to work to reform Virginia's criminal justice system so that it is rooted in equity and second chances, not punishment. In addition to securing the restoration of voting rights into Virginia's constitution, we must make sure that Black and Brown communities benefit equitably from the legalization of marijuana, continue to reform outdated expungement laws, expand access to parole, and create an Office for Returning Citizens to ensure the thousands of men and women returning home from correctional facilities each year have the support and resources they need to succeed. As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, I fought tirelessly for Virginia's civil rights and to reform our criminal justice system with a focus on second chances. I restored voting rights to over 173,000 Virginians, reversing decades of disenfranchisement due to Jim Crow-era law, and I pardoned 227 people, correcting wrongful and unjust sentences and reuniting families. I also transformed Virginia’s juvenile justice system and reduced the population of incarcerated youths by nearly two-thirds, and invested millions of dollars in reentry programs, alternatives to incarceration, and mental health and substance use disorder services. Under my leadership, in 2016 Virginia achieved the lowest recidivism rate in the nation for the first time at 23.4 percent.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

While I was Virginia’s 72nd Governor, I got up every day ready to make meaningful change in Virginians’ lives. I am so proud of what we were able to accomplish. From vetoing every Republican attack on reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ equality to creating 200,000 good paying jobs to decreasing unemployment and increasing personal income by 14 percent, I worked my heart out every single day to make a difference in Virginians' lives.

One of the proudest accomplishments of my life was reversing a racist Jim Crow era law and restoring voting rights to 173,000 Virginians previously convicted of felonies — more than any governor in American history. But we need to finish the job and overturn this racist policy once and for all by enshrining the automatic restoration of voting rights into Virginia's constitution. As Virginia's next governor, I will work with the legislature and voters to get this done during my first year in office.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Never be afraid to think big and act boldly when doing the right thing!

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

We are at a pivotal time. All of this progress Virginia Democrats made in eight years is going to be on the ballot in November. No matter who Republicans select, they will nominate a far-right extremist. Each candidate has spent the last year fawning over Donald Trump, parroting his dangerous rhetoric, and working to bring Trump’s policies to Richmond. These Republicans were responsible for passing the most anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-environment, and pro-gun legislation in the country; all of which I was proud to veto, making me the governor with the most vetoes. Let’s not forget: Republicans in the legislature opposed expanding Medicaid, enacting common sense gun violence prevention legislation, and making improvements to our education system. And now every Republican candidate for governor has argued for voter suppression measures, echoing the language of Trump’s “Big Lie” that the election was stolen. They have no plans to solve the problems that keep Virginians up at night.

I am running for governor because we need bold policies to confront the challenges we are as we start to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives from education and the economy to housing and health care. It has also highlighted the stark inequalities that have been pervasive in our communities for too long. This is the time to act big and not tinker around the edges. There is much work to be done, and I hope you will join our effort to move Virginia forward by visiting TerryMcAuliffe.com.