WASHINGTON, D.C., November 5, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – According to recent polls, pro-life stalwart Ken Cuccinelli is within striking distance of Planned Parenthood-backed rival Terry McAuliffe in today’s Virginia gubernatorial race, despite being massively outspent and out-fundraised.
According to the most recent figures, while Cuccinelli managed to raise some $20 million during the race, Democrat Terry McAuliffe has raised $34 million, or 70% more than Cuccinelli, while McAuliffe has outgunned Cuccinelli on TV airtime by a whopping 10-1.
Favorites of the Democratic Party have come out in force in support of McAuliffe, including the SEIU, NARAL, Planned Parenthood, the National Education Association, the AFL-CIO, other labor unions, the League of Conservation Voters, and other global warming groups. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun organization, Independence USA PAC, has also jumped into the race.
Meanwhile, Cuccinelli’s financial backing has largely come from the Republican Governors Association ($8 million), the NRA, and the pro-life Susan B. Anthony group (at least $1.5 million), as well as some support from the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity.
While Cuccinelli’s support has largely come from social conservatives, McAuliffe’s backers have invested millions of dollars across the political spectrum. Several environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, have spent a total of over $4 million, including $464,000 from Sierra Club directly. Planned Parenthood has sent over $1 million, and Bloomberg’s organization reportedly on target to spend some $2 million. The Democratic Governors Association put $6 million into McAuliffe’s campaign as well.
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The race has focused heavily on the Affordable Care Act, which McAuliffe supports and Cuccinelli prominently opposes. The law has been a flashpoint for abortion activists on both sides, especially in light of the widespread glitches experienced during implementation of the law, as well as its funding for both election and non-elective abortions. McAuliffe has pushed for Medicaid expansion under the law, while Cuccinelli was the nation’s first Attorney General to sue the federal government to overturn the law.
Turnout is expected to be low. Both candidates pulled out the stops in the final day of campaigning, with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden appearing on behalf of McAuliffe and Cuccinelli bringing Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio and libertarian icon former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX).
Last week McAuliffe warned his supporters that he could lose the race. “If we allow ourselves to be complacent for any part of the next five days, Election Day will not be pretty,” McAuliffe said.
A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday showed Cuccinelli just four points behind McAuliffe, who had previously enjoyed a double-digit advantage, and a Wenzel Strategies survey gave McAuliffe just a single point lead over Cuccinelli.