UVA political expert weighs in on DNC pumping money into Virginia races

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - President Joe Biden is asking the Democratic National Committee to focus its attention on the midterms in Virginia.

The DNC is directing roughly $1.2 million into legislative races in the commonwealth. Larry Sabato with the University of Virginia Center for Politics believes the amount of money is not what’s important, it’s the symbolism behind it.

“What they’re really acknowledging is something they should have acknowledged a long time ago: The Virginia legislative elections are actually the nation’s most important election this year,” the political expert said Tuesday, September 5.

Sabato thinks DNC’s investment is just a starting point: “This had best to be a down payment. Doesn’t have to come from the DNC, can come from many sources, can come from private sources, but we’re going to spend as a state tens-of-millions of dollars,” he said. “And that’s an underestimate on both sides.”

Sabato says it is a signal to Democrats around the country that they need to invest.

“If the Democrats lose control of the state Senate - they’ve already lost the House of Delegates - then we’re going to have problems, and we can have problems potentially in 2024,” he said. “The winner of the legislative elections will have bragging rights going into the presidential year, and it could affect the proto-candidacy of Governor Youngkin.”

When asked about Youngkin’s potential run for the White House, Sabato says it is obvious that the Republican governor wants to run, but has concerns about running opposed to former-President Donald Trump.

“He’s always been pro-Trump. He’s certainly done nothing to undermine Trump and he has not spoken out against Trump on much of anything. So this will be very unpleasant for him if it happens, but ambition overtakes all concerns,” Sabato said.

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