Young professionals and activists from around the east coast and Midwest are venturing to Virginia next month in support of the statewide Republican ticket and House of Delegate candidates. Spread out from the end of September through the end of October, waves of volunteers will be traveling throughout Virginia, bringing a welcome burst of manpower for grassroots support and a guarantee of tens of thousands of vitally important voter contacts in the crucial month of October.
The Young Republican Federation of Virginia has secured the support of Young Republican federations from Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington D.C., North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida will all be sending busses of volunteers into the Commonwealth in support of the Republican ticket of Ken Cuccinelli, E.W. Jackson and Mark Obenshain.
Hundreds of volunteers will be a tremendous shot to grassroots efforts in Virginia. With Cuccinelli (as expected) being behind in fundraising, receiving this level of support through the month of October will help play a key role in getting out the vote efforts. Also benefiting will be E.W. Jackson, who, as Larry Sabato notes, is banking more on grassroots efforts in support of his candidacy.
Another added benefit to this massive influx of volunteers is the variety of destinations throughout the Commonwealth. Tennessee Young Republicans are venturing to coal country in Southwest Virginia on the heels of President Obama’s overburdening coal restrictions. Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky are descending to election bellwether Loudoun County in support of the ticket and Delegate Dave Ramadan; Loudoun is sure to play a vital role as one of the richest and largest counties in Virginia. Lastly, Maryland, DC, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida are moving into the Hampton Roads region for the Republican ticket as well as House of Delegates candidates Scott Taylor and Glenn Davis.
Virginia is benefiting from national support thanks to Governor Chris Christie’s runaway bid for reelection in New Jersey. With only two statewide elections in 2013 and New Jersey seeing a race with a +24 point lead, Christie is virtually guaranteed of reelection. But, as the recent Bearing Drift governor’s poll just showed, the race for Governor is Virginia is closer than ever, with a razor thin margin between Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Terry McAuliffe. In an off-year election with lower than normal turnout assured, voter turnout and contact will play a vital role in this year’s election.
Thanks to the coordination of the Young Republican Federation of Virginia and the Young Republican National Federation as well as the eleven federations of young professionals coming into the Commonwealth, Ken Cuccinelli, E.W. Jackson and Mark Obenshain will be receiving a drastic influx of grassroots support at a key moment in the statewide race. Given the momentum shift in the past two weeks amidst tightening poll numbers, the Republican ticket looks to be in much stronger shape to continue the Republican off-cycle wave in Virginia.
