Debates and forums Cuccinelli challenged McAuliffe to a series of 15 debates around the state. McAuliffe refused, and called Cuccinelli's challenge "absurd" Cuccinelli responded, "McAuliffe's campaign might have dismissed the challenge, but it's clear that community leaders and Virginians share our desire to hold real debates across the Commonwealth." Both candidates agreed to participate in three debates: July 20, 2013, in
Hot Springs, sponsored by the
Virginia Bar Association; September 25, 2013, in
McLean, sponsored by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and broadcast by
NBC affiliates throughout Virginia; and a third debate on October 24, 2013, at
Virginia Tech. Cuccinelli declined to appear at the League of Women Voters/AARP debate, calling it a "left-wing, stacked debate". Cuccinelli accepted a debate invitation in
Danville for a date in September or October; McAuliffe did not respond. Sarvis was not invited to the debates or forums; some newspapers, including the
Richmond Times Dispatch,
The Roanoke Times, and
The Daily Progress, called for his inclusion. Barton Hinkle of the
Richmond Times Dispatch called the current debate process "stacked" suggesting that debate organizers are activists trying to influence the outcome of the election for their own ideological purposes. Sarvis said he would "debate anybody anywhere under any conditions." McAuliffe and his campaign repeatedly declined to give a cost for his spending priorities, stating he would pay for them through unspecified government efficiency improvements, the Medicaid expansion, and federal money from
Obamacare. McAuliffe said tax increases would not be on the table to pay for policy proposals. Cuccinelli's 2013 campaign conducted an analysis that found McAuliffe's spending plan would cost at least $14 billion – including $12 billion in new spending – over a four-year term and would translate into a $1,700 tax hike on the average Virginia family. McAuliffe's campaign accused Cuccinelli's campaign of "fabricat[ing]" the numbers.
Virginia Bar Association debate Cuccinelli and McAuliffe met in their first debate on Saturday, July 20, 2013, at
the Omni Homestead Resort in
Hot Springs, Virginia, for the
Virginia Bar Association-sponsored debate. Both major party candidates attacked their opponent's record, and they debated one another on issues including transportation, federal healthcare, abortion, Virginia Governor
Bob McDonnell, same-sex marriage, and other topics. PBS'
Judy Woodruff moderated the debate. Libertarian Sarvis was not invited to join the debate, but he attended the event to greet voters.
Virginia Farm Bureau forum Cuccinelli and McAuliffe discussed their plans for Virginia's largest industry, agriculture and forest products, on Friday, August 2, 2013, at
Wytheville Community College in
Wytheville, Virginia. The candidates also discussed topics including transportation and healthcare. The forum was hosted by the
Farm Bureau's Young Farmers Committee. Libertarian Sarvis was not invited.
Tidewater Community College forum Cuccinelli and McAuliffe appeared Tuesday, August 6, 2013, at the
Norfolk Waterside Marriott in
Norfolk, Virginia at an event hosted by
Tidewater Community College. Democrat McAuliffe argued that improving transportation would spur job creation, and he wanted to reform the
Standards of Learning and
Medicaid. Republican Cuccinelli focused on tax cuts as well as expanding opportunities for veterans and growing Virginia's ports. Libertarian Sarvis was not invited to the event, but a spokesman provided a statement about the libertarian candidate.
"Battleground Forum" Cuccinelli and McAuliffe took the stage again on August 9, 2013, at the
Hylton Performing Arts Center in
Manassas, Virginia, hosted by the chambers of commerce from Loudoun, Prince William, Reston and Fredericksburg. Both Cuccinelli and McAuliffe answered a series of questions from representatives from each of the chambers that hosted the forum, and both were called out by the event's moderator for dodging specific questions. The sharpest exchange was between McAuliffe and the forum moderator
Derek McGinty, an anchor on
WUSA. McAuliffe declined to take a position on the proposed Bi-County Parkway, a controversial project that would cut through
Manassas National Battlefield Park to connect
Prince William and
Loudoun counties. Libertarian Sarvis attended the event but was not included as a candidate, which led some political observers, such as the
Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity's project
watchdog.org, to say that the number one thing missing from the forum was the invitation to include Sarvis. Four days after moderating the Battleground Forum,
WUSA-TV news anchor
Derek McGinty said Sarvis should be part of the conversation.
Energy forum in Arlington The Consumer Energy Alliance, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, and the Virginia Manufacturers Association co-hosted a forum focused on energy with Cuccinelli and McAuliffe on August 29, 2013. Libertarian Sarvis was not invited to the forum. The event took place at the
George Mason University School of Law campus in
Arlington. Both Cuccinelli and McAuliffe launched broad attacks on one another. Cuccinelli pointed out McAuliffe's inconsistent stances on
coal and
offshore drilling (McAuliffe made anti-coal and anti-offshore drilling statements during his 2009 campaign but has attempted to take a more centrist position in 2013).
Fairfax County debate The
Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and
NBC4 hosted a debate between Cuccinelli and McAuliffe on September 25, 2013. NBC political journalist
Chuck Todd moderated. The debate was held at the Capital One Bank headquarters in
McLean, Virginia, and was aired live on NBC4 and NBC affiliates in Richmond, Charlottesville, Bristol and other Virginia cities. Throughout the debate, both McAuliffe and Cuccinelli attacked their opponent's records and views. McAuliffe focused on Medicaid expansion, failed to answer a question about the price tag of his education plan, and was exposed for not knowing that a state constitutional amendment is required to reverse the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Cuccinelli focused on his experience in office, defended his social views, and dodged a question about which loopholes he would close. After the debate, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce endorsed McAuliffe. A spokesman said the debate would exclude Sarvis for "no other reason other than our tradition to provide a forum for the two major-party candidates." Sarvis attended the debate and his campaign debuted a television ad, which aired in Northern Virginia. The Sarvis ad caused Peter Galuszka of
The Washington Post to say Sarvis "won" the debate. Five days after the debate moderator
Chuck Todd invited Sarvis onto his show,
The Daily Rundown, and asked Sarvis questions from the debate. • Complete video of debate, September 25, 2013 -
C-SPAN Virginia Tech debate Virginia Tech and
WDBJ sponsored a debate between McAuliffe and Cuccinelli on October 24, 2013. Prior to the debate, Cuccinelli agreed informally to participate, though his campaign asked questions about the rules, including to raise the threshold for a third-party candidate to participate, before formally agreeing. McAuliffe also agreed to the rules. Originally, the announced threshold for inclusion in the debate was ten percent in the polls. Later, it would be announced the threshold for inclusion in the debate was ten percent according to the
RealClearPolitics average by the October 10 invitation deadline. On October 10, Sarvis was polling at 9% in the RealClearPolitics average, and WDBJ announced that Sarvis would not be included at the debate. Sarvis responded that the debate rules were "designed to exclude." • Complete video of debate, October 24, 2013 -
C-SPAN Fundraising McAuliffe's funds include $5.7 million from the
Democratic Governors Association PAC; $950,000 from the Virginia
League of Conservation Voters; over $294,000 he donated to himself; $250,000 from
Baltimore Orioles owner
Peter Angelos; $120,000 from the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry; $100,005 from his father-in-law, Richard Swann; and $100,000 from Bill Clinton. Cuccinelli's funds include $3.97 million from the
Republican Governors Association PAC and $500,000 from the
Republican Party of Virginia McAuliffe has received 34 contributions of $100,000 or more; 33% of Cuccinelli's funds in the first quarter of 2013 came from donors outside Virginia. In the second quarter of 2013, McAuliffe raised $2.2 million, Cuccinelli raised $1.1 million, and Sarvis raised approximately $2,500. Terry McAuliffe's top five donors are from outside Virginia. Over that period, McAuliffe received 2,010 contributions of more than $100, and 5,476 contributions of $100 or less; while Cuccinelli received 3,193 contributions of more than $100, and 7,075 contributions of $100 or less. During the same period, McAuliffe's biggest donations included the DGA ($2.7 million); the Virginia
League of Conservation Voters ($900,000); the
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ($100,000);
Laborers' International Union of North America Education Fund ($100,000); and the
United Food and Commercial Workers Active Ballot Club Education Fund ($100,000). Cuccinelli's biggest donations included several energy companies and private individuals; his largest contribution over the period was $30,000. As of August 31, 2013, McAuliffe's campaign has $5,010,223 cash on hand, and Cuccinelli's campaign has $2,234,369 cash on hand.
Spending by outside groups Tom Steyer's PAC
NextGen Climate Action,
Michael Bloomberg's PAC Independence USA, the
National Education Association and the
Planned Parenthood Action Fund have purchased a combined total of over $4.3 million worth of airtime for television ads supporting McAuliffe or opposing Cuccinelli.
Americans for Prosperity,
Citizens United, the Virginia Principles Fund PAC,
NRA Political Victory Fund, the
Ending Spending Fund, and the Fight for Tomorrow PAC have purchased a combined total of just over $2 million worth of airtime for television ads supporting Cuccinelli or opposing McAuliffe. Purple PAC, a Libertarian-leaning super PAC, spent over $300,000 in television ads designed to boost the Sarvis campaign before election day.
Endorsements Predictions Polling Aggregate polls With Bolling With Cuccinelli Three-way race Results Polls indicated McAuliffe would win comfortably on Election Day. However, the race was much closer than expected. Cuccinelli led for a good portion of the evening. However,
Fairfax County, a suburb of Washington D.C., is heavily Democratic, and is often one of the last parts of the state to count their votes. With around 90% of the vote McAuliffe took the lead for the first time. McAuliffe's lead continued to grow as Fairfax County came in. With 96% of the vote counted, CNN called the race for McAuliffe. At 10:06 P.M. EST, Cuccinelli called McAuliffe to concede defeat.
Ralph Northam, also a Democrat, won the race for lieutenant governor, making the governor and the lieutenant governor both Democrats for the first time since 2006.
By county and city {{align|right|
Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican •
Alleghany (Largest city:
Clifton Forge) •
Bath (Largest city:
Hot Springs)
Counties and independent cities that flipped from Republican to Democratic •
Albemarle (largest municipality:
Scottsville) •
Brunswick (largest borough:
Lawrenceville) •
Caroline (largest borough:
Bowling Green) •
Chesapeake (independent city) •
Danville (independent city) •
Emporia (independent city) •
Fairfax (independent city) •
Fairfax (largest municipality:
Herndon) •
Harrisonburg (independent city) •
Henrico (largest borough:
Richmond) •
Hopewell (independent city) •
Loudoun (largest borough:
Leesburg) •
Manassas (independent city) •
Manassas Park (independent city) •
Montgomery (Largest city:
Blacksburg) •
Nelson (largest municipality:
Nellysford) •
Northampton (largest borough:
Exmore) •
Prince Edward (largest municipality:
Farmville) •
Prince William (largest borough:
Manassas) •
Radford (Independent city) •
Staunton (independent city) •
Suffolk (independent city) •
Sussex (largest borough:
Waverly)
By congressional district Despite losing the state, Cuccinelli won seven of 11 congressional districts, while McAuliffe won four, including one held by a Republican. ==Analysis==