Virginia Dems debate police reform, underdogs go after McAuliffe

(The Center Square) – Virginia’s Democratic candidates for governor debated police reform and the race’s underdogs took shots and frontrunner, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, in the final Democratic debate before the primary.

McAuliffe, who is far ahead in the polls, campaigned on his record as governor from 2014 until 2018. During his tenure, he said he created a surplus from an inherited deficit, created a record 200,000 jobs, oversaw an increase in personal income and fought for Medicaid expansion. The former governor said electing him would help the commonwealth be the best economy in the country.

Some of his opponents, however, used his record against him. Former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, from Woodbridge, said the state needs an inspiring leader to galvanize the party’s base, rather than out-of-touch politicians like McAuliffe and Republican candidate for governor, businessman Glenn Youngkin.

“[McAuliffe] had his chance and he failed the people of Virginia, so why does he deserve a second chance?” Carrol Foy said. She argued politicians of the past failed the Virginia people, but that she fought to pass the Equal Rights Amendment and ban chokeholds by police as a lawmaker.

During the debate, McAuliffe sought to align Youngkin with former President Donald Trump, saying the Republican nominee is an extreme right-wing loyalist who wants to ban abortion and put more guns on the street. The former governor said he worked with reasonable Republicans as governor to push bipartisan reforms, but said Youngkin is not a reasonable Republican.

Del. Lee Carter, from Richmond, accused McAuliffe of focusing too much on Trump and Youngkin rather than explaining his plan for the state. He said the Democratic nominee cannot just be someone opposed to the other side.

“The debate we’re supposed to be having on this stage is a debate about the future of this commonwealth,” Carter said. “It’s about what we stand for and what we’re going to fight for.”

Carter separated himself from other candidates by saying he refused to take any money from special interest groups, supports universal community college and a universal healthcare system.

McAuliffe countered that accusation, saying he has more policy proposals than anyone on stage listed on his website and has a way to pay for it. He said he has 14 specific proposals with more than 130 pages that Virginians can read.

The other two candidates, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and State Sen. Jennifer McClellan, focused on their record for why they should get the nomination.

Fairfax said the commonwealth must remake its education system and its economy, ensure the criminal justice system is fair and rebuild a Virginia that everyone can be proud of.

“I am fighting to make sure no one is forgotten,” Fairfax said, “no one is left behind”

McLellan said the state is at a critical crossroads emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. She ran on her record as a lawmaker and said Virginians need someone to vote for and not run as someone who is just an alternative to the other candidate. She said the state must rebuild its economy and healthcare system and leave no Virginian behind.

Candidates also debated policing reform and the extent to which the state needs reform. The former governor took one of the more moderate approaches on the stage, arguing the state needs more transparency and higher funding for community policing and training to reduce the amount of police misconduct in the commonwealth. As governor, he said he restored felon rights, which got him sued by Republicans.

Carter, who is a self-proclaimed socialist, argued one of the state’s biggest problems is giving too much money to police and criticized McAuliffe for increasing the police budget as governor. He said the state needs to end qualified immunity and take the roles of traffic enforcement and health checks away from armed police officers.

Carrol Foy discussed her record as a lawmaker in which she fought to prohibit chokeholds and said she would also support ending qualified immunity for police and mandate civilian review boards and apply them to sheriffs’ offices.

McClellan, who was part of a subcommittee that passed policing reforms, said she would require transparent and independent investigations into police stops in which there may have been police misconduct. The senator also said she would support ending qualified immunity.

Fairfax said he would build on policing and criminal justice reform legislation recently passed by the General Assembly. He said he supports universal body cameras and laws that require those cameras to be turned on. He also supports bias training for every officer and a more diverse police and criminal justice system.

After the debate, Republican Nominee Glenn Youngkin said McAuliffe is struggling to earn the confidence of his party, noted by the attacks from others on the debate stage.

“I will be a new kind of leader, one who brings people together around our shared values to solve problems and get things done,” Youngkin said. “Another career politician isn’t going to get Virginia back on the right track. That’s why I stepped away from my 30-year business career to serve the people of Virginia. I want to bring our Commonwealth together like never before so every person who calls Virginia home can achieve a brighter future.”

The Democratic primary will be June 8 and the general election Nov. 2.

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