AOC: McAuliffe’s Failure in Virginia Shows the Limits of a “Super Moderated Campaign’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) offered brief insight on Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s loss in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, contending that the results show the “limits” of running a “super moderated campaign” and warning that Democrats should be worried about the midterms if “nothing changes.”

“Plus on the election front, I actually think we have good news as well. I know that Virginia was a huge bummer,” she said in an video posted to Instagram on Wednesday.

“And honestly, if anything, I think the results show the limits of trying to run a fully 100 percent super moderated campaign that does not excite, speak to, or energize a progressive base. And frankly, we weren’t even really invited to contribute on that race,” she added:

The left-wing New York lawmaker pointed to Democrat victories on the New York City Council, as well as in the Boston mayoral race. She also praised the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) victories in Florida, seemingly dismissing the undeniable red wave in key parts of the country.

“So this is what it’s about,” she said, explaining the theory of change is “mass mobilization.”

However, when asked if Democrats should be worried about the midterms after defeat in Virginia, Ocasio-Cortez said there is cause for concern.

“I think that we should be worried if nothing changes and if Democrats don’t learn lessons,” she said, adding that moderate Democrats must learn that there is “going to be charged discussions about race, so they need to know how to talk about it.”

Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia’s gubernatorial race after surging in the polls in the final stretch of the campaign, capitalizing on the Democrat’s position to essentially keep parents out of their children’s education. Education and Critical Race Theory (CRT), a Marxist ideology, stood as one of the major drivers of Virginia voters — a topic McAuliffe squarely dismissed, characterizing it as a “dog whistle.” Instead, he overtly suggested that parents should not have a say in what schools teach their children and even suggested that Virginia had too many white teachers in the days leading up to the race.