The Virginia Democratic Party is hitting Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli Wednesday with a wave of robo-calls highlighting Cuccinelli’s strongly conservative views on abortion.
In a recorded message targeting Republicans and independents statewide, state Democrats accuse Cuccinelli of putting an ideological culture war agenda ahead of job creation. A Democratic source shared the audio of the call with POLITICO.
“This week, at the Republican convention, Ken Cuccinelli is going to claim he’s focused on the economy. But here he is talking about his real priority,” begins the narrator, a woman identified as “Michelle.”
The call then cuts to a clip of Cuccinelli saying that his “ultimate goal” is “to make abortion disappear in America.”
That quote is snipped from a 2012 interview Cuccinelli gave to the outlet Pro-Life News.
“We aren’t changing our principles for anybody,” the clip of Cuccinelli continues.
The narrator comes back in to finish the message: “Ken Cuccinelli says he’s focused on the economy, but his real priority is pursuing an ideological tea party agenda that bans abortion, even in cases of rape and incest.”
The move to target Cuccinelli’s views on abortion comes a few days before the state attorney general addresses the Virginia GOP convention this weekend, and as Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe works to peel away moderate-leaning voters from the Republican coalition.
A Cuccinelli aide said Democrats are trying to change the subject from McAuliffe’s lackluster record.
“Ken Cuccinelli has been all around the state visiting small businesses and talking about the issues that are top of mind for Virginians: the economy, jobs and empowering middle class families,” said Anna Nix, a spokeswoman for the Republican. “The only candidate focused on social issues, as a diversion from his recent business failures, is Terry McAuliffe.”
Early polls show a close race, with an edge for Cuccinelli among those likeliest to vote. A Washington Post poll this month showed Cuccinelli leading McAuliffe by 5 points among registered voters and 10 points among likely voters.
In an NBC News/Marist College survey, McAuliffe led Cuccinelli by 2 points among registered voters, but trailed by 3 points among likely voters.
The conventional wisdom is that Cuccinelli will have an easier time turning out his party base in a low-turnout, off-year gubernatorial election. So McAuliffe will have to make inroads with centrist and center-right Virginians, or spur Democratic groups to vote at a higher-than-usual rate, in order to win.
Going after Cuccinelli’s abortion record is designed to help McAuliffe accomplish both those goals.
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