Campaign 2013: Hillary Clinton Stumps for Terry McAuliffe

By Mary Ann Barton

With Election Day less than three weeks away, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton brought her star power to Virginia Saturday, endorsing family friend Terry McAuliffe for the Virginia governor’s office.

She was introduced by McAuliffe, 56, who told the crowd: "We must expand healthcare, we must invest in education, we must protect voting rights for all Virginians."

A poll out Friday by NBC4/NBC News/Marist shows McAuliffe leading in the Virginia gubernatorial race by eight points, 46 percent to 38 percent, against his Republican challenger Ken Cuccinelli, the commonwealth’s attorney general. When it comes to female voters in Virginia, McAuliffe’s lead widens by 20 points, leading 52 percent to Cuccinelli’s 32 percent.

Women’s issues were the main topic Saturday. McAullife said: "As governor, I would veto any legislation that restricts birth control." On McAuliffe’s campaign Web site, he states that “divisive efforts by politicians to interfere with decisions better made by women and their doctors are bad for Virginia families and bad for business. We can’t put up walls or send the signal that Virginia is moving backwards on important issues like women’s health.”

McAuliffe and Cuccinelli will meet for a final debate Thursday, October 24, at Virginia Tech University.

Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis, who was not invited to the debate, will also be on the ballot Nov. 5.

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