7/27/2019 MEMO: Cuccinelli Stuck in Impossible Position Headed Into Final Debate

1/2

MEMORANDUM

TO: Interested PartiesFROM: Danny Kanner, DGA Communications DirectorDATE: October 23, 2013Re: Cuccinelli Stuck In Impossible Position Headed Into Final DebateHeading into Thursday nights final debate of the Virginia governors race, Ken Cuccinelli

finds himself in an impossible position: consistently down in the polls, increasingly

desperate, and inextricably linked to a wildly unpopular Tea Party brand. With less than

two weeks to go until Election Day, even a monumental event makes it unlikely that he

can reverse his fortunes.On the eve of tomorrows debate, Cuccinelli faces a trio of insurmountable challenges:I. Time Is Running OutLess than two weeks remain until Election Day and the fundamentals of this race lean

dramatically toward Terry McAuliffe. According to the Real Clear Politics polling average,

McAuliffe leads by a substantial 7.4 points. With early voting underway, Public Policy

Polling finds that McAuliffe is winning among those who have already voted to the tune

of57 percent to 39 percent, the very same 18-point margin by which Governor

McDonnell was leading the early vote at this point four years ago. And Cuccinellisrunning out of resources CNN reported this weekend that the cash-strapped

Cuccinelli is not even airing television ads in the crucial northern Virginia media

market. This comes as national Republicans seem to be shifting their attention

toward electing down-ballot candidates in the Commonwealth.II. At This Stage, Kitchen Sink Attacks Reflect His DesperationSince cratering in the polls, Cuccinelli has proven willing to launch any number of false

negative attacks against his opponent. Unlike a winning campaign, Cuccinelli has lurched

from one absurd message to another in the races final weeks. On everything from his

job creation plan to his business record, Cuccinelli has thrown the kitchen sink at

McAuliffe. But hes only fallen further behind in the polls as a result. Undoubtedly,

Cuccinelli will come to Thursdays debate armed with a slew of false attacks. But

Cuccinelli is simply not a credible messenger at this point in the race because of his high

negatives. In fact, a majority of voters now view him unfavorably. Down in the polls and

with so little time left to change the trajectory of the race, Cuccinellis attacks will

appear to be exactly what they are: the last gasp of a desperate and flailing candidate.

http://realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2013/governor/va/virginia_governor_cuccinelli_vs_mcauliffe-3033.htmlhttp://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/poll-terry-mcauliffe-virginia-98675.html?hp=r9http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/19/politics/hillary-clinton-mcauliffe-virginia/http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/republicans-move-cash-down-ballot-to-deny-dems-the-virginia-sweep-20131021http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/17/21012601-poll-amid-shutdown-republican-falls-further-behind-in-race-for-va-governorhttp://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/17/21012601-poll-amid-shutdown-republican-falls-further-behind-in-race-for-va-governorhttp://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/republicans-move-cash-down-ballot-to-deny-dems-the-virginia-sweep-20131021http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/19/politics/hillary-clinton-mcauliffe-virginia/http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/poll-terry-mcauliffe-virginia-98675.html?hp=r9http://realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2013/governor/va/virginia_governor_cuccinelli_vs_mcauliffe-3033.html

7/27/2019 MEMO: Cuccinelli Stuck in Impossible Position Headed Into Final Debate

2/2

III. Coming Home To His Radical, Unpopular Tea Party BaseRather than relentlessly focusing on a mainstream message of jobs and economic

development as Governor McDonnell did four years ago, Ken Cuccinelli has run home to

his radical Tea Party base in the closing days of this campaign. He appeared at the sameevent as shutdown architect Ted Cruz. Rick Santorum is rallying his troops for him. He

campaigned with Mike Huckabee. And hes planning a rally with Rand Paul.

Unfortunately for Cuccinelli, a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that only 21

percent of Americans view the Tea Party for which Cuccinelli is a hero in a favorable

light. Instead of appealing to Virginians across the political spectrum, Cuccinelli has

decided to narrow his focus to voters on the right fringe of the Republican Party a

strategy that is sure to result in defeat.

Simply put, Ken Cuccinelli needs more than a home run in the final debate to eke out a

victory in this race he needs a miracle. Throughout this campaign, Virginians have

shown that they want a governor like Terry McAuliffe who will focus on mainstream

solutions to the Commonwealths economic challenges. No kitchen sink of false,

negative attacks will change that on Thursday night.

###

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-07/cruz-virginia-trip-raises-cuccinelli-risk-in-governor-bid.htmlhttp://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/rick-santorum-ken-cuccinelli-virginia-98663.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/huckabee-tries-to-fire-up-base-for-cuccinelli/2013/10/19/a7a60f16-3928-11e3-8a0e-4e2cf80831fc_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/huckabee-tries-to-fire-up-base-for-cuccinelli/2013/10/19/a7a60f16-3928-11e3-8a0e-4e2cf80831fc_story.htmlhttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3081756/postshttp://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-nbc-wsj-poll-republican-shutdown-20131011,0,1301070.story#axzz2iTQC7rIthttp://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-nbc-wsj-poll-republican-shutdown-20131011,0,1301070.story#axzz2iTQC7rIthttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3081756/postshttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/huckabee-tries-to-fire-up-base-for-cuccinelli/2013/10/19/a7a60f16-3928-11e3-8a0e-4e2cf80831fc_story.htmlhttp://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/rick-santorum-ken-cuccinelli-virginia-98663.htmlhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-07/cruz-virginia-trip-raises-cuccinelli-risk-in-governor-bid.html