在提前投票的第一天前夕，州长候选人特里·麦考利夫和格伦·扬金在将军的第一场辩论中展开了对抗选举竞选中，提出了如何在未来四年领导弗吉尼亚的截然不同的愿景。
民主党人麦考利夫曾在2014年至2018年间担任联邦最高行政长官，他在辩论中一直吹捧自己过去的记录，在闭幕词中辩称，弗吉尼亚州需要一个“以前做过这项工作的人来带领我们度过”这场大流行，为他的20项政策计划打广告。但前私募股权高管、共和党人扬金(Youngkin)一再瞄准同样的记录，敦促选民“拥抱新的人”参与政治，而不是“一个疲惫的政治家的旧的循环政策。”
在长达一小时的活动中，被提名者多次发生冲突，争论不休冠状病毒肺炎疫苗授权、经济政策和堕胎权利。但在一个关键问题上，即如果他们输了，即使是险胜，他们是否会接受选举结果的问题上，他们意见一致。
“当然，”两位候选人都保证，每个人都相信自己会名列前茅。
当被问及是否同意前总统唐纳德·特朗普毫无根据的指控，即民主党人可能试图在这场竞选中作弊时，特朗普支持的扬金说:“不...我认为我们会有一个干净、公平的选举。”
辩论在弗吉尼亚州格伦迪的阿巴拉契亚法学院举行。这个大约有1000名居民的小镇位于西南部布坎南县的中部，该县与西弗吉尼亚州和肯塔基州接壤。该地区是共和党的大本营，但定于9月28日在亚历山大举行的下一场也是最后一场辩论将在选票丰富且可靠的蓝色北弗吉尼亚州举行。由于两位候选人只同意进行两场辩论，弗吉尼亚州选民根本不会在选举前一个月看到他们对峙。过去15年来一直赞助州长和参议院辩论的弗吉尼亚州退休人员协会(AARP)在扬金拒绝参加辩论后，取消了10月12日在该州首府举行的辩论。
抗击冠状病毒，从大流行中恢复
每个候选人都主张弗吉尼亚人应该接种冠状病毒疫苗，但尽管麦考利夫支持授权，扬金强调个人责任。
“我一直是一个强烈的、强有力的倡导者，支持每个人都接种疫苗。我确实认为应该允许个人自己做出决定，”扬金说。“我认为我们现在需要做的是确保弗吉尼亚州的每个人都明白，获得疫苗是我们能做的最重要的事情。”
这位共和党人对麦考利夫关于他是“反vax”的描述提出质疑，他还说，他不认为乔·拜登总统有权要求拥有100名或以上员工的公司强制接种疫苗，就像他对一名新的联邦规则上周。
麦考利夫确实特别强调了拜登的政策，他明确表示，在这个问题上，当谈到他和他的对手时，“我支持要求...接种疫苗，他没有。”
“我呼吁雇主强制要求他们的员工。我呼吁所有在医院工作的人接种疫苗，呼吁所有在长期护理机构或疗养院工作的人接种疫苗。每个在K-12学校工作的人，每个上过高等教育的人，”麦考利夫说。“从第一天起，我就对此非常坚决。”
当被问及他是否会让弗吉尼亚州要求符合条件的学龄儿童(目前是12岁以上的儿童)接种疫苗时，麦考利夫说，“当然——你打赌我会的。我希望每个人都接种疫苗。”
有机会问杨金一个问题，麦考利夫再次关注这个问题，询问他的对手是否赞成要求一名护理免疫缺陷癌症患者的护士接种疫苗。杨金没有改变立场，他说“护士应该充分理解接种疫苗是保护她和她周围人健康的最好方法。”
两位候选人都曾是商人，但他们就从大流行中恢复、重建和创造就业的计划进行了辩论。
“作为州长，我要做的是像以前一样建设一个繁荣的经济。(我)创造了大量的收入，我留下了大量的盈余，”麦考利夫说，他也提到了《华盛顿邮报》编辑的这表示扬金的经济计划“会让我们的经济陷入困境。”
这位前州长援引“独立报道”称，杨金的计划将削减100亿美元的教育经费，导致教师减少4.3万人，并从联邦执法预算中削减5000万美元。扬金站在他旁边的讲台上，当他摇摇头时，可以听到他在说:“不是真的”。
“上帝让我长了一个大鼻子，但是特里·麦考利夫已经收集了这么多匹诺曹，恐怕你在这栋楼里放不下。他刚才说的一切都是绝对错误的。他声称写的研究甚至不在我的计划中，如果你读过我的计划，特里，你会知道的，”扬金说。“顺便问一下，如果特里·麦考利夫是你的下一任州长...把你的支票簿拿出来，因为他要为你加税。事实上，我的计划承认，在他的领导下，我们的经济停滞不前。”
流产
在最高法院拒绝阻止本月早些时候德克萨斯州最严格的堕胎法的刺激下，堕胎被冲到最前面周四，这是当晚最有争议的时刻之一。得克萨斯州的法律有一个独特的——也是有争议的——公民强制方法，基本上禁止在检测到胎儿心跳后堕胎，通常是在怀孕六周左右，只有在母亲生命受到威胁时才例外。
扬金被问及，如果州立法机构通过，他是否会颁布一项法律，禁止在检测到胎儿心跳后堕胎，但强奸、乱伦和母亲生命受到威胁的情况除外。尽管主持人施压，这位共和党提名人不愿直接回答，但表示他“支持生命”，支持上述所有三个例外，并认为“痛苦门槛法案立法将是合适的。”据了解，这是受精后20周，但古特马赫研究所追踪生殖健康立法的称之为“毫无根据的断言”。
杨金把麦考利夫塑造成“当今美国最极端的支持堕胎的候选人”，但麦考利夫却把自己塑造成保护女性生殖健康选择权的“砖墙”。
“我会对今晚观看的每一个女人再说一遍。我会保护你的权利，我相信一个女人应该对自己的生育权做出决定，我会支持这些，”麦考利夫说。“我今天对特朗普最高法院发生的事情感到恐惧。我今天害怕他们会撤回罗伊诉韦德案，所以...我唯一希望看到的是将罗伊诉韦德案写入弗吉尼亚宪法。”
麦考利夫说，他支持“我们今天记录在案的法律”，该法律只允许妇女在妊娠中期后，在三名医生一致认为该妇女的生命或健康受到严重威胁的特定情况下接受堕胎。然而，他被问及一项具体的拟议法案，该法案将减少到只有一名医生的意见。麦考利夫说，在该州的农村地区，往往没有三名医生。
“这确实使农村社区的妇女处于真正的劣势。因此，如果他们想出了一个解决方案——一个女人的生命有危险，必须得到认证——如果你有一个合法的医生说这个女人，她的生命有危险，我当然会支持这一点，”他说。“我会尽我所能。”
McAuliffe, Youngkin spar over vision for commonwealth in 1st Va. gubernatorial debate
On the eve of the first day of early voting, gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin faced off in the first debate of the generalelectioncampaign, presenting contrasting visions for how to lead Virginia over the next four years.
Democrat McAuliffe, who served as the commonwealth's top executive between 2014 and 2018, touted his past record throughout the debate, arguing in his closing statement that Virginia needs someone "who's done this job before to lead us through" the pandemic, plugging his 20 policy plans. But Republican Youngkin, a former private equity executive, repeatedly took aim at that same record, urging voters to "embrace someone new" to politics over the "old, recycled policies from a tired politician."
During the hour-long event, the nominees repeatedly clashed, sparring overCOVIDvaccine mandates, economic policy and abortion rights. But on one critical issue -- the question of whether they would accept the results of the election if they lost, even narrowly -- they were in agreement.
"Absolutely," both candidates pledged, each confident they would come out on top.
Also asked if he agreed with former President Donald Trump's baseless allegations that Democrats may try to cheat in this contest, Youngkin, whom Trump endorsed, said, "No ... I think we're gonna have a clean, fair election."
The debate was held at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia. The tiny town of about 1,000 residents sits in the middle of the southwestern Buchanan County, which borders both West Virginia and Kentucky. The region is a Republican stronghold, but the next and final debate, scheduled for Sept. 28 in Alexandria, will take place in vote-rich and reliably blue Northern Virginia. With only two debates agreed to by both candidates, Virginia voters won't see them face off at all the month before the election. The AARP of Virginia, which has sponsored gubernatorial and Senate debates for the last 15 years, canceled its Oct. 12 debate in the state capital after Youngkin declined to participate.
Fighting the coronavirus, recovering from the pandemic
Each candidate advocated that Virginians should get vaccinated against the coronavirus, but while McAuliffe favors mandates, Youngkin stressed personal responsibility.
"I have been a strong, strong advocate for everyone to get the vaccine. I do believe that individuals should be allowed to make that decision on their own," Youngkin said. "I think what we need to do right now is make sure that everyone in Virginia understands that getting the vaccine is the most important thing we can do."
The Republican, who disputed McAuliffe's characterization that he is "anti-vax," also said he does not believe President Joe Biden has the authority to require companies with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccinations, as he did with anew federal rulelast week.
McAuliffe, who did specifically weigh in on Biden's policy, made clear that when it comes to him and his opponent on this issue, "I am for requiring ... vaccinations, he's not."
"I've called for employers to mandate their employees. I've called for everyone who works in a hospital to be vaccinated, call for every individual who works in a long-term care facility or a nursing home. Everybody who works in K-12, everybody who attends higher ed," McAuliffe said. "I have been very strongly on this from day one."
Pressed on whether he would have Virginia require eligible school children, currently those over the age of 12 get vaccinated, McAuliffe said, "Absolutely -- you bet I would. I want everybody vaccinated."
Given the opportunity to ask Youngkin a question, McAuliffe again focused on this issue, asking if his opponent would favor requiring a nurse working with immunocompromised cancer patients be vaccinated. Youngkin didn't sway from his position, saying the "nurse should fully understand that getting the vaccination is the best way to protect her health and those around her."
Both candidates are former businessmen, but they argued over their plans to recovery from the pandemic, to rebuild and create jobs.
"What I'll do as governor is build a booming economy as I did before. (I) created a large amount of revenue, I left with a big surplus," McAuliffe said, also referencing a Washington Posteditorialthat said Youngkin's economic plan "would run our economy into the ditch."
The former governor claimed, citing "independent reports," that Youngkin's plan would cut $10 billion from education funds, leading to 43,000 less teachers and cutting $50 million from the commonwealth's law enforcement budget. Youngkin, standing at the podium next to him, could be heard saying, "Not true," while he shook his head.
"God made me with a big nose, but Terry McAuliffe has racked up so many Pinocchios I'm afraid you can't fit in the building. Everything he's just said is categorically false. The studies he's claiming that had been written weren't even on my plan and if you've read my plan, Terry, you would know that," Youngkin said. "By the way, if Terry McAuliffe is your next governor ... get your checkbook out, because he's gonna have to raise taxes for you. My plan, in fact, recognizes that our economy stalled under his leadership."
Abortion
Spurred by the Supreme Court declining to block the most restrictive abortion law in Texas earlier this month, abortion wasthrust into the forefrontof the Virginia gubernatorial campaign, and on Thursday, it was one of the most contentious moments of the night. The Texas law has a unique -- and controversial -- citizen-enforcement method, essentially outlawing abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy, only giving exceptions to when the life of the mother is endangered.
Youngkin was asked whether he would enact a law, if passed by the state legislature, that banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat was detected, excluding in cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is endangered. Despite the moderator pressing, the Republican nominee would not directly answer, but said he is "pro-life," supports all three of the aforementioned exceptions and believes a "pain-threshold bill legislation would be appropriate." That is understood to be 20 weeks post-fertilization, but theGuttmacher Institute, which tracks reproductive health legislation, calls that an "unfounded assertion."
Youngkin cast McAuliffe as "the most extreme pro-abortion candidate in America today," but McAuliffe cast himself as a "brick wall" to protecting choice in women's reproductive health.
"I'll say this again to every woman watching tonight. I will protect your rights, I believe a woman ought to make a decision about her own reproductive rights, and I will support those," McAuliffe said. "I am terrified today about what's happened with the Trump Supreme Court. I am terrified today that they will rollback Roe v. Wade, so ... the only thing I would like to see is enshrining Roe v. Wade in the Virginia constitution."
McAuliffe said he supports "the laws that we have on the books today," which only allows a woman to receive an abortion after the second trimester in select circumstances when three doctors agree the woman's life or health is significantly endangered. However, he was asked about a specific proposed bill that would reduce that to just one doctor's opinion. McAuliffe said in rural areas of the state, there often aren't three doctors.
"That really puts women in rural communities at a real disadvantage. So if they came up with a solution -- and a woman's life has to be in danger, has to be certified -- and if you have a legitimate doctor that says this woman, her life is in danger, of course I would support that," he said. "I'll do anything I can."
