Democrat Terry McAuliffe's Virginia campaign accidentally emails Fox News to 'kill' story on hiring an election lawyer

• An email snafu from Terry McAuliffe's gubernatorial campaign gifted Fox News an easy story.

• "Can we kill this?" a campaign aide wrote in an email accidentally including a Fox reporter.

• The reporter was requesting comment on the campaign hiring an election lawyer.

• KAMALAWKWARD: Once again a video of Harris that will give your CRINGE reflex nightmares

The hotly contested Virginia governor's race has gotten close to wall-to-wall coverage on Fox News over the past month, but an error over email gave the network a different story than what the news team was tracking down in the first place.

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Democrat Terry McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor, is running against Republican challenger Glenn Youngkin as Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam - best known for his 2019 blackface scandal - is set to leave office, since Virginia does not allow its governors to serve consecutive terms.

See Also: CNN's Don Lemon asks if Democrats are 'blowing it,' says party infighting could hurt upcoming elections

Tyler O'Neil, an editor at Fox News, sent the McAuliffe campaign a standard request for comment over email on Thursday.

See Also: "I don't think Glenn Youngkin believes any of this but it shows where the party is," says Republican strategist Stuart Stevens, as the school cultural wars take center stage in Virginia's tight gubernatorial race.

The McAuliffe campaign had recently hired Marc Elias, a go-to Democratic attorney with experience in election law and contested ballot counts. O'Neil reached out to ask if Elias was hired for a potential court challenge in the election, given that Youngkin has partially embraced some of former President Donald Trump's disproven election fraud lies and may challenge the results.

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In response, a McAuliffe campaign staffer mistakenly included the Fox editor on a reply email asking "Can we kill this?"

See Also:  'It's clear the campaign believes they landed on a message they think is working.' CNN's Eva McKend reports on why an award-winning novel about slavery is now an issue in the Virginia governor's race

It did not take long for O'Neil to write up a standalone story on the email snafu for the Fox News website.

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McAuliffe's campaign did not give any other response on the record, according to Fox.

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The McAuliffe staffer who sent the email did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

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During the 2020 presidential race, the Biden campaign hired election lawyers in preparation for the Trump team challenging the results of the election in several states. Elias represented Democrats in Texas that year.

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Despite the Trump campaign's repeated allegations of fraud and "irregularities," and after more than 40 court challenges, the former president's lawyers have been unable to win a single case.

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Read the original article on Business Insider

Poll: Youngkin, McAuliffe deadlocked in Virginia governor's race

Virginia gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin remain deadlocked as they enter the final weekend before Election Day, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll released Friday.

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McAuliffe, the Democratic former governor who is seeking a return to the commonwealth's top job, leads the Republican Youngkin 49 percent to 48 percent among likely voters polled, well within the survey's margin of error of plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.

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The results were similar among a broader swath of registered voters surveyed, with McAuliffe ahead 47-44, also within the margin of error. The poll surveyed 1,107 registered voters between Oct. 20-26, 918 of whom were deemed to be likely voters.

See Also: CNN's Don Lemon asks if Democrats are 'blowing it,' says party infighting could hurt upcoming elections

McAuliffe led Youngkin by three percentage points in the previous Washington Post-Schar School poll conducted mid-September.

See Also: "I don't think Glenn Youngkin believes any of this but it shows where the party is," says Republican strategist Stuart Stevens, as the school cultural wars take center stage in Virginia's tight gubernatorial race.

Friday's survey is the latest polling to indicate an extremely competitive contest between the two candidates in Virginia's closely watched off-year election.

See Also:  Sam Stein warns Democrats aren't engaged in Virginia gubernatorial race: 'A real indicator of trouble'

McAuliffe held a polling advantage over his GOP competitor throughout much of the campaign, though the gap has narrowed as Youngkin has capitalized on hot button issues including education that has energized the Republican base and swing voters.

See Also:  'It's clear the campaign believes they landed on a message they think is working.' CNN's Eva McKend reports on why an award-winning novel about slavery is now an issue in the Virginia governor's race

Youngkin holds an 18-point advantage over McAuliffe among self-identified independents in the likely voter model, up from eight in the September poll. That coincides with an uptick in the portion of respondents who said that education is their top item in making their pick for governor

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Other polling has even pointed to Youngkin overtaking the former governor ahead of next week's election. A poll released Thursday by Fox News showed Youngkin leading by eight percentage points, 53 percent to McAuliffe's 45 percent, among likely voters in Vriginia. Youngkin also led McAuliffe by one point among registered voters, according to the same poll.

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President Joe Biden won Virginia by 10 percentage points over Donald Trump in last year's general election. But the president's approval rating is now below 50 percent in the commonwealth, an apparent headwind for McAuliffe's comeback effort. Though Virginia has long been viewed as a purple state, Democrats have had a strong run in recent years, and Republicans have not won statewide since 2009.

'How the country is going to move': Harris bids to nationalize governor's race at McAuliffe rally

Vice President Kamala Harris rallied for Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe at a campaign event Friday evening, seeking to nationalize the competitive governor's race ahead of Tuesday's election.

"Each one of you in your possession has the ability to determine, yes, who will be the next governor, but also by extension, given the importance of this Virginia election, how the country is going to move," Harris said.

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"There is so much power in the hands of the people, including not only determining the outcome of this very, very important election but making a statement about who we are as a nation," Harris said from a podium at a get-out-the-vote event for McAuliffe in Norfolk, Va.

McAuliffe, the former governor of Virginia, is up against Republican challenger Glenn Youngkin. Recent polling shows the two candidates deadlocked among registered voters.

Harris underscored Virginia's role in setting the tone for what could unfold politically across the rest of the country over the next few years. Biden and Democrats have recently embraced the notion that what happens in Virginia could offer a glimpse into major 2022 congressional races.

She repeatedly touted the importance of strengthening and maintaining the country's democracy, specifically by showing up to vote and reminding people that "elections matter."

"The American people will always stand for the pillars of our democracy," Harris said. "And we know as imperfect as we are, as flawed as we may be, one of the strengths of who we are as a nation is we always fight for our ideals."

Unlike President Joe Biden in his speech while campaigning for McAuliffe on Tuesday, Harris steered clear of jabs at Youngkin.

At one point in her speech, Harris repeatedly stressed the importance of a governor's role and the sway they can have over people's lives including on health care coverage, access to child care and LGBTQ rights — while repeating the phrase "who is governor matters."

"Electing Terry McAuliffe will matter," she said.