Obama warns of Republican threat to democracy

WASHINGTON: Former US president Barack Obama urged voters on Saturday to back the Democrat in a neck-and-neck state election touted as a test of the party's prospects in next year's midterm elections - casting the Republican as a threat to democracy.

Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who is vying for a second term as Virginia's governor, has seen his lead extinguished in recent polls and is in a dead heat with Republican Glenn Youngkin ahead of the November 2 vote.

Obama told a cheering crowd of several hundred rapt supporters at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond that Youngkin would cut teaching jobs, restrict abortion access and back Donald Trump's fraudulent campaign to convince Americans that the last election was stolen from him by President Joe Biden.

"As far as I can tell, the big message of Terry's opponent is that he's a regular guy because he wears a fleece. And he's accusing schools of brainwashing our kids," Obama said.

"He's also said he wanted to audit the voting machines used in the last presidential election again. Really? Encouraging the lies and conspiracy theories that we've had to live through all this time? And yeah, we're supposed to believe he's going to stand up for our democracy ?"

The McAuliffe camp fears turnout among supporters in an off-year election may be low and has brought in some of the party's heavy hitters in the final stretch, including First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden won Virginia by 10 points in 2020 and the last time Republicans won a statewide race there was 2009.

But the McAuliffe-Youngkin battle has been tightening, with a survey released this week by Monmouth University showing the Democrat's earlier lead evaporating.

A McAuliffe win would boost Washington Democrats' push for twin infrastructure and social welfare mega-bills that are the cornerstone of Biden's vision for remaking the economy.

But a loss could spook moderates already nervous over the high price tag, which they are trying to chisel down from a combined total of almost $5 trillion to around $3 trillion. (Agencies)

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