McAuliffe left office in 2018, as Virginia does not allow governors to serve consecutive terms. But he has maintained a high profile since. Should he enter the race, political scientist Stephen Farnsworth at the University of Mary Washington says McAuliffe would be “the odds-on favorite to win the nomination.”
“He’s well known in the state, he’s able to raise a huge amount of money, and—for the Democratic primary voters, who would prefer someone else—they will be going in very different directions in this wide field,” Farnsworth said.
