COVID Makes Virginia Gubernatorial Race Tough for Democrats

Democrats tend to worry more about the coronavirus than do Republicans

Terry McAuliffe, left, and Glenn Youngkin, candidates for governor in Virginia.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters; Craig Hudson | Bloomberg via Getty Images

Concerns around COVID hampered campaigning ahead of the election for Virginia governor for Democrats.

The pandemic quickened the transition to digital politicking, especially for Democrats, whose tend to be more concerned about the coronavirus than Republicans.

But party leaders say that taking safety steps meant the loss of old fashioned face-to-face conversations.

"There is increased hesitancy, but most of 2020, Democrats didn't knock doors at all," said Jaime Harrison, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told NBC News after he spoke to volunteers heading out to knock on doors in Arlington, Virginia. "And in the end, I think that hurt us because Republicans never stopped. And so we've learned that lesson."

Read more at NBCNews.com.

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