RICHMOND – With less than two months before Election Day, Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe are gearing up for their first major debate in Grundy.
Youngkin spoke at a law enforcement conference in Roanoke Tuesday and said one of the first things he would do if elected governor is fire members of the Virginia Parole Board. He has said previously that he intends to do away with the sales tax on food.
McAuliffe released a plan Tuesday that he calls “Virginia is for Vaccine Lovers.” The plan is framed by harsh criticism of his claim that Youngkin opposes any vaccine or mask mandates. The former governor proposes using federal relief money to target areas with low vaccination rates.
A few hours after McAuliffe released details of his plan, Youngkin responded on Twitter, inviting McAuliffe to join him in recording a public service announcement encouraging vaccination.
With the delta variant sending cases soaring in Virginia to levels not seen since the first weeks of the year, primarily among the unvaccinated, the state has been scrambling to get more people to take the shots. About 65 percent of Virginians have received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Thursday’s debate will be held at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy.
