This somewhat offhand comment is being blown out of proportion by the press to suggest that McAuliffe’s tossing his entire campaign strategy out the window in the final hours. He isn’t. He’s still laser-focused on Trump, knowing that scaring Democrats about Glenn Youngkin may be the only way he can get them off the couch and to the polls.

What’s interesting to me is that it was CNN that dinged him for it, not Fox News. The media is liberal but they can smell the panic from McAuliffe’s campaign lately and can’t resist a storyline that communicates his desperation.

In fact, they even ran a snarky chyron on the air about his comment, the first time I’ve ever seen them do that to a Democrat:

In their defense, it is newsworthy to have McAuliffe say the words “this is not about Trump” in any context after he spent every waking moment of the past six weeks saying the opposite:

McAuliffe said he was “a little” surprised Youngkin wasn’t attending the [Trump tele-rally tonight] — but added that the former President, who lost the commonwealth by 10 percentage points in 2020, is clearly “in the race” because he has repeatedly endorsed Youngkin.

“It is just killing Trump that he is not here, obviously,” McAuliffe said. “I think Trump is trying to play whichever happens, Trump is always going to claim credit for himself no matter whatever happens. Trump is very unpopular in this state. Everyone knows that. That is probably why Youngkin doesn’t want him.”

McAuliffe continued: “I’d love to have him come in. But you know… this is not about Trump.”

Was that a case of McAuliffe pivoting at the last second to a more local, less national view of the race? For months it’s been Youngkin who’s concentrated on local issues like schools while McAuliffe has strained to turn the race into a referendum on Trumpism. That strategy led to the Democrat’s lead in the polls collapsing over the last three weeks, making the Republican a slight favorite on Election Day in a state that broke for Biden by 10 points a year ago. Time for McAuliffe to go local?

Nah. It’s too late. Besides, what local message? McAuliffe has responded repeatedly to Youngkin’s attacks on him over school policy. The numbers lately show how well his “parents, get out of the way” message is working for him.

Anyway, notwithstanding what he said to CNN over the weekend about how the race isn’t about Trump, he’s sticking with his message that it’s totally about Trump to the bitter end:

.@TerryMcAuliffe and @GlennYoungkin in Northern Virginia tonight w/ contrasting closing messages

In Fairfax, McAuliffe will deliver remarks “denouncing” former President Trump’s tele-rally for Youngkin

In Loudoun County, Youngkin will hold a “Parents Matter Rally” #VAGOV

— Julia Manchester (@JuliaManch) November 1, 2021

McAuliffe calculated that his anti-Trump pitch would appeal to two key Democratic blocs, white suburbanites and black voters. Increasingly that looks like a misfire on both counts. Youngkin’s Romney-ish image has made the Democrats’ comparisons to Trump hard for voters to swallow:

“To me, he’s like a pretty face on Trump—a person who is all of the good things and not the bad,” said Ms. Hampton, 62. She voted twice for former President Barack Obama before backing Mr. Trump, drawn by his policies more than his personality…

Mr. Leachman, 48, said he liked Mr. Youngkin’s demeanor and business background. “I think he’s calm and cool and collected—not a polished politician but a polished human being. I’d trust him to coach my kid’s basketball team,” said Mr. Leachman, who works in sales for a moving and storage company.

Another Virginia voter who supported Clinton and Biden over Trump told the Times, “My problem with Trump was I thought he was embarrassing. I just don’t think Youngkin is going to embarrass me or the state.”

The more wobbly McAuliffe’s support among suburbanites is, the more heavily he’ll have to lean on black voters to make up the difference. That’s why every prominent African-American Democrat in U.S. politics has been by Virginia in the past month to put in some face time for their nominee. But it’s not working, per this new Politico story. A variety of organizers and Dem operatives told the paper that they’re increasingly nervous about black turnout, especially turnout among black women. Some blame voter fatigue after the intensity of the last few election cycles, some say black voters are simply distracted by other priorities. (“People are still struggling with all kinds of things right now — burying family members because of Covid, getting back to work, getting back to school.”) The fact that McAuliffe beat several black candidates in the primary may have also led some African-Americans to tune out the general election. Whatever the explanation, one liberal strategist who was asked to describe his anxiety about black turnout on a scale of one to 10 put himself at 12.

I guess African-Americans need more in a candidate than McAuliffe jumping up and down, screaming, “What about Trump?!” at them.

And they’re not alone. Here’s Trafalgar’s final poll of the state, just out in the last few hours:

FINAL @trafalgar_group #VAGov race #Poll#Youngkin has 2.3% lead which could grow by capturing most late deciders.

49.4% @GlennYoungkin,
47.1% @TerryMcAuliffe,
1.9% Third Party/Write-In
1.6% Undecided,

Conducted 10/29-31 #vapol
See Report: https://t.co/gVUzUjdJRy pic.twitter.com/5v3O5Uf2RM

— Robert C. Cahaly (@RobertCahaly) November 1, 2021

Youngkin’s momentum in polling is undeniable but the media has also begun reporting anecdotal evidence of the enthusiasm gap around the state. “Mr. Youngkin, the Republican candidate, greeted crowds of more than 1,000, while Mr. McAuliffe, the Democrat, hustled through sparsely attended events from morning to night,” the Times observed yesterday. Even worse was this vignette from a rally in Chesapeake: “When Mr. McAuliffe went to speak, the crowd yelled ‘Terry, Terry, Terry’ only after a campaign staffer started the chant to ramp up the energy in the room.”

I suppose that’s evidence that McAuliffe’s all-Trump-all-the-time approach was the best play available to him even if it’s ultimately unsuccessful. If voters can’t get excited about you, their nominee, maybe they can get excited about beating the guy you’re running against. Joe Biden got elected president with that strategy. But then, Joe Biden got to run against the actual Donald Trump, not a preppie finance guy.

I’ll leave you with these two tweets as a reminder that you-know-who is still a factor in the race even before tonight’s tele-rally. Any other politician would keep a low profile on the eve of the election knowing that he’s a liability to Youngkin in a state as blue as Virginia. But Trump’s need for attention and insecurity about his own popularity means he has to insert himself. McAuliffe’s going to try to capitalize.

Trump, one day before the Virginia gubernatorial election, says of Youngkin: “we get along very well together and strongly believe in many of the same policies.” pic.twitter.com/c30UXL2hzG

— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) November 1, 2021

Today Trump said that he and Glenn "get along very well together and believe in many of the same policies." We have rejected the racism, the hate, the division, and the lies of Donald Trump twice. And tomorrow, we will do it again.

— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) November 1, 2021