In interviews with POLITICO, more than a dozen top Democrats involved in the Virginia campaign — from strategists on the ground to House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) — expressed concern that Black support for McAuliffe is weaker and less enthusiastic than it could be in a razor-thin race in a blue-trending state. Against that backdrop, McAuliffe and Black Democratic surrogates are racing across Virginia before Tuesday’s election to drive up Black turnout and support.

It appears Republicans are trying to take advantage. The anti-McAuliffe mailers — featuring an image of a Black man’s face, pushed into the pavement — are paid for by Our First Principles Fund, a nonprofit group whose only previous known spending came during the fight for the Virginia GOP’s gubernatorial nomination, when the group spent six figures attacking one of eventual nominee Glenn Youngkin’s primary opponents. The group — one of several on both sides trying to dampen base enthusiasm for the other party — did not respond to a request for comment…

David Aldridge, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Progressive Values, an umbrella organization that coordinates field efforts across several Democratic groups, described the survey responses they collect from knocking on doors of likely Democratic voters. “When you look at them in aggregate, you see some softness among communities of color, especially with Black women,” he said.

“That’s a data point that makes us very concerned,” he added.