Terry McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, came to Grounds yesterday night to speak at an event hosted by the University Democrats.
McAuliffe served as DNC chairman from 2001-05, worked as the chief fundraiser for Bill Clinton's presidential re-election campaign and ran Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign. In 2009, he unsuccessfully ran for governor of Virginia.
McAuliffe said last night he has been a "full-time volunteer" for the Democratic Party, stating, "I have done every job you can do in politics."
He addressed the state of politics today and provided his own take on the challenges Democrats face this fall.
"This year is one of the most interesting I have seen," McAuliffe said. "It is an angry electorate. This is primarily aimed at the Democrats, but it has affected both sides. I have been saying for two weeks, we will probably lose five or six seats in the Senate in November." With the Senate currently tilted 59-41 in favor of Democrats, he said the party will likely still maintain power.
McAuliffe also is predicting a victory for Democratic fifth-district congressional incumbent Tom Perriello, although he conceded that the congressman, who is slightly trailing Republican Rob Hurt in polls, is "one of the most vulnerable congressmen on the Democratic side."
McAuliffe ended with a strong push for the advancement of environmental practices.
"I am disgusted we could not get a green energy bill passed," he said. "Green energy is what the Internet was in the nineties. It is our future. It is where job growth is."
First-year College student Cailey Fitzgerald said she enjoyed hearing from someone with such broad experience in the field. "He made politics seem really cool," she said. "You can do a lot of things just in general with political experience."
Fitzgerald said she was not sure how viable all of the politician's environmental initiatives were, but that she supported his efforts.
University Democrats President Adam Gillenwater lauded McAuliffe's speech.
"I thought he killed it," he said. "He is high energy and not afraid to be partisan and tell a story."
McAuliffe's work for the Democrats has been invaluable, Gillenwater said.
"I think he has devoted his life to public service," he said, citing his efforts to bring jobs to Virginia and promote liberal values. "He definitely does care."
McAuliffe encouraged students in attendance to get active on the individual level: "You all are the age I was when I got involved in politics. Do not let anyone tell you you can't get involved."\nThis is the University Democrats second meeting of the semester. The first featured Perriello.
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