Chris Cillizza must be having a huge sad today as another of his pronouncements is DOA.
“According to Real Clear Politics' poll of polls, Northam now has, on average, a lead of just over three points on Gillespie. Yes, that's down from the six-and-a-half point edge he held at this time last month. But given the disastrously bad closing week of the race for Northam, the fact he is still ahead at all is somewhat remarkable -- and may speak to the durability of his advantage.Here's the thing: Excuses aside, if Northam loses the governor's race in Virginia tomorrow, it will set off a panicked blame game not just in the state but nationally, as liberals will insist that Perriello would have won had the party nominated him. (In that, it will echo the debate over whether Clinton or Bernie Sanders would have been the better nominee against Trump -- a fight still happening within the Democratic Party despite the fact that the election ended almost a year ago.)Given all of that, there's a tremendous amount riding on Northam on Tuesday night. Can he find a way to win even after enduring such a bad final month? And if he can't, what (if anything!) should we conclude about the state of the Democratic Party in Virginia and nationally?”
Better sharpen that pencil, Chris, he won by nine points.