KEY POINT: “I think he’s probably got the most dynamic personality of anybody in elected office in this country. He’s a doer — he’s interested in results.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch: McAuliffe leaves with a weightier legacy than many expected - especially GOP
By Michael Martz
Four years ago, Gov. Terry McAuliffe entered office with a narrow election plurality, a matchless Rolodex of political and business contacts around the world, and a disco-ball personality that lit up every room he entered, much to the annoyance of the Republicans who ruled the Virginia General Assembly.
McAuliffe leaves office almost four weeks shy of his 61st birthday with the same boundless energy and a salesman’s flashy record for deals closed, but also something many of his detractors grudgingly acknowledge — a legacy of weighty accomplishments, from reviving the Port of Virginia and repairing costly transportation potholes inherited from Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell to leading the state’s sputtering, defense-heavy economy to new, technology-driven businesses with high-paying jobs.
McAuliffe was thwarted in his four-year effort to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. And while he takes pride in restoring the rights of a record 173,000 felons who had done their time, he had to overcome a state Supreme Court ruling that his blanket rights restoration order was unconstitutional.
“I think he comes out looking good at the end,” said Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.
Read the full article at the Richmond Times-Dispatch site.