It certainly won't help Cooch, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a game change. McDonnell had (has, still not sure about the fallout yet) cross-over support, but little of that cross-over support would have trickled to Cuccinelli. At this stage it's still a turnout election; Conservatives want Cooch, liberals want anyone but Cooch. It's unlikely that the conservative true-believers will stay home because of McDonnell (they actually campaigned against him at the convention.) The real question is will this turnout more Democrats. At this stage I don't think so, given McAuliffe's lackluster personality. If the McDonnell scandal gets really bad and can be substantively tied to Cuccinelli, then it's a whole new ballgame. But at this stage, I haven't actually seen much coverage of McDonnell in Virginia. The report on his business getting a loan from the Star Scientific guy was on page 6 in my paper today. I think everyone is waiting to see what comes of the investigation first. If McDonnell only comes off partially slimy and Cooch stays on topic, I imagine tossup status will remain.
Thanks for the information, it will certainly be an interesting election to watch.
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