He lost the state by 9%, but he never contested it.
Was that a mistake? Everyone could see that Virginia was trending blue at this point. In the 1980s, it was around 15% red, and it just kept steadily moving left.
Considering that Virginia became relatively easy wins in 2008 and 2012, did Kerry make a mistake by not going for it?
Youre over estimating the impact of campaigning. If Kerry contested VA, he would have lost by 7-8 insead of 9.
You said that VA was 15 points Red in the 1980s. But every state was more GOP in the 1980s. VA isnt any different.
