Biden: Not sure if passing Build Back Better would have made a difference in Va. governor's race

A day after Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe lost in Virginia, President Biden said he’s not sure if the result in that race would have been different had his Build Back Better agenda been passed before Election Day.

Video Transcript

- As leader of the Democratic Party, how much responsibility do you take for the dismal results in Virginia and the [INAUDIBLE]?

JOE BIDEN: Well, look. Yesterday reminded me of one of the sacred rights we have is to be able to go out and cast our votes. And remember that we all have an obligation to accept the legitimacy of these elections. I was talking to Terry to congratulate him today. He got 600,000 more votes than any Democrat ever has gotten.

We brought out every Democrat there was. More votes than ever had been cast for a Democratic incumbent. I'm not incumbent a Democrat running for governor, and no governor in Virginia has ever won when he's of the same, or he or she's the same party as a sitting president.

What I do know is, I do know that people want us to get things done. They want us to get things done. And that's why I'm continuing to push very hard for the Democratic Party to move along and pass my infrastructure bill and my Build Back Better bill.

I think if we-- look, think about what we're talking about here. People are upset and uncertain about a lot of things from COVID to school to jobs to a whole range of things, and the cost of a gallon of gasoline. And so if I'm able to pass and sign into law my Build Back Better initiative, I'm in a position where you're going to see a lot of those things ameliorated quickly and swiftly. So this has to be done.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

- Given what you've said, do you take some responsibility, and do you think that Terry McAuliffe would have won if your agenda had passed before election day?

JOE BIDEN: Well, I think we should have passed before election day, but I'm not sure that I would be able to have changed the number of very conservative folks who turned out in the red districts who were Trump voters. But maybe. Maybe.

- You won the state by 10 points, didn't you?

JOE BIDEN: No, I know we did, But also I was running against Donald Trump.