Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe really, really, really wanted former President Donald Trump to campaign with his GOP opponent in the Old Dominion.

McAuliffe, the former governor seeking another term (Virginia does not allow governors to serve consecutive terms), did everything he could to tie Republican nominee, Glenn Youngkin, to Trump, who lost Virginia to Biden by more than 10 points in 2020.

Democrats and their sympathizers across the state were determined to convince every voter that Youngkin was nothing short of a tried-and-true MAGA warrior — and a racist one to boot. They even went so far as to orchestrate a racist hoax against Youngkin, attempting to tie him to Charlottesville-style white supremacists whom the media have repeatedly — and lyingly — claimed Trump called “very fine people.”

Now, with polls showing Youngkin holding a slight lead in a state where a Republican has not won statewide office since 2009, Team McAuliffe and the Democratic Party are getting increasingly desperate.

So it likely surprised no one when McAuliffe blatantly lied about a nonexistent Youngkin-Trump event Monday night as he wrapped up his campaign.