By LARRY O’DELL
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe delivers his inaugural address during ceremonies at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn in Saturday as the 72nd governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Terry McAuliffe, Bill Clinton
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, left, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton acknowledge supporters during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn in Saturday as the 72nd governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Clintons Va Governor Inaugural
Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, share a moment under an umbrella before the rainy inauguration of democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe in Richmond, Va., Jan. 11, 2013. The umbrella came from the five-star Jefferson Hotel. (AP Photo/Richmond Times-Dispatch, P. Kevin Morley)
Terry McAuliffe, Bob McDonnell
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, left, shakes the hand of Gov-elect Terry McAuliffe, prior to the inauguration at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn Saturday in as the 72nd governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Terry McAuliffe, Bill Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton looks on as Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe points to supporters during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe is the 72nd governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
McAuliffe Inauguration
Fog envelopes the Virginia State Capitol as preparations take place for inaugural ceremonies for Governor-elect Terry McAuliffe in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. The former Democratic National Committee chairman and fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton will be inaugurated at about noon Saturday at the state Capitol designed by Virginia’s second governor, Thomas Jefferson. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Terry McAuliffe, Peter McAuliffe
Virginia Gov-elect, Terry McAuliffe and his son, Peter, 11, walk up the steps of the South Portico of the Capitol after a walkthrough at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Friday, Jan. 10, 2014. McAuliffe is due to be inaugurated as the 72nd Governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Terry McAuliffe, Peter McAuliffe
Virginia Gov-elect, Terry McAuliffe, right, and his son, Peter, 11, center, look over the inaugural stand on the South Portico of the Capitol during a walk through at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Friday, Jan. 10, 2014. McAuliffe is due to be inaugurated as the 72nd Governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Terry McAuliffe,
FILE – In this Dec. 18, 2013, file photo, Virginia Gov-elect, Terry McAuliffe, gestures during a news conference in Richmond, Va. McAuliffe’s inauguration as governor of Virginia on Jan. 11,In will highlight a notable Democratic winning streak in one of the nation’s most competitive states, but both Democrats and Republicans say the state remains a tossup going forward. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
McAuliffe Inauguration
Ralph Northam is sworn is as lieutenant governor on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014 in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot, Steve Earley) MAGS OUT
Terry McAuliffe, Bob McDonnell, Maureen McDonnell, Dorothy McAuliffe
Outgoing Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, left, talks with Dorothy McAuliffe, right, as Gov-elect, Terry McAuliffe, second from right and Maureen McDonnell look on prior to the inauguration of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe on the steps of the South Portico of the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was inaugurated as the 72nd Governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Bob McDonnell, Maureen McDonnell
Outgoing Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, wait in the old Senate Chambers prior to the inauguration of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn in as the 72nd Governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Terry McAuliffe,
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe delivers his inaugural address on the steps of the South Portico of the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn in as the 72nd Governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Terry McAuliffe, Dorothy McAuliffe, Peter McAuliffe, Sally McAuliffe
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, right, gives thumbs up as he and his wife Dorothy, second from right, son, Peter and daughter, Sally, left, watch the members of an Indian dance troupe as they perform during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn in Saturday as the 72nd Governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Bill Clinton, Terry McAuliffe
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, center left, greets Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, right, and his wife as they leave the inauguration of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe on the steps of the South Portico of the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn in as the 72nd Governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Terry McAuliffe,
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe delivers his inaugural address on the steps of the South Portico of the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn in Saturday as the 72nd Governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Terry McAuliffe
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe points to a member of the crowd as he delivers his inaugural address on the steps of the South Portico of the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn in Saturday as the 72nd governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Terry McAuliffe, Cynthia Kinser
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe takes the oath of office from Virginia Supreme court Chief Justice Cynthia Kinser on the steps of the South Portico of the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn in Saturday as the 72nd Governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
McAuliffe Inauguration
Terry McAuliffe and his wife Dorothy use an umbrella as McAuliffe is sworn in as Virginia’s 72nd governor on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014 at the state Capitol in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot, Steve Earley)
Terry McAuliffe, Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, right, delivers his inaugural address as former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton look on during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe is the 72nd governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Terry McAuliffe, Dorothy McAuliffe
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, right, waves to supporters alongside his wife Dorothy during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton look on in the background. McAuliffe is the 72nd governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Terry McAuliffe,
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, at podium, delivers his inaugural address on the steps of the South Portico of the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe was sworn in Saturday as the 72nd Governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and rainmaker for Bill and Hillary Clinton, was sworn in as Virginia’s 72nd governor on a mild and rainy Saturday.
In an inaugural address on the south portico of the state Capitol designed by Thomas Jefferson, McAuliffe emphasized bipartisanship as he put several years of campaigning behind him to begin the more challenging task of leading a politically divided government. Republicans have firm control of the House of Delegates, while the outcome of two special elections will determine control of the Senate.
“Common ground doesn’t move towards us, we move towards it,” McAuliffe told a drenched crowd that included the Clintons, who huddled under a black umbrella until the rain stopped and the sun briefly peeked out during the new governor’s speech.
The state will face “serious economic headwinds” over the next four years, McAuliffe said, and skeptics are predicting partisan gridlock.
“Virginia, together, we will prove them wrong again,” he said.
It was one of several references to consensus building that McAuliffe sprinkled throughout a 16-minute speech that drew praise from Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“I was very moved by it,” she told reporters as she exited through the Capitol.
The former secretary of state called McAuliffe’s election “a great personal achievement” and said “he is certainly relishing the moment.”
The crowd cheered as the Clintons entered and made their way to their second-row seats. The former president, shaking hands as he descended the stairs, acknowledged the crowd with a brief wave but otherwise remained in the background.
In his speech, McAuliffe made a brief pitch for one of his top legislative priorities — expanding Medicaid to about 400,000 low-income Virginians under the federal health care reform law. The proposal faces a tough hurdle in the GOP-controlled House.
“Like the majority of other states, we need to act on the consensus of the business community and health care industry to accept funding that will expand health care coverage, save rural hospitals, and spur job creation,” the governor said.
His remarks promoting gay rights and abortion rights drew some of the loudest cheers. He said his administration would work to ensure equal opportunity for all “no matter whom you love,” and to protect women’s rights to make their own health care decisions.
He also commended legislators for reaching a bipartisan compromise on ethics reform prompted by the ongoing state and federal investigations into thousands of dollars in gifts and loans outgoing Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell and his family received from Jonnie Williams, the former CEO of dietary supplement maker Star Scientific Inc. McAuliffe said he will ask lawmakers to “enact the strongest possible new ethics rules to hold all Virginia elected officials to the highest of standards.”
As his first official order of business, McAuliffe signed an executive order setting a $100 gift limit on executive branch members and their families, including himself and wife Dorothy and their five children. The order also creates an Executive Branch Ethics Commission to ensure compliance.
Immediately after McAuliffe raised his right hand, placed his left hand on the Bible and was sworn in by Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Cynthia Kinser, McDonnell and his wife Maureen stood and walked up the stairs and through the Capitol to an uncertain future.
A few minutes earlier inside the Capitol’s Old Senate Chamber, McDonnell handed the key to the Executive Mansion to its new occupants but told them it’s “something you’ll never need” because a security detail is always present.
McAuliffe stayed after his speech for a “blessing dance” by Virginia’s Indian tribes and a parade that wound around the statehouse and past a sparse crowd on a downtown street. Then it was on to the Executive Mansion for an open house. An inaugural ball was the last item on the day’s agenda.
Winning an office once held by Jefferson and Patrick Henry was a years-long effort by McAuliffe, who unsuccessfully sought his party’s nomination in 2009. He spent the next four years touring Virginia and campaigning, then won his first elective office by narrowly defeating Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.
The Syracuse, N.Y., native’s ticket mates also won, giving Democrats their first sweep of Virginia’s top three statewide offices in 24 years. Mark Herring was sworn in as attorney general and Ralph Northam as lieutenant governor.
