Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe was crushed by Politico Tuesday for making up a fake joint campaign event between Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin and former President Donald Trump

McAuliffe, who led Politico Playbook's coverage on the morning of the highly anticipated election, falsely claimed during a Monday campaign stop that Youngkin was holding an event with Trump as the race was coming to a close.

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Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe hands out candy during 65th annual Leesburg Halloween Parade in downtown Leesburg, Virginia, U.S., October 31, 2021. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

"Terry McAuliffe wanted Glenn Youngkin and Donald Trump to campaign together so badly that when it didn’t happen, McAuliffe simply invented a Youngkin-Trump event that didn’t exist," Playbook wrote. "That was a lie. Trump wasn’t in Virginia and he never campaigned with Youngkin."

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Politico noted that Trump did hold a brief "tele-rally" in favor of Youngkin, but the latter did not participate in the event. 

Politico also noted that Youngkin's crowd sizes on the eve of the election "dwarfed" McAuliffe's, describing the latter's as "modest and listless," and the former's as "large and rollicking." 

"You got a hint of why McAuliffe was desperate to manufacture the fake Trump event," Playbook wrote.

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Supporters wait for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former governor Terry McAuliffe to speak during a campaign event at Caboose Commons in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., November 1, 2021. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

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It described how McAuliffe hinted that Trump not inserting himself in the race was "a bit of a letdown," and how his closing campaign argument was "entirely negative" as he continued to try and tie Youngkin to the former president. 

Politico described Youngkin's closing message, however, as "complicated" because it was more policy focused. 

"Youngkin didn’t talk about Trump. (He didn’t have to.)," the report said.

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Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin gestures during a (Loudoun Parents Matter Rally) campaign event in Leesburg, Virginia, U.S., November 1, 2021. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

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McAuliffe has been dinged in the media for focusing relentlessly on Trump in the closing weeks of his campaign, and at times flip-flopping as to whether or not the race was about the former Republican president.