To many, the photo appeared staged and phony, deliberately made to invoke memories of the tiki torches being carried by white nationalists the night before the infamous 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville.

This particular stunt didn’t only show that the Lincoln Project is run by people who lack even the ability to pull off a hoax without utterly beclowning themselves. It also revealed what many have probably already surmised: The left is absolutely terrified about losing this election and they are getting desperate to drag Terry McAuliffe over the finish line.

The Democrats and their Lincoln Project allies know that Youngkin has a good chance of becoming Virginia’s next governor. A recent, Fox News poll revealed that he has pulled ahead of his opponent. As my colleague Nick Arama writes:

As Fox notes, that’s basically a complete reversal of the race from two weeks ago. It was 51-46% with McAuliffe up two weeks ago. Now, however, it’s Youngkin up, 53-45% among likely voters.

McAuliffe also slammed parents for being concerned about elements of Critical Race Theory (CRT) being taught to their children, claiming that it is “made up.” During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” he said that CRT “is a Trump, Betsy DeVos, Glenn Youngkin plan to divide people,” and that his opponent is using it to stoke “division” and “hatred.”

WATCH: Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe falsely claims Critical Race Theory is “made up." pic.twitter.com/6ueozo4z5U

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 10, 2021

Despite the fact that President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, and a slew of other high-profile Democrats coming out to campaign for McAuliffe can’t seem to pull ahead. His comments on education show that he is out of touch with the rest of the public, which does not favor the type of wokeism that is being foisted upon many American students. He is toeing the hard leftist line, instead of speaking to people’s actual concerns.

The Virginia gubernatorial elections are being seen by many on both sides as a very important race, as it relates to the electoral future of the country. If Youngkin manages to eke out a victory, it could easily be seen as a referendum on President Joe Biden and his merry band of Democrats. Republicans would portray it as a commentary on the Democrats’ overall performance in Congress and the White House, and they might actually be right.

Youngkin is also notable in that he has not sought to align himself with former President Donald Trump like most other Republican candidates. He has also not tried to distance himself from the former president, as well. By essentially sidestepping the Trump issue, he has made it impossible for Democrats to use the former chief executive as a boogeyman as they have with other Republicans like Larry Elder, who was the frontrunner in the California recall election.

If Youngkin wins, it will show that a GOP candidate, at least in some cases, will not have to hitch themselves to Trump in order to defeat their opponents. This could lead to other GOP politicians who learn how to avoid having the former president being used against them.

There is also the fact that no Republican has won a statewide race in Virginia since 2009. The fact that the state has been solidly Democrat would make a Youngkin win even more significant. It would certainly put a damper on the left’s prospects for maintaining control of Congress, and the Democrats know this.

This is why they’re pulling out all the stops. This is why they are being reckless. The fact they were willing to blatantly exploit the events of Charlottesville further demonstrates that they know there is a good chance they will lose and that this could lead to more disasters down the road. Of course, the race is still anyone’s game at this point. But one thing is clear: The Democrats are keeping their fingers crossed on this one.