Walker says McAuliffe wants more people to be dependent on the government. | AP Photos Walker hits McAuliffe on unions

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Scott Walker warned Republicans at a rally here Saturday that Democrat Terry McAuliffe will be in the pocket of “big government union bosses” if he wins the Virginia governor’s race.

The Wisconsin governor, a conservative icon for breaking the back of the public-employee unions in his blue state and then beating back their effort to recall him, said Republican Ken Cuccinelli also “knows how to take on the special interests.”


“Do you want someone who is going to side with the big government labor unions,” he said at one of two stops ahead of Tuesday’s off-year election, “or do you want to someone who will stand with the taxpayers of the commonwealth?”

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One of the about 100 supporters gathered in a field in this D.C. exurb waved a “Stand with Walker” sign from last year’s recall fight.

At an earlier stop in Spotsylvania, which drew about 150, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus led the crowd in singing Walker a happy 46th birthday.

Cuccinelli trails in the polls and is the heavy underdog. The attacks on unions are part of a broader effort to motivate the conservative base for the expected very low-turnout election.

( Also on POLITICO: Cuccinelli: Fundraising gap ‘counts’)

“Gov. Walker talked about labor unions,” he said. “That’s almost a hysterical difference between me and Terry.”

Cuccinelli said unions have between $2 million and $3 million invested in McAuliffe, and he said labor will expect to get payback if he takes power.

“Some people run to do something, and some people run to be something,” said Cuccinelli. “He’s bringing in an awful lot of money to try to make that happen. The unions are some of the biggest investors because that’s the way he sees it.”

Virginia Republican Chairman Pat Mullins said that the state’s future is at risk if McAuliffe wins.

( Jim VandeHei reports: Final countdown in Virginia governor’s race)

“Scott is the type of governor that Ken will be here in Virginia, someone that’s not afraid to stand up to Big Labor,” he said.

Walker, a likely presidential candidate who is up for reelection in Wisconsin next year, stressed that conservatives need to be ready to keep fighting unions in state houses.

“The big government union bosses don’t just want a seat at the table,” he said. “They want to own the table. And it’s about time you stand up and say that table belongs to the taxpayers of Virginia.”

Every speaker at the rallies welcomed President Barack Obama’s Sunday trip to the state for McAuliffe, which they said further nationalizes the race and highlights the problems with Obamacare.

( WATCH: Ken Cuccinelli 'happy' to bring the focus to Obamacare)

“The president is helping us bring the focus to this issue. Voters are upset. They were lied to by the president of the United States,” said Cuccinelli. “And by golly has he got an ally in Terry McAuliffe.”

Walker worked to link McAuliffe with Obama.

“The two of them seem to measure success in government by how many people are dependent on the government – by how many people are on Medicaid, and how many people are on food stamps, and how many people are on unemployment,” he said. “We should measure success by just the opposite: by how many people are no longer dependent on the government.”

Walker appeared at two of seven Cuccinelli events planned for Saturday. Both wore blue jeans and cowboy boots.

The Wisconsin governor planned to be back in Madison in time for a birthday dinner with his wife. He was set to go bow-hunting this weekend until Cuccinelli emailed him a few days ago. He brought one of his two sons, Matt, 19, along.