Credit were credit is due. McAuliffe could have vetoed the bill, but he did not. I will say thank you (whispered) to him for that.
He would have lost an override vote therefore he did what he felt would not look the worst of two options. He also has some thinking he did a “good” thing. There was no “good”...he just didn’t want the political defeat of a veto override. There’s also a victory for him in the new legislation somewhere IN there IIRC.