New ads in gubernatorial race; McGuire comments on his Jan. 6 rally attendance; Republicans push back on House candidate's comments
The latest in Virginia politics.
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McAuliffe launches new ad ”Towns Like Ours”
The Democratic nominee for governor Terry McAuliffe released a new ad this week highlighting testimony from a supporter in Danville. The ad is airing on TV in the Richmond and Roanoke media markets.
The new spot is narrated by Fred Adams, a small business employee in Danville. “A lot of politicians don’t think about towns like ours. People leaving, businesses closing,” Adams says in the ad. “But Terry McAuliffe is different. When he was Governor, Terry focused on bringing good-paying jobs everywhere, to places like Danville and across Virginia.”
McAuliffe is trying to serve a second term as governor after first holding the office from 2014-2018. He was not able to run for reelection in 2017 because Virginia’s Constitution prevents governors from serving two consecutive terms.
McAuliffe has shown a slight lead in the limited public polling that has been released. His Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin is looking to be the first member of his party to win statewide since 2009.
The general election is taking place on Nov 2., but early voting begins in mid-September.
Glenn Youngkin releases new ad “Get Virginia Working”
John McGuire responds to news that he attended Jan. 6 rally in Washington D.C.
In case you missed it, state Del. John McGuire R-Goochland recently revealed in an interview that he attended the Jan 6. rally in Washington D.C. He says he did not storm the Capitol Building and was “just as shocked and horrified as everyone else to see that people had entered the Capitol.”
McGuire’s full statement is below. Read Virginia Scope’s original coverage here.
Full statement from McGuire:
“When I campaign around central Virginia, almost no one echoes the high voltage talking points the partisans on MSNBC and CNN obsess over and my Democrat opponent uses in fundraising emails. Voters are concerned about higher gas prices, grocery prices, and overall cost of living. They're worried their children won't be able to go back to school in the fall and that businesses and schools will again shut down. They are nervous their votes are not counted in a free and fair way. And they're scared the far-left Democrats in D.C. and in Richmond are threatening their very way of life.
“So let's take these questions off the table so we can get back to talking about the issues I hear every day on the trail. I attended the rally on the National Mall with thousands of other law-abiding citizens including mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters to voice our support of a free and fair elections process that the American people can have confidence in. That was the intended purpose of the rally, and that's exactly what thousands of law-abiding citizens did as they practiced their 1st Amendment rights as Americans - rights I served my country to protect.
“When I arrived home and saw the news, I was just as shocked and horrified as everyone else to see that people had entered the Capitol. It was a tragic day, and one we won't soon forget.
“Now Terry McAuliffe, who would rather run for delegate in HD-56 than governor, and Abigail Spanberger, who is rightly worried about answering to the voters of VA-07 next year, are ganging up with my opponent and the far-left questioning my devotion to the United States of America. I served as a U.S. Navy SEAL because of my love for this country and my call to service. For anyone to question that is beyond measure and a clear sign that our politics are broken. We knew that Terry McAuliffe was dishonest, but his attacks on me now are slanderous and I intend on taking the appropriate legal steps to respond.
“We are at a pivotal moment in our democracy, where election integrity has to be at the forefront of the conversation to ensure that the American people, regardless of political affiliation, have confidence in our elections process. We need leaders who rise to the occasion. That's why it's so important that we elect a Republican governor and leadership in Virginia this fall, and elect Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives next year.”
McGuire’s opponent Blakely Lockhart responded to his statement Friday:
“This is dangerous,” Lockhart tweeted. “It took you almost 7 months to address your role in the insurrection on January 6th, and even now you are continuing to pedal the same lies that fueled the violence in January. This is not leadership.”
Sponsler faces pushback for recent comments
HD-66 Democratic candidate Katie Sponsler is facing pushback from Republicans after her comments recorded at a recent event. Sponsler is a former law enforcement officer and she was discussing police shootings and procedures.
“Look these are my buddies. Like honestly I mean, some of them are,” she said. “There’s definitely some who are murderers. And I would call them out in a minute.”
Republicans pushed back against the statement Friday. “Democrats can’t seem to stop maligning law enforcement officers,” said Garren Shipley, the communications director for the House GOP caucus. “If Katie Sponsler truly thinks she’s been working with ‘murderers,’ she has an obligation to do more than just laugh about it.Otherwise she should apologize to the men and women she slandered as killers."
Sponsler didn’t provide a comment.
RNC builds army of field staffers to flip Virginia governor’s race - Politico
National Republicans are making a big investment in the Virginia governor’s race, an indication that the GOP sees an opportunity in a state that many in the party had written off until recently.
The Republican National Committee is dispatching over 100 field staffers to the state, nearly doubling the size of its program in Virginia’s 2017 race for governor, according to a person familiar with the plans. The organization is also opening 13 offices across the state.