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Glass Ceiling on Statewide Offices Remains for Black Women

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Over 30 years after Virginia’s (and the nation’s) first Black governor, L. Douglas Wilder, was elected, a Black woman has still not been elected governor anywhere in the nation. Four candidates currently campaigning for governor of Virginia are attempting to change that.

Four Black women have entered the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial race. If any of them are elected, the commonwealth would become the first state with a Black female governor. 

Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, and former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, are competing for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Former Roanoke City Sheriff Octavia Johnson is seeking the Republican nomination. Independent activist and educator Princess Blanding is running for the new Liberation Party, which she helped establish last year.

Former U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, D-New York, made history in 1972 when she became the first Black woman to seek a U.S. presidential nomination for a major political party. Almost 50 years later, the road to electing a Black woman to a governorship or the presidency has yet to be traveled. 

“The next time a woman of whatever color, or a dark-skinned person of whatever sex aspires to be president, the way should be a little smoother because I helped pave it,” Chisholm said in 1973 regarding her unsuccessful presidential bid.

Jennifer Carroll Foy. Photo by Saffeya Ahmed.

Dearth of representation

Since Chisholm was elected, 50 Black women have served in Congress or federal office, according to the Center for American Women and Politics database. Ten Black women have held statewide executive offices such as lieutenant governor or attorney general, according to the same database. No Black woman has ever been elected governor, although former Georgia Rep. Stacey Abrams, D-Atlanta, came close in a 2018 hotly contested election.

Carroll Foy said the nation’s history limits what some citizens view as a capable candidate. 

“Unfortunately, people look to the past to try to dictate what can happen in the future,” she said. “When people see women of color running for higher office, we are seen as the exception and not the rule.”

Organizations dedicated to electing women to office, such as EMILY’S List, Higher Heights, and EMERGE, aim to make the paths to office more accessible in recent years, providing advice, contributions and peer support to women candidates. 

McClellan said when she first ran for a House seat in 2005, she had very little guidance and few mentors.

“There was no collective PAC, there was no EMERGE, you know, groups that have since formed to help Black candidates and women candidates and Black women candidates. They weren’t there,” McClellan said. “I had to really do it on my own, with help from the handful of people who had done it before me.”

Sen. Jennifer McClellan.

Media representation

The media often poorly represents women in politics, according to Political Parity, a research group that recruits and supports women candidates. Often, media coverage surrounding women running for office adds unnecessary details about a woman candidate’s clothing, weight, qualifications, motherhood situation and emotional maturity, according to the same report.

“Whether it’s questions about their parenting or their husbands, it’s just questions that we don’t see male candidates get,” said Kristen Hernandez, deputy director of campaign communications for EMILY’S List, an organization devoted to electing pro-choice Democratic women to office. “We’ve seen sexist rhetoric, misogynistic comments and racist tropes as well.” 

McClellan said perhaps the most consistent troubling narrative she sees in the media surrounding her campaign are questions about her qualifications. McClellan said she has more experience than all her Democratic opponents combined. 

“There never seems to be a question, when a white man runs for governor, but yet for us it’s, ‘Are you ready?’” McClellan said. “If I’m not ready after 16 years in state government, when would I ever be ready?”

McClellan said she also frequently sees herself and Carroll Foy lumped together in news articles, as they are both Black women who have served in the state legislature. A New York Times analyst hypothesized last month that McAuliffe might win the Democratic primary race because three of his competitors — McClellan, Carroll Foy and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax — are Black, younger and generally more left-wing than McAuliffe.

Voters typically prefer candidates that most resemble themselves, according to a study published in an Oxford Academic Journal. This tendency suggests that Black women must also convince all constituents that despite being Black, they do not solely represent Black Virginians. Instead, most see themselves as the most qualified person for the job who just so happens to be a Black woman.

“I am not the candidate of Black America, although I am Black and proud,” Chisholm said during a campaign event in ’72. “I am not the candidate of the woman’s [sic] movement of this country, although I am a woman and I am equally proud of that.”

Even now the persistent myth that Black candidates can only win in majority-minority districts continues to plague America’s political scene, according to the Brookings Institute, a public policy organization headquartered in the District of Columbia. But of the five non-incumbent Black women elected to Congress in 2018, all were Democrats and four won in majority-white districts, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. 

Princess Blanding, sister of Marcus-David Peters, speaks to protesters outside the Stuart C. Siegel Center on the first day of the 2020 General Assembly special session. Photo by Andrew Ringle

Fundraising obstacles

One of the biggest barriers to elected office is the ability to raise campaign funds. The ability to fund a campaign continues to be a major obstacle to success for many women, not just women of color, according to the Brennan Center, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. The Center also found that candidates often receive party support based on their fundraising potential, which disadvantages candidates without notoriety, wealthy support networks or self-funding abilities. Donors who fund political campaigns are often wealthy, white and typically male, according to Demos, a Liberal think tank. These donors, according to the same report, also have different views and priorities, especially on the issues that matter most to Black women.

Blanding is the sister of the late Marcus-David Peters, a Black man shot and killed by a Richmond Police officer while he experienced what his family said was a mental health crisis. Blanding said fundraising is an ongoing struggle. She recalled looking at the first financial records report from the Board of Elections and said she could not help but “crack up laughing” at the amount she raised compared to other candidates. 

“But guess what? I have volunteers who are working around the clock to get the same results that they are paying for,” Blanding said. “That means a whole lot more to me.” 

Carroll Foy raised just over $1.8 million in the first quarter, while McClellan raised roughly half a million dollars, according to a Capital News Service analysis of fundraising reports. Carroll Foy resigned from her seat to fundraise. General Assembly members cannot fundraise until the session adjourns. Blanding raised almost $12,000 in the first quarter and Johnson raised $800. Altogether, all four women have raised just over half of what Democratic frontrunner and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe raised.

Aprill Turner, vice president of communications and external affairs for Higher Heights for America, said all women must run against a “boys’ club.” Higher Heights for America is a political action committee that seeks to mobilize and elevate the voices of Black women across the country. Turner said the path to elected offices has typically been paved by white men, and usually involves network connections and exclusive organizations that people of color and women have historically been unable to access. 

“You’ll see men groomed in a different way, or almost appointed,” Turner said. “Like, ‘You’ve got next,’ and kind of that little boys’ network.”

Jennifer Carroll Foy.

Will the statewide glass ceiling remain intact?

Former Del. Winsome Sears, R-Winchester, is running for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Sears was elected to a majority-Black district in 2002, becoming the first Republican to do so in Virginia since 1865. If she won the seat she would be the first Black woman to ever serve as Virginia’s lieutenant governor. L. Douglas Wilder was the state’s first Black lieutenant governor. He then became the commonwealth’s governor and the first Black man in the nation to hold the title.

Carroll Foy and McClellan will both compete for the Democratic party’s nomination on June 8. Johnson competes in the Republican party’s unassembled convention taking place statewide on May 8. Blanding will make it to the November ballot if she collects 2,000 signatures by June 8, which she is confident she will achieve.

Carroll Foy feels confident she will win the election. 

“We’re mobilizing and organizing more people of color, more people from the AAPI community, from the Latinx community, the Indigenous community, the millennials, more women than ever before,” Carroll Foy said, regarding her campaign. “We’re building the most diverse coalition of voters and supporters that Virginia has ever seen.”

Early voting is underway for the Democratic primary on June 8.

Written by Josephine Walker, Capital News Service. Top Photo: Four Black women are seeking a gubernatorial victory. If any one of them wins, they would make history as the first Black female in the U.S. to hold the governor’s seat. From left to right: independent Princess Blanding, former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, and former Roanoke City Sheriff Octavia Johnson.

Jennifer Carroll Foy Announces Plan to Protect LGBTQ Rights In Virginia

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Jennifer Carroll Foy is currently running for Governor in Virginia. If elected, not only will she be Virginia’s first female governor, she’ll institute a detailed plan to protect the rights and advance the interests of LGBTQ Virginians.

More than a decade ago, 57 percent of Virginians approved a constitutional amendment that defined marriage as a union solely between one man and one woman. Although this ban on same-sex marriages and civil unions was invalidated by the 2015 Supreme Court decision to recognize same-sex marriages, Virginia’s constitution still begs to differ.

Five years after Obergefell v. Hodges, Virginia’s constitution has yet to be amended in order to ensure that marriage equality and the rights of LGBTQ individuals are protected regardless of current court precedent. However, for Jennifer Carroll Foy, it’s a priority.

“Until all of our rights are secure, none of our rights are secure. And so, ensuring that we address equity and equality in Virginia in a real substantive way is truly important to me,” said Carroll Foy.

Having dedicated her entire life to giving a voice to the voiceless, the former delegate has unequivocally displayed her support for the most vulnerable and underrepresented communities that lie within the Commonwealth. And as a current candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, she intends on expanding those efforts.

Carroll Foy has recently rolled out a new policy plan that outlines her goals of protecting the rights of LGBTQ communities against discrimination within the workplace, housing, public spaces, and the Virginia state constitution. “I’m here to fight just as vigorously for our LGBTQ+ community because they also need protection and to be treated as full class, first-class citizens,” she said.

Highlights of the plan include:

  • Amending the Virginia state constitution to be consistent with the Supreme Court 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, reinforcing that marriage equality is the law of the land. 
  • Eliminating the LGBTQIA+ “panic defense” method that upholds leniency for violence on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. 
  • Instituting a statewide 100-day challenge to end LGBTQIA+ homelessness and to ensure that no person is without housing.
  • Championing a bill that clarifies the Virginia Human Rights Act by defining sexual and workplace harassment to include harassment based on an individual’s sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • Reviewing state-funded workforce development initiatives to ensure inclusive outreach, training, and hiring practices aimed at recruiting and retaining LGBTQIA+ employees.
  • Supporting legislation to establish a Virginia LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board to promote and address prominent economic, social, and educational issues for LGBTQIA+ constituents.
  • Continuing to declare every June as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in Virginia, in order to further educate the public about the LGBTQIA+ movement.
  • Coordinating with the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to recognize LGBTQIA+ owned businesses and to ensure increased access to state-funded contracts.
  • Appointing an LGBTQIA+ liaison to gather recommendations to address barriers and challenges facing the LGBTQIA+ community and offer policy solutions.

Carroll Foy is not unfamiliar with making historic strides. She was one of the first women to graduate from Virginia Military Institute, and the first public defender ever to be elected to the Virginia General Assembly. And this year, she’s attempting to become the Commonwealth’s first female governor, and the first African-American woman to serve as governor in the United States. With this background, she’s aware that the values of all Virginians need to be reflected in order to lay a foundation for future progress.  

“We have work to do, because representation matters,” Carroll Foy said. “It shows that we’re able to bring a different lens, and our life experiences, to the bills and budgets that we create. That’s going to help the communities that have been the most harmed — and that’s what this is about. Virginians are looking for real change at this time, and change means a new leader with a clear vision and bold ideas on how to move Virginia forward.”

Photo via Jennifer Carroll Foy

VCU Students Talk Governor’s Election With RVA Mag

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Believe it or not, the Virginia gubernatorial election is just a few days away. The race between Democrat Ralph Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie has been a tumultuous one, to put it very lightly.

The President Trump-supported Gillespie campaign has run attack ads that claim Northam’s vote against a sanctuary city ban in February contributes negatively to the safety of Virginia by letting “dangerous illegal immigrants back on the street, increasing the threat of MS 13.” (Note: On Wednesday, Northam stated that he opposes sanctuary cities, in a move that perplexed most observers.) Additionally, Gillespie has made the promise of economic growth and job creation a core aspect of his campaign.

Meanwhile, the Democrats have been seeking to energize their base by inviting President Obama to a Northam rally, and most recently hosting an event in Scott’s Addition featuring Senator Kamala Harris and former Attorney General Eric Holder. The campaign has also been emphasising Gillespie’s ties to white nationalism, sending mailers that directly link the Republican candidate to President Trump and the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.

That’s not even mentioning the recent advertisement released by Latino Victory Fund showing a Confederate flag-flying truck with a Gillespie campaign sticker chasing minority children. While the ad was not produced by the Northam campaign, it was still met with heavy conservative backlash against the candidate.

The gap between the candidates has been tightening into single digits in recent polling. It isn’t much of a stretch to predict that this race will be a close one, and with both candidates differing on social issues such as reproductive rights, gun control, Medicaid expansion, and LGBTQ rights, the results of this race are bound to affect the lives of the majority of Virginians, especially those in marginalized communities.

College students are an important yet commonly overlooked part of the voter base. Democrat-aligned group NextGen America, however, is going so far as to obtain the contact information of more than 30,000 Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) students and sending them text messages encouraging them to vote for Northam.

An actual text message received by the author. Image captured by Ryan Persaud.

With the tension surrounding the gubernatorial election, RVA Mag  decided to ask a variety of VCU students who they are voting for, and how they feel about the election as a whole.

Elias Hakim, a junior majoring in political science and a member of the Young Democrats at VCU, said he hopes Virginia chooses Northam over the bigotry and divisiveness he claims Gillespie represents.

“It has been very upsetting for me to see Ed Gillespie, who has marketed himself in the past as a moderate Republican, taking notes from Trump’s playbook by running a race-baiting and fear mongering campaign,” Hakim said. “I am cautiously optimistic for Ralph Northam, but I think that 2016 taught us all a very important lesson about predicting elections, and Democrats can’t afford to act complacently.”

Hakim said the national attention on this election has been exciting to him, claiming that many people see this election as a referendum in response to the election of President Trump.

“We have a choice to either follow the federal government down a path of bigotry and divisiveness, or we can continue to make progress as a Commonwealth despite what is going on at the national level,” Hakim said. “I’m hoping that Virginians choose the latter.”

A member of the College Republicans at VCU, who stated they were only allowed to speak as an organization and therefore remained unnamed, cites Gillespie’s economic plans as a major reason why they support him.

“Virginia is currently 39th out of 50 states economic growth,” the member said. “Knowing this, Gillespie is cutting back regulations and taxes that have stunted Virginia’s growth for a while.” The member went on to say, “As conservatives, we believe these changes will bring great prosperity and increased productivity to the state. He has also pledged to address problems such as the opioid epidemic and rising student debt.”

The member also criticizes Northam’s campaign, claiming the that candidate has only focused on the wealthier areas of Virginia.

“Ed Gillespie has visited every corner of Virginia, while Ralph Northam has stayed tied to his affluent donor base in Northern Virginia,” the member said.

Patrick Miller, a graduate student in VCU’s school of education and a member of the Young Democratic Socialists at VCU, said that he’s voting for Northam but is frustrated about the election as a whole.

“Northam is an uninspiring Democrat hack who happens to look good compared to someone as ghoulish as Gillespie,” Miller said. “I would not be surprised if the latter were to win, though I hope for the sake of my queer, femme, and undocumented comrades he doesn’t.”

Miller criticizes Northam’s environmental policies, and wishes the candidate would be more vocal about some of his more left-leaning labor policies.

“Northam’s environmental policy and pro-pipeline stance are frustrating to me, as is the way his moderate base scoffs at this frustration and considers it a ‘purity test,’” Miller said. “I wish Northam had gone after Gillespie for using racial dog whistles in his rhetoric far earlier than now, and that he could be more forthcoming about his anti-right to work stance and pro-$15/hr minimum wage stance.”

While these students are aware of the issues and the importance of this election, they unfortunately are not representative of all the students at VCU. RVA Mag walked around campus asking students what they knew about the election. Many of the responses were disheartening. One student was surprised by the terminology, stating, “You definitely just made up the word gubernatorial.”

Another wasn’t even sure when the election was, stating, “I heard something about that, I think I heard it’s on Tuesday.” Almost as if the election was a rumor floating around.

While some may wish the current political climate was only a rumor, it is a reality. It should go without saying that this election is critically important and that more students need to be aware. As a state university with the third largest student body in the Commonwealth, it’s depressing that some students know so little.

“I know the Democrat is Northman or something like that. Is there even a Republican candidate?”

These students’ obliviousness to next week’s election was not reflective of everyone spoken to. However, few knew much more than the candidates’ names and party affiliations. When we asked students if they were planning on voting next Tuesday many responded with, “Yeah, if I have time.” …meaning no, they will not.  

Next Tuesday, all eyes will be on Virginia, and when these students don’t show up at the polls, they will be sacrificing their voice in the democratic process. If Gillespie wins and this liberal student body hits the streets in protest, you can bet those uninformed, non-voting students will be out there chanting, too.

*Caitlin Barbieri contributed to this report.

 

Virginia Politics Sponsored by F.W. Sullivans

 

Northam Declares Opposition to Sanctuary Cities, Delivers Blow to Virginia’s Latinx Community

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Politics can be a pretty amoral game. Despite the constant rhetorical appeals to high-minded ideals, the order of the day where actual campaign tactics are concerned seems to be “if it hurts your opponent, do it.” Concerns about veracity and integrity come in second to scoring points, regardless of who gets hurt in the process.

And the sad part is: it works. The latest evidence can be found in Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam’s declaration to Andy Fox of Norfolk’s WAVY-TV that he’d sign a bill banning sanctuary cities in Virginia if it came across his desk. “If that bill comes to my desk, Andy, I sure will. I’ve always been opposed to sanctuary cities. He knows that,” Northam said, referring to his Republican opponent, Ed Gillespie.

Gillespie’s been making a big deal out of sanctuary cities ever since this summer. Sanctuary cities are generally understood as localities which refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in deporting undocumented residents. None currently exist in Virginia as of this writing, for the record. Nonetheless, the issue has remained at the forefront of the current gubernatorial race.

Gillespie has continually hammered Northam for a vote that took place this past February in the General Assembly. A bill to ban sanctuary cities came up to a vote, and when the result was a tie, Northam in his role as Lt. Governor was called in to cast the deciding vote. He voted against the bill, though a later vote ultimately passed it out of the General Assembly–at which point Gov. McAuliffe voted against it.

It’s a similar form of support that the Latinx community has been hoping to receive from Northam if he is elected as McAuliffe’s successor. However, Gillespie has continually turned up the heat on Northam where this issue is concerned. It began with an attack ad at the end of August that referred to “Ralph Northam’s risky policies” and specifically cited Northam having “cast the deciding vote in favor of sanctuary cities that let illegal immigrants who commit crimes back on the street.”

If that sounds like a misleading claim about what sanctuary cities actually do, you’re on the right track. As Randolph Macon Associate Professor of Political Science Rich Meagher wrote in a previous RVA Mag article, “What we call “Sanctuary cities” are not actually a real thing. Different localities commit to different levels of cooperation with immigration authorities throughout the Commonwealth.”

Gillespie MS-13 Campaign Ad

But the claim seemed to work in Gillespie’s favor, so much so that he went back to the well with a recent ad featuring the tattooed faces of MS-13 gang members above the words “Kill, Rape, Control.” Our own Political Director Landon Shroder called the ad “an obvious racist dog whistle” intended to “fear-monger in suburban and rural spaces by trying to make Northam look weak on crime.”

Latino Victory Fund fired back at all of Gillespie’s recent fear-mongering around the issues of sanctuary cities and undocumented Latin American immigrants with a recent ad depicting Gillespie supporters as Confederate flag-waving white nationalist terrorists. The ad may have been a bit “over the top,” in Governor McAuliffe’s words, but it seemed to strike a chord with Northam. Speaking to WAVY-TV, he said, “The MS-13 gang commercials against me have been very offensive to a lot of communities in Virginia, and so these communities have responded to that, and that is their right.”

It’s a fair point. But it wasn’t enough to keep LVF from bowing to negative pressure from Republicans and pulling the ad. And now, it seems to have pushed Northam into dropping his previous nuanced stance on sanctuary cities–that he never specifically supported them, that Gillespie was stirring up outrage around a fake issue, and that his February General Assembly vote was more complicated and less black-and-white than Gillespie made it seem. Instead, in the same WAVY interview, he came out for the first time and said that as governor, he’d sign the same sort of bill he voted against in the General Assembly less than a year ago.

Ta-daa! It worked. Gillespie hammered Northam on the overblown sanctuary cities issue until Northam finally caved and said what the Republicans want to hear. Rather than seeking the votes of young people outraged to see the harm Trump’s DACA repeal has caused their peers, rather than seeking to lock in the growing Latinx presence in Virginia by showing that he sees Gillespie’s racist fear-mongering for what it is, rather than giving other marginalized Virginians reason to believe that he will protect them, Northam has shown that for the majority of the voters who made up the celebrated “Obama coalition” and turned Virginia blue for the first time in nearly half a century, he’s going to be more of the same old same old.

If Northam’s unwillingness to stand up to Gillespie’s continued attacks is any indication, all young people, people of color, LGBTQ people, and other threatened minority populations can expect are vague reassurances, the occasional derailing of the GOP’s worst excesses, and a continued erosion of even the tiny victories these groups have worked for years to gain.

Issues like this one will make the difference in this election, and by failing to stand behind the vulnerable populations who ostensibly have the most to gain from a Democratic victory, Northam and the Virginia Democrats may very well seal their fate. Because let’s face it–uninspired people don’t worry too much about making it to the voting booth.

*Photo by David Streever

 

Virginia Politics Sponsored by F.W. Sullivans

 

Former Attorney General Eric Holder & Senator Kamala Harris Stump for Democrats in Richmond

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Just over a week remains before the November 7th gubernatorial election and nervous state Democrats have brought in big national names to stump for candidates Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, Justin Fairfax, and incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring. Voter turnout, especially among young voters and people of color, seem to be the chief concern that brought Senator Kamala Harris and former Attorney General Eric Holder to canvass in Hampton Roads before their appearance at an intimate but crowded rally at Blue Bee Cider in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition this afternoon.

Packed House at Blue Bee Cider. Photo by Landon Shroder

Fairfax spoke first, apologizing for Northam’s absence and plugging Jackson Ward’s popular Mama J’s Kitchen where the group ate lunch. “If you go in there, ask them for the Senator Kamala Harris Booth,” he said to a round of applause. He gave an uncharacteristically brief speech before introducing Herring, who is seeking reelection.

Both candidates talked turnout, noting that Northam won almost as many votes in the Democratic primary as all of the GOP candidates combined. Herring used his personal experience as a former candidate to caution against complacency, reminding the crowd that he won by a tiny 907 vote margin following a recount in the 2013 election.

Attorney General Mark Herring. Photo by David Streever

Similar to the Northam rally with President Obama, the big draws were Harris and Holder, but many came out primarily to support the state candidates. Ariana Toussaint, 35, was there for both. “I feel like the trajectory of her career [Harris] is one to watch, and I’m here to support our democrats right now in the general election.”

She was positive about the ticket, but disappointed in the focus on President Trump and national issues. “I hope they’re going to talk more about unity within the group and us moving forward and not getting distracted by certain things coming out of the administration. I think we tend to get distracted and lose sight of the bigger picture, so I hope that’s something that will be brought up today.”

Photo by Allison MacEwen

Sean Gordon, from the Randolph-Macon College Young Democrats, has been watching the race and was excited to meet the national Democrats. “We’re coming here mostly to meet Harris and Holder, but we’re also here to see the energy of the Northam campaign because you kind of have to come to Richmond to see a lot of that.”

He was looking for a little more conflict than Toussaint was, saying he hoped Northam would combat what he called “racial taunting” by Republican candidate Ed Gillespie. “I think he will. That’s what we’re looking for here.”

Harris might have satisfied Gordon, taking the microphone after Herring to talk about the role of Virginia on the national stage. She cast the election as a referendum on the presidency of Trump, describing it as a chance to reject his actions. She and the final speaker, Holder, noted the importance of governors as a counter-weight to the legislative agenda of the Federal government, bringing up universal healthcare, the war on drugs, and the Dreamers in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Kamala Harris. Photo by Landon Shroder

Holder made other connections between local and national issues, talking about the Unite the Right march and President Trump’s refusal to condemn the marchers. “You can’t say there were very good people with the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. If you marched with neo-Nazis, you turned in that card.”

Former Attorney General Eric Holder. Photo by Landon Shroder

He echoed the theme of voter turnout, one-upping Harris and the others. “Don’t bring five friends to the polls, bring ten. Bring as many as you can. I want to see big margins, I don’t want to see 907 votes again.” It was a big applause line before the candidates exited, pausing for selfies as they pressed through a mob in the rain to the waiting cars.

Regardless of who wins, all eyes are now on Virginia, which has shifted from red to blue and emerged as a crucial battleground state in a deeply divided nation.

*Madelyne Ashworth and Allison MacEwen contributed to this report. 

 

Virginia Politics Sponsored by F.W. Sullivans

 

President Trump Tweets in Support of Ed Gillespie, Again

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Earlier this morning President Trump tweeted in support of the Republican candidate for Governor, Ed Gillespie. In the first tweet Trump claims that Gillespie will “save our great statues/heritage.” This was preceded by a declaration that Gillespie will fix the economy and is “strong on crime,” a nod to Gillespie’s campaign message that his Democratic opponent, Lt. Governor Ralph Northam, is weak on crime by supporting sanctuary cities and the gang MS-13. There is no evidence to support this claim, and Northam has consistently refuted it.

In the second tweet, Trump says, “Ed Gillespie will be a great Governor of Virginia,” which was followed by “His opponent doesn’t even show up to meetings/work,” which is another talking point from the Gillespie campaign and was featured prominently in an early campaign video.

Gillespie has had an uneasy relationship with Trump, and has not been particularly active in seeking the president’s support. Nonetheless, his campaign content has taken on a decisively negative tone and is reflective of Trump’s overall messaging strategy. Given the closeness in the polls, the last of which had both opponents within the margin of error, along with all of the big names being pulled out on both sides, from Obama to Biden to Pence, a tweet from the president might have the ability to swing the vote one way or the other.

 

Virginia Politics Sponsored by F.W. Sullivans