A progressive activist group accused Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie this week of “supporting” white supremacists, even though the Republican candidate has specifically and emphatically condemned that exact group of people.
A new radio ad paid for by New Virginia Majority begins by referencing the white supremacists who descended twice on the Old Dominion State this year to protest the removal of monuments to secessionist idols.
“They not only carry torches, but they carry the support of politicians like Donald Trump and Ed Gillespie, who are attacking our civil rights,” the ad’s narrator said. “They will make it harder to vote, and try to permanently block returning citizens from ever having a voice and vote in our community. On Nov. 7, we must vote to protect our civil rights.”
That bit about supporting white supremacists is an outright lie. There are indeed many criticisms that can be leveled at Gillespie for his decision to go all-in on preserving the Civil War monuments, but it’s an outright lie to say he supports white nationalists.
In fact, after the neo-Nazis invaded Charlottesville, Va., in August, leading to the death of one counter-protester, Gillespie was one of the first and loudest critics to condemn the violent “alt-right” demonstrators.
“[W]e will emerge from these tragic last few days stronger in our commitment to one another as Virginians. We will continue to love one another and serve one another and we reject the people who came in, largely from outside our Commonwealth and brought their hate, their white supremacism, their neo-Nazism with them,” the GOP candidate said in an interview on August 14.
He added, “I agree with Governor McAuliffe, they need to go home and they need to take that vile hatred with them. It does not belong here in the Commonwealth of Virginia and I know my fellow Virginians and we will emerge from this stronger.”
The Roanoke Times’ editorial board was impressed enough with Gillespie’s response to the Charlottesville tragedy that they awarded him high marks, writing on Aug. 18 that the GOP gubernatorial candidate had said and done “exactly the right things here.”
“Vote against Gillespie because of his views on tax policy, if you want, but don’t vote against him because of anything related to Charlottesville. He and [his Democratic opponent Ralph Northam] are on the same side here,” they said.
Gillespie’s decision to make preserving the Civil War monuments a campaign issue after the Charlottesville tragedy either is an extremely cynical attempt to cash in on a topical subject or a grossly tone-deaf appeal to identity politics (or a little bit of both). At any rate, it’s bad all around, and we’ve said as much.
That said, accusing the GOP candidate of supporting white supremacists is almost as gross, but for slightly different reasons. It’s all garbage politics.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam said he wanted a clean race. If that was true, he probably could’ve done more to clean up his own backyard.
As noted by Phil Kerpen, founder and president of the conservative 501(c)(4) nonprofit group American Commitment, New Virginia Majority has supported the Northam campaign. Money has indeed changed hands.
A spokeswoman for New Virginia Majority did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
