Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), the current Democrat Party nominee for the same position, accepted an endorsement from another radically far-left group this week.
“Proud to be endorsed by [New Virginia Majority]. Together, we are going to keep Virginia moving forward. That starts with building a more inclusive Commonwealth that lifts up working people across Virginia. Onward!” McAuliffe said on Twitter.
Proud to be endorsed by @NewVAMajority. Together, we are going to keep Virginia moving forward. That starts with building a more inclusive Commonwealth that lifts up working people across Virginia. Onward! pic.twitter.com/TjCkewmor1
— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) July 20, 2021
New Virginia Majority has advocated for some of the furthest-left policies currently being pushed by the progressive wing of Democrat Party, including defunding the police, ending the American prison system, and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Defund the police, fund Black futures,” the group tweeted last June, linking to a Deadline story about the city of Los Angeles cutting $100 million from its policing budget to reinvest that money into “communities of color.”
Defund the police, fund Black futures. https://t.co/XaX1zqviOf
— New Virginia Majority (@NewVAMajority) June 4, 2020
They also called police “agents of white supremacy” in another tweet:
“Policing has never been an effective response to violence because the police are agents of white supremacy"#StopAsianHatehttps://t.co/h2wyy3yBEY
— New Virginia Majority (@NewVAMajority) March 26, 2021
New Virginia Majority is also in favor of shutting down all prisons.
“Closing the Hampton Roads Regional Jail is necessary and long overdue, but just a reminder that there are no ‘good’ jails or prisons. Incarceration is a human rights violation,” the group said in an April tweet.
Closing the Hampton Roads Regional Jail is necessary and long overdue, but just a reminder that there are no "good" jails or prisons.
Incarceration is a human rights violation. https://t.co/FGQV9MBKRJ
— New Virginia Majority (@NewVAMajority) April 27, 2021
The group has also demanded ICE’s abolishment multiple times between 2019 and 2021.
ABOLISH ICE. https://t.co/A2lUiitu2t
— New Virginia Majority (@NewVAMajority) September 19, 2019
Horrific. #AbolishICEhttps://t.co/R5x9pMkjRz
— New Virginia Majority (@NewVAMajority) March 13, 2021
McAuliffe, who has campaigned as a moderate Democrat, did not return The Virginia Star’s comment request.
The campaign for McAuliffe’s opponent, Republican Glenn Youngkin, directed The Star to a new digital ad launched Thursday in response to McAuliffe’s acceptance of the endorsement. The ad accuses McAuliffe of being soft on crime during his first tenure as governor, and suggests that he will be soft on crime if elected again.
This is the second time in as many weeks that McAuliffe has accepted an endorsement from a group that has advocated for defunding the police.
Last week, he accepted the endorsement of the National Abortion and Reproduction Rights Action League Virginia (NARAL).
“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Defund the police. Invest in Black communities. Tell Donald Trump to resign,” NARAL Virginia said last year.
https://twitter.com/NARALVirginia/status/1274741369001504768
Youngkin’s campaign blasted McAuliffe for accepting that endorsement.
“Terry McAuliffe proudly accepted the endorsement an extreme organization which supports taxpayer funded abortion, supports late term abortions, and wants to defund the police,” Macaulay Porter, a spokesperson for Republican Glenn Youngkin’s campaign told The Star last week. “The majority of Virginians do not support McAuliffe’s extreme pro-abortion and anti-police agenda.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to dabroscareports@gmail.com.
Photo “Terry McAuliffe” by Terry McAuliffe. Background Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Anderskev. CC BY 3.0.