Last Updated on February 17, 2022
GOP nominee for Governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin appears to be blaming white supremacists for the Commonwealth’s rising rates of crime, releasing a new campaign ad crediting the type of “hatred” and “evil” displayed by condemned mass shooter Dylann Roof with Virginia’s soaring annual number of murders under Democrat leadership.
The Youngkin campaign ad, titled “A New Direction,” takes a softer tone on law and order, casting Youngkin as a “compassionate leader” as described by Jarrat resident Rose Simmons, whose father was killed by mass shooter Dylann Roof at the Emmanuel Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC. The ad has drawn the ire of grassroots conservatives around Virginia and online, many of whom accuse Youngkin of employing left-wing hysteria tactics surrounding white supremacists in an effort to virtue signal to voters who wouldn’t ordinarily support a Republican candidate.
“It was hatred that killed my father and eight others in a church Bible study,” Ms. Simmons tells viewers as the Youngkin for Governor ad begins. “That type of evil is driving the rising crime here, in Virginia.”
“Right now, all of our communities are at a crossroads,” Simmons continues. “That’s why we need Glenn Youngkin. I know Glenn, he is a compassionate leader who knows how to unify Virginians and create the change we need to protect our communities. We need a new direction and a new Governor. For me, that’s Glenn Youngkin.”
Conservatives blasted the ad online, with Scott Greer posting to Twitter that the ad “implies white supremacists are causing the crime increase in the state,” and later linking to an article profiling donations made by Youngkin to the extreme-left Southern Poverty Law Center when he served as CEO of The Carlyle Group.
Youngkin's company pledged to make matching donations to the SPLC in 2020 https://t.co/iKFIzrBc8e
— Scott Greer 6’2” IQ 187 (@ScottMGreer) September 6, 2021
Crime and public safety have become hot button campaign issues as Virginia’s statewide races draw closer to Election Day, with voters, like others around the nation, citing a concerning rise in crime as a driving force behind their plans to come out to the polls, though often blaming Richmond Democrats, Virginia’s recent left-wing makeover, and other cultural factors, not white supremacists, for the uptick. In 2020, the state tallied more homicides than it had in two decades.
Earlier this year, Richmond Democrats, led by Governor Ralph “Blackface” Northam, abolished the death penalty, even in cases of capital murder, which Virginia had used more times than any other state since its founding. In addition, several other left-wing inspired criminal justice initiatives were rammed through the legislature before receiving the Governor’s signature, keeping more criminals on the streets. The moves in large have been backed by Youngkin’s opponent, former Governor and close Clinton-Biden ally Terry McAuliffe, who despite Democrat rhetoric surrounding police defunding, has attempted to cozy himself up to law enforcement on the campaign trail.
National File reached out the Youngkin campaign for comment on the campaign ad, asking whether or not Youngkin actually believes that white supremacists are responsible for Virginia’s uptick in crime, which has been largely concentrated to cities with minority white populations, such as the state capital of Richmond. In response, a Youngkin team member stated that the ad was being mischaracterized, and that “nearly all murder is driven by hate.”
As previously reported by National File, the Youngkin campaign has experienced flaccid support among the grassroots conservatives who make up the America First-inclined base of Virginia’s GOP voting bloc, with voters often pointing to Youngkin’s business ties to China and perceived weakness on 2nd Amendment and pro-life issues. Youngkin did not receive the NRA’s endorsement for Governor and has campaigned in Virginia with establishment-linked GOPers, including Nikki Haley and Dan Crenshaw, the latter of whom Youngkin helped present with an award for “fighting” the radical left, despite his support of red flag gun confiscation laws and historical vandalism.
