UPDATE: Latino Victory Fund took down the tweet of their ad just hours after defending it, but here's a YouTube link.
Earlier in the day, the group said that they "stood by" the advertisement. This tweet has also been deleted.
It is unclear if these backtracks are related to Tuesday's deadly incident involving a truck attack in New York City.
---Original Post---
We're about eight days out from the Virginia gubernatorial election, and holy moly are things getting ugly.
Exhibit A: This advertisement for Democrat Ralph Northam paid for by Latino Victory Fund that portrayed a Confederate-flag toting Ed Gillespie supporter driving a pickup truck (complete with a "Don't Tread on Me" license plate) and attempting to run down various ethnic minority children.
The incident turns out to be a nightmare, but a voice at the end of the ad asks "Is this what Donald Trump and Ed Gillespie mean by the American dream?" while footage of the Charlottesville protests plays on a television.
Watch below: Yes, this is somehow a real ad.
Ed Gillespie and Donald Trump promise the American dream, but can only deliver an American nightmare. No more. Vote @RalphNortham. #GameOnVA pic.twitter.com/mwpWXM47HZ
— Latino Victory (@latinovictoryus) October 30, 2017
This is absolutely absurd, even as political ads go. While the Northam campaign has tried numerous times to try to connect Gillespie to the disgusting events in August in Charlottesville, the fact of the matter is that Gillespie not only had nothing to do with the protests, but immediately condemned them.
Of course, this could just be a last-ditch attempt from the left in Virginia to seal victory in what's been a very contentious race. Polls are not looking great for Northam, and obviously the Democrats don't want to lose what once looked like a relative cakewalk of an election. But still, this kind of rhetoric is disgusting. The Northam campaign should condemn this ad.