Former Virginia governor and 2021 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe has accepted the endorsement of a progressive non-profit that advocates for various progressive overhauls of the state’s criminal justice system.
In a July 20 tweet, McAuliffe said that he was “proud to be endorsed by” the group, New Virginia Majority (NVM), as they share his vision of building a “more inclusive Commonwealth.”
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
Despite claiming to promote “democracy, justice, and progress,” NVM advocates for the defunding of police, and the abolition of both prisons and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The group has consistently expressed these radical views on its Twitter page.
In the wake of last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, NVM promoted a student activist who envisioned “a world without police.” In March, NVM cited an article that called the police “agents of white supremacy.” And in April, the group wrote that “incarceration is a human rights violation.”
"We're actively unlearning and envisioning a new world without police, and building that on our own" - Angelica Credle, @VAstudentpower organizer pic.twitter.com/0HmEa7jKDN
— New Virginia Majority (@NewVAMajority) June 20, 2020
Closing the Hampton Roads Regional Jail is necessary and long overdue, but just a reminder that there are no "good" jails or prisons.
— New Virginia Majority (@NewVAMajority) April 27, 2021
Incarceration is a human rights violation. https://t.co/FGQV9MBKRJ
“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
And just before the 2016 presidential election, an Alexandria man affiliated with NVM was charged with voter fraud, as he forged registration forms and invented names for new “voters.”
Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for McAuliffe’s GOP opponent, businessman Glenn Youngkin, told Fox News that McAuliffe accepting NVM’s endorsement shows that the former governor is not interested in addressing Virginia’s recent crime spike.
“Virginia’s murder rate is at a 20-year high, and Terry McAuliffe is embracing the far-left’s efforts to defund the police, let more violent criminals out of prison, and create even more chaos in our communities,” Martinez said. “Terry McAuliffe will make Virginia less safe.”
The Virginia Police Benevolent Association’s Board of Directors echoed Martinez’s sentiment, calling McAuliffe’s acceptance of the NVM endorsement “an affront to our brothers and sisters in blue.”
Virginia’s gubernatorial election, which has been widely characterized as an early referendum on Washington, D.C. Democrats for voters ahead of next year’s midterms, will be held on Nov. 2.
McAuliffe still leads in most polls, but Youngkin has closed the gap significantly in blue-leaning Virginia. A Trafalgar poll conducted last month showed Youngkin trailing by just 1.8 percentage points, though more recent polls show McAuliffe expanding his lead to as much as 4 percentage points.