Tipsheet

Glenn Youngkin Delivers Announcement on Investigating Rape Allegations in School District to Packed Crowds

On Tuesday night, Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin made an announcement before a packed crowd in Burke, Virginia, calling for "an immediate investigation into the Loudoun County School Board for their gross negligence" to do with incidents involving alleged rape in the school district.

That Youngkin drew such a crowd in such a blue part of the commonwealth is further indicative of the momentum the Republican candidate appears to have with now less than two weeks to go before Election Day, on November 2.

The event delved into many aspects of education, which has become a hot topic in the Virginia statewide races.

Del. Jason Miyares, who is the Republican candidate for attorney general, also appeared at the rally alongside Youngkin and former Del. Winsome Sears, the Republican candidate for lieutenant general. 

Youngkin also mentioned repealing what is known as House Bill 257, which was approved by Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) and went into effect in July 2020. It allows for school districts to decide if they will report misdemeanors, which includes sexual battery. 

As I covered over the weekend, Northam has been rather evasive about giving a satisfactory response when it comes to having approved the legislation in March 2020 if it still looks like a good idea.

Julia Manchester of The Hill on Tuesday tweeted out a statement from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe's campaign. 

The statement stuck to a theme from the McAuliffe campaign and McAuliffe himself of repeatedly trying to tie Youngkin to former President Donald Trump. With added emphasis, the statement reads that "Glenn Youngkin's entire campaign has been based on Donald Trump's divisive conspiracy theories, and tonight we saw more of the same--angry Trumpian conspiracy theories and constant threats against public school funding. Glenn Youngkin has shown time and time again he's running for governor for one man only: Donald Trump. Terry McAuliffe, however, is running for governor for all Virginians and will build a stronger Commonwealth that invests in public education and lists everyone up."

As Luke Rosiak of The Daily Wire recently reported and has been reporting consistently on since, Scott Smith came forward to allege that his ninth-grade daughter had been raped in a school bathroom by a biological boy wearing a skirt and that he broke his "silence" recently upon learning that there were allegations that the same individual had done it to another victim. 

Youngkin does not often bring up the former president on the campaign trail and has repeatedly emphasized to reporters that Glenn Youngkin is the one campaigning for Glenn Youngkin in Virginia, rather than bringing in outside help. Earlier on Tuesday, McAuliffe was called out during a CNN interview by "At This Hour" host Kate Bouldan for his constant referencing of Trump. 

McAuliffe has sought the help of high profile Democratic figures including President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, First Lady Jill Biden, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, and Vice President Kamala Harris. As it turns out, however, the campaign messaging of Abrams and Harris which is a video message played in churches calling on parishioners to vote for McAuliffe may put them at odds with the IRS