We've covered how Virginia Democrats are smearing their pro-life Republican opponents by misleading about abortion, all while hiding how they are extreme on this issue. It's only gotten worse, now that early voting has started for the November statewide elections.
On Monday, Democrat Joel Griffin released a 30-second ad in a pinned post with claims about Republican Tara Durant's "extreme" positions on abortion.
"Durant says doctors who disagree with her laws should be in jail," one woman insists.The citation listed includes HB 1795, which clearly applies to babies born alive from abortion. All 52 Republican delegates voted in favor of the bill, though Senate Democrats killed it.
Democrats also tried for a state constitutional amendment that would allow for abortion at any point in pregnancy for any reason without legal limit. And, they voted against legislation mandating that medical care be provided to babies who survive abortion. This is after then Gov. Ralph Northam, the commonwealth's Democratic governor from 2018-2022, advocated in 2019 for leaving those babies to die.
Northam was discussing a pro-abortion bill proposed by Del. Kathy Tran. "I don’t think we have a limit in the bill," she said. Even when confronted with the scenario of "where it’s obvious that a woman is about to give birth, she has physical signs that she is about to give birth, and she’s dilating, would that still be a point at which she could request an abortion," Tran said "my bill would allow that, yes."
Griffin's ad also distorts a June 24, 2022 Facebook post from Durant celebrating the end of Roe v. Wade as a result of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision. "She supports letting Virginia force a 10-year-old rape victim to carry to term," one woman hysterically claims.
"Today is a great day for life. While this decision does not change the law in Virginia, we know the majority of Virginians are united on the most basic principles regarding abortion: all of us want fewer abortions. As a mother to three beautiful children, I look forward to working with Governor Youngkin and fellow members of the General Assembly to affirm protections for the unborn, and supporting and caring for mothers in the Commonwealth. Please pray for peace and the safety of our justices and our nation," the post says, making zero reference to rape.
Youngkin has repeatedly made his stance on abortion clear. When Dobbs was handed down, the governor expressed support for limiting abortions at 15-weeks with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother, and tasked the House of Delegates with finding a consensus.
This is just one recent ad. Last week, Democrat Travis Nembhard released an ad claiming that his Republican opponent, Ian Lovejoy, "will take away our rights" because of abortion. The ad cites "Lovejoy campaign literature August 2023."
That literature notes that "Ian Lovejoy supports Governor Youngkin's consensus approach to limit elective abortion in Virginia to 15 weeks with reasonable exceptions for the horrendous crimes of rape and incest or to protect the life of the mother." It also reads "IAN KNOWS THAT TOGETHER WE CAN PROTECT WOMEN AND BABIES."
On "SUPPORTING WOMEN & FINDING CONSENSUS," the literature contains multiple ideas as to how "Ian Lovejoy Supports Commonsense Policies for Virginia," including "Protect life at 15 weeks, when a baby can begin to feel pain;" Preserve exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother;" "Expand adoption services and counseling for expecting mothers;" and "Support new mothers and their babies with pregnancy expenses and services."
Sorry to share that there’s more dishonesty from VA state Democrats now that early voting has started for the November statewide elections. Here’s some against @IanTLovejoy. pic.twitter.com/MgGmrmrPLZ
— Rebecca Downs (@RebeccaRoseGold) September 28, 2023
"My opponent is back at it again, shamelessly lying as a last-ditch and desperate effort to earn votes. This issue should not be about politics. This should an opportunity for the Commonwealth to come together to find consensus on what is fair for both women and babies, and the majority of Virginians support the 15-week limitation, with exceptions for the awful crimes of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk," Lovejoy said in a statement.
"I challenge my opponent to state his true position on abortion, and if he disagrees with my position, I welcome him to try and justify abortion during the ninth month of a pregnancy, or whenever his cut-off may be. As Delegate, I will never lie to my constituents in petty attempts to earn votes. Virginia Can’t Wait to reject this far-left agenda that tries to earn votes through fear-mongering," he added, going on to highlight the Democratic Party's extreme position on abortion.
This appears to be a pattern from Nembhard.
A press release refers to Nembhard as a "[r]adical leftist" and says he is "showing he will say whatever it takes for him and the Democrats to obtain power, even if it means blatantly lying to the voters of Prince William County," noting "Nembhard has been on a tirade- spreading lies across multiple media platforms to confuse voters on where Ian Lovejoy stands, particularly on the issue of abortion.
The Democratic Party of Virginia also paid for mailers authorized by Nembhard that warn about Lovejoy's "extreme agenda," which includes claims about abortion and other issues.
While the mailer claims that Lovejoy received an "A" rating from the NRA, citing a 2019 article from the Prince William Times, that's not the most recent rating. The NRA's website currently shows a "B" rating. On taxes, Lovejoy served two terms on the Manassas City Council, during which time assessments went up, as has been happening for decades, and has continued now that Lovejoy is no longer on the council.
Here’s some of @IanTLovejoy’s own literature, in which he very clearly states his position on protecting life, not only when it comes to opposing abortion, but helping women. pic.twitter.com/NjQrqQDbp8
— Rebecca Downs (@RebeccaRoseGold) September 28, 2023
The Democratic Party's extreme position has gotten the attention of Youngkin's Spirt of Virginia PAC. "With no vision to offer the Commonwealth in this election and nothing to inspire Virginians to vote for their extreme candidates, Virginia Democrats are reverting to their tired tactics of overt falsehoods and flagrant fearmongering," a Tuesday press release charged.
A press release from Wednesday mentions a particularly close race between Democratic state Sen. Monty Mason and Republican Danny Digs. As Townhall has covered, Mason was caught up in a hot mic moment slamming parental rights and hiding behind Republican victories in campaign ads.
Mason sponsored on ad of a nurse claiming Diggs would support "a new ban on abortion" that "forces us to deny women care, jailing women and nurses, putting lives in danger."
The supposed proof comes from Diggs' website. The "Life" section reads the following:
I am pro-life and believe we must do better in cultivating a culture of life in Virginia. I will work to expand access to adoption and provide mothers the resources they need to support their children. I also support Governor Youngkin’s common sense proposal to allow abortion up to 15 weeks while leaving in exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.
There is zero mention of jailing anyone, denying anyone care, or endangering anyone. Again, one of the exceptions of Youngkin's plan is for the life of the mother.
The ad also cites The Washington Post from December 16, 2022. That day's article on abortion makes zero mention of Diggs.
"Monty Mason is following his fellow far-left Democrats down the shameful path of lying to voters in order to distract from his extreme record. Monty’s latest ad is a sad attempt to rescue his flailing campaign, engaging in despicable fear-mongering and falsehoods. With no record of accomplishment, no vision, and no commonsense agenda to offer the people of his district, it is not a surprise that Monty Mason and Virginia Democrats feel their only option is to lie to Virginians," said Spirit of Virginia Chairman Dave Rexrode in response to the ad.
Tuesday's press release, which condemned Griffin's ad, also included a statement from Rexrode.
"Far-left Virginia Democrats continue to push shameless, demonstrably false lies to distract from their extreme position that elective abortions should be allowed in Virginia up until the moment of birth and that if a baby survives an abortion, they should not receive medical care. Joel Griffin’s ad is just the latest desperate and despicable attempt to mislead voters. It will not work," Rexrode said.
"Virginians know that Republicans are uniting behind Governor Youngkin’s commonsense position that we should protect life at 15 weeks when a baby can feel pain, with exceptions for rape, incest, and when the mother’s life is at risk. Democrats are offering no plan for Virginia’s future, just an extreme agenda that is far, far out of touch with where voters really are. It’s time they stop the desperate lies," he continued.
Democrats bragged about blocking that 15-week abortion ban. Whether it is able to pass in the future depends on how Republicans fare in the November elections. When Youngkin was elected in 2021, enough fellow Republicans rode his coattails, and the GOP gained control of the House of Delegates. The state Senate, under Democratic control, was not up for election, though it is this year. Republicans are both defending their majority in the lower chamber and hoping to retake the majority in the upper chamber.
Youngkin has been pushing for early voting through the Secure Your Vote Virginia initiative.
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