[POLITICO] Mailers attacking Democrat Terry McAuliffe for being "on the side of abusive coppers" are popping up in Virginia voters’ mailboxes, urging support for third-party hopeful Princess Blanding — and highlighting a fierce battle for Black votes in the final days of the tight governor’s race.
In interviews with POLITICO, more than a dozen top Democrats involved in the Virginia campaign — from strategists on the ground to House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) — expressed concern that Black support for McAuliffe is weaker and less enthusiastic than it could be in a razor-thin race in a blue-trending state. Against that backdrop, McAuliffe and Black Democratic surrogates are racing across Virginia before Tuesday’s election to drive up Black turnout and support.
It appears Republicans are trying to take advantage. The anti-McAuliffe mailers — featuring an image of a Black man’s face, pushed into the pavement — are paid for by Our First Principles Fund, a nonprofit group whose only previous known spending came during the fight for the Virginia GOP’s gubernatorial nomination, when the group spent six figures attacking one of eventual nominee Glenn Youngkin’s primary opponents. The group — one of several on both sides trying to dampen base enthusiasm for the other party — did not respond to a request for comment.
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