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RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) – Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans attempted to fuel the party’s right-wing base ahead of the critical November election in Virginia on Wednesday at a rally highlighted by falsehoods about the 2020 election and rants against vaccine- and mask mandates was shaped.
The party’s candidate for governor, Glenn Youngkin, did not attend the event but received a warm hug from Trump, who called on the phone to urge a crowd of a few hundred in suburban Richmond to get off to the Businessman choosing and first-time candidate.
“Glenn Youngkin is a great gentleman,” said Trump, who previously supported Youngkin before reiterating his lie that Democrat Joe Biden won the White House for mass electoral fraud.
Other speakers at the Take Back Virginia Rally included former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon; Arizona Rep. Mark Finchem who worked to reverse Trump’s 2020 loss in the state; and Senator Amanda Chase of Virginia, a prominent proponent of conspiracy theories for electoral fraud. It was organized by the conservative talk show host John Fredericks, a former Trump campaign chairman in Virginia.
The showcase of right-wing excitement came when Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe put up a close race in democratic Virginia, one of only two states with gubernatorial races this year. The Republican has focused his pitch on moderate and independent voters critical of success, but he also needs strong participation among Trump supporters.
That has led Youngkin to be cautious when addressing the lies about fraud promoted by Trump and others in his party. The Republican, who refused to say whether Biden was fair elected in his primary campaign, has since said that he believes so – and that he doesn’t believe there was any significant fraud last November.
Youngkin’s campaign didn’t respond to questions from The Associated Press on Wednesday about whether he expected Trump to campaign with him in the final sprint or why he chose not to attend Wednesday’s event, apart from pointing out the candidate’s full itinerary on Wednesday.
Youngkin called Fredericks Show earlier this week and thanked him for hosting the event.
“We’ll win this,” said Fredericks. “We’re going to hold the Trump coalition together while Youngkin goes out there and appeals to independents.”
Participants in the rally recited the pledge of allegiance to a flag that the event host said was carried at the “peaceful” rally Trump attended before his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a deadly riot attempt.
Democrats condemned the event and knocked Youngkin down after Trump’s statements.
Glenn Youngkin made it clear that his number one priority is bringing Donald Trump’s dangerous agenda to Virginia. As Youngkin focuses his campaign on spreading right-wing conspiracies and advancing an extreme political agenda, he makes it clearer than ever that he is too extreme for Virginia, ”said Manuel Bonder, a spokesman for the Virginia Democratic Party.
Democrats also criticize Youngkin’s continued willingness to campaign at Chase. The Senator from the suburb of Richmond has also campaigned for the governor’s nomination earlier this year and has been spreading misinformation about the security of the Virginia elections on a regular basis. Chase, who was reprimanded by the Senate earlier this year, has called for a “review” of the 2020 election in Virginia and said in December that Trump should invoke martial law to seize voting machines.
On Wednesday, she continued to focus on the false claims.
“We will do something for the integrity of the elections. And I know what’s going on, the Youngkin Campaign knows what’s going on. We’re watching like we’ve never seen it before, ”she told the crowd.
Trump lost Virginia overwhelmingly to Democrat Joe Biden last year – a routine state audit confirmed the results – and no election was stolen from Trump.
Trump’s former Attorney General William Barr found no evidence of widespread election corruption. During the Trump administration, allegations of massive election fraud were also denied by multiple judges and dismissed by state election officials and an arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
The Youngkin campaign has tried to draw a comparison between the false allegations of fraud today and the 2000 presidential election when a Supreme Court ruling found the winner and McAuliffe blew up the decision, saying the election was stolen .
Winsome Sears, the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, did not speak as planned. Your campaign didn’t respond to a request on Wednesday night.
An initial consultation said Jason Miyares, the GOP candidate for attorney general, would attend. But his spokeswoman Victoria LaCivita said on the phone that it was “a mistake, a miscommunication”.
She added that the candidate’s schedule was full, with a debate against acting Attorney General Mark Herring earlier in the day and an evening event elsewhere.
Del. Terry Kilgore and Senator Bill Stanley had been advertised as speakers on a number of occasions but said they had job responsibilities and were absent.
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