A political committee tied to Democratic strategists is reportedly posing as a conservative group to try to drive a wedge between Virginia gubernatorial nominee Glenn Younkin and Republican base voters in November’s closely watched election.
During the past week, some voters in Virginia have been targeted with ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google and Snapchat questioning Youngkin’s commitment to the Second Amendment, Axios reports.
“While the NRA backs Donald Trump, they REFUSED to endorse Glenn Youngkin. We can’t trust Glenn Youngkin on guns,” one of the ads says.
The ads come from a group called Accountability Virginia PAC, which on its website doesn’t give details about who’s behind the organization. But the group’s online donation page is accessed through ActBlue, the main Democratic fundraising platform; its bank account sits with Amalgamated Bank, a financial institution owned by labor unions and frequently used by pro-Democratic political groups; and consultants at a firm that works with Democrats helped incorporate Accountability Virginia, according to Axios.
According to public records, the group spent roughly $25,000 to run the ads, which have been viewed at least 1 million times. The ads appearing on Snapchat appear to be targeted to users in largely rural and heavily Republican parts of western Virginia.
Youngkin, a successful businessman and first time candidate, is facing off against former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in an election that’s seen as a key barometer ahead of next year’s midterm elections, when control of Congress will be up for grabs. The latest polls indicate McAuliffe holding a very slight advantage in the contest, with five weeks to go until the election.
Read more on Fox News…
