Glenn Youngkin Drops $1.4 Million on Ad Buy Claiming Dems Want Abortion Up Until Birth
Virginia Republicans are desperate to win back the House. So the Virginia Governor's PAC has put out ads claiming Republicans aren’t trying to ban abortion.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) put out a $1.4 million ad buy focusing on abortion to amplify bogus claims about Democrats ahead of November’s elections, the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported on Tuesday. Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC is focusing on key swing districts in the state legislature, as Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and House of Delegates are presently neck-and-neck: Democrats hold a four-seat advantage in the Senate while Republicans hold a four-seat advantage in the House. Virginia is the last state in the South where abortion remains legal past 12 weeks, and the outcome of next month’s elections could dramatically shape the landscape of access for the entire region.
Per the Dispatch, Youngkin’s ads, which will run on cable, streaming, and digital media this week through Election Day, zero in on two central lies: that Republicans aren’t trying to ban abortion, and that Democrats are pushing abortion up until the moment of birth without limits. Both of these statements are, in fact, false. For starters, there’s no such thing as “abortion up until birth.” Secondly, Virginia Republicans, including Youngkin, are unified in calling for a 15-week ban, which is before many people know they’re pregnant and severely shortens the window of time in which people can get care. That hasn’t stopped Republicans from being purposefully deceitful: “Look, I know everyone in our caucus understands Virginians as a whole do not want a ban,” Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert told the Dispatch. “We’ve been full-throated and clear that 15 weeks is where we are as public policy.”