(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) A Republican Political Action Committee launched an aggressive multimedia advertising campaign targeting vulnerable Democrats ahead of Virginia’s Senate election in November.
The Spirit of Virginia PAC—backed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus and the Republican State Leadership Committee PAC—set its sights on gaining control over the state Senate’s slim Democrat majority, according to the Daily Caller.
The campaign cost over $1 million and involved releasing attack ads on television and several digital platforms through the beginning of September. Officials scheduled direct mailings, text messages and additional digital and TV ads targeting likely voters following the initial push.
The ads largely focused on Democrats apparent unwillingness to address the rising crime wave. One targeted Sen. Monty Mason, Democrat representative of the 1st Senate District.
“Mason voted to release thousands of convicted criminals early,” the ad’s narrator said. “He and Virginia Democrats would rather go soft on crime. That’s a crap deal for Virginia and we don’t want it.”
Democrats have remained a roadblock to accomplishing many of the goals set by Youngkin and Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, and earlier this year booted three highly-qualified Republican members from three of the state’s highest-profile governance boards.
“We’ve already delivered on our promise to invest earlier than ever in Virginia to make sure that we have quality candidates in key battleground districts, and now we’re pressing forward in the general election by helping Virginia Senate Republican nominees get across the finish line in November,” RSLC PAC President Dee Duncan said.
“This will no doubt be an uphill climb, which is why we’re working closely with Governor Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC and Senate Republican leadership to strip away at the Democrat majority.”
Democrats took Virginia in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential races; however, in 2021, Youngkin took the gubernatorial race with an intense focus on education, parental rights and the purging of critical race theory from public schools.
Republicans expressed hope that they could parlay these issues to gain control of Virginia’s Senate. The election will take place on Nov. 5.
