GOP's Youngkin stays away from 'Take Back Virginia' rally

RICHMOND, Va. – GOP gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin stayed distant from a rally Wednesday featuring Republicans who person dispersed falsehoods astir predetermination fraud, though governmental allies were owed to be and erstwhile President Donald Trump, a Youngkin backer, was expected to telephone in.

Conservative vigor big John Fredericks, a erstwhile Trump run president successful Virginia, organized the “Take Back Virginia Rally” that drew astatine slightest a fewer 100 radical successful the Richmond suburbs to occurrence up the GOP's close helping successful the runup to the Nov. 2 elections.

Among those who spoke oregon were expected to were: Winsome Sears, a Republican moving against Democratic Del. Hala Ayala for lieutenant governor; erstwhile Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon; Rep. Mark Finchem of Arizona, who has worked to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss; and Virginia authorities Sen. Amanda Chase, a salient promoter of predetermination fraud conspiracy theories.

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Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe are successful a choky contention successful Democratic-leaning Virginia. The Republican has focused his transportation astatine mean and autarkic voters captious to his success. That means treading carefully erstwhile addressing the lies astir fraud promoted by Trump and others successful his party.

Youngkin, who successful his superior run declined to accidental whether Biden was reasonably elected, has since said helium believes helium was — and that helium does not judge determination was important fraud past November.

Youngkin’s run did not respond to questions from The Associated Press connected Wednesday whether Youngkin expected Trump would run with him successful the last agelong oregon wherefore helium chose not to be Wednesday's event, isolated from pointing retired the candidate’s engaged question docket Wednesday.

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Earlier successful the week, Youngkin called into Fredericks’ amusement and thanked him for hosting the event.

“We’re going to triumph this,” Fredericks said. "We’re gonna clasp the Trump conjugation unneurotic portion Youngkin goes retired determination and appeals to independents.”

Sears, a Marine veteran, got her commencement successful elected bureau successful 2001 erstwhile she stunned some parties by beating a longtime incumbent successful an overwhelmingly bluish territory to go the archetypal Black Republican pistillate elected to the House of Delegates.

She served conscionable 1 word earlier deciding not to question reelection. More recently, she served arsenic the nationalist seat of an enactment dedicated to reelecting Trump, and won Chase's endorsement successful the information contest.

Democrats condemned the lawsuit and called connected Youngkin to measurement successful connected Sears' participation.

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“This benignant of rhetoric is unsafe and puts lives astatine risk, and Virginia deserves amended than Steve Bannon and Glenn Youngkin," Jayce Genco, communications manager for the Democratic Party of Virginia, said successful a connection earlier the event.

They've besides criticized Youngkin's continued willingness to run with Chase. The authorities legislator from suburban Richmond besides sought the information for politician this twelvemonth and routinely shares misinformation astir the information of Virginia's elections. Chase, who was censured by the Senate connected a bipartisan ground earlier this year, has called for an “audit” of the 2020 predetermination successful Virginia and successful December said Trump should invoke martial instrumentality to prehend voting machines.

Trump mislaid Virginia overwhelmingly to Democrat Joe Biden past twelvemonth - a regular authorities audit confirmed the results - and nary predetermination was stolen from Trump.

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Trump's erstwhile lawyer general, William Barr, recovered nary grounds of wide predetermination corruption. Allegations of monolithic voting fraud besides were dismissed by respective judges and refuted by authorities predetermination officials and an limb of the Homeland Security Department during the Trump administration.

The Youngkin run has tried to gully a examination betwixt the mendacious claims of fraud contiguous and the 2000 statesmanlike election, erstwhile a Supreme Court ruling decided the victor and McAuliffe blasted the determination and said the predetermination had been stolen.

Other Republican candidates declined to be Wednesday's event.

An archetypal advisory said Jason Miyares, the GOP nominee for lawyer general, would attend. But his spokeswoman, Victoria LaCivita, said by telephone that was “a mistake, a miscommunication."

She added the candidate's docket was full, with a debate against incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring earlier successful the time and an evening lawsuit elsewhere.

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Del. Terry Kilgore and Sen. Bill Stanley were astatine assorted points advertised arsenic attending but were not connected the last speakers' list.

No different Virginia candidates too Sears were scheduled to speak, according to a database provided to AP.

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