Terry McAuliffe, the leading candidate in the Democratic primary for governor of Virginia, faced a flurry of attacks from his opponents during a debate Tuesday night because they aimed to reduce his broad support of black voters. On the extraordinary side, the state’s black lieutenant governor, Justin Fairfax, Mr. McAuliffe is accused of treating him like George Floyd or Emmett Till after Fairfax was accused of sexually assaulting two women in 2019.
Mr. McAuliffe, a white former state governor who has the support of many of the state’s top-elected officials, made a public call that year for Mr. Thank you Fairfax.
Mr. Fairfax’s remarks on Tuesday – in which he compared himself to two black people killed in episodes of white violence – were the most appropriate attempt by one of the three black candidates to make a racial distinction between them and Mr. To hit McAuliffe. which is aimed at reclaiming the office he held from 2014 to 2018.
The accusation comes at the end of the debate, the first for the five Virginia Democrats who elect them as governors. When asked what the candidates asked to envision the future of law enforcement in Virginia, Mr. Fairfax said that theoretical descriptions are unnecessary because he is a living depiction of the damage that false accusations and a rush to judgment can cause.
“Everyone here on stage has asked for my immediate resignation, including Terry McAuliffe three minutes after a press release came out,” he said. Fairfax said. ‘He treated me like George Floyd, he treated me like Emmett Till, without any proper process, I immediately accepted my guilt. I have a son and a daughter, and I do not want my daughter to be assaulted, I do not want my son to be falsely accused. And this is the real world we live in. And therefore we must speak truth with power and we must be very clear about how it affects people’s lives. ”
Mr. McAuliffe did not comment on the debate phase on Mr. Fairfax did not reply. His spokesman declined to comment.
In February 2019, amid a simultaneous scandal involving a yearbook photo of Governor Ralph Northam in black face, two women accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting them in separate episodes – allegations that Fairfax has always denied. Mr. Fairfax came face to face with a shower of calls to resign. Weeks later, in a speech on the floor of the Senate in Virginia, he compares himself to lynching victims.
Mr. Fairfax was not the only candidate on Tuesday night for black voters of Mr. McAuliffe to try to renounce. According to the small public poll of the race, Mr. McAuliffe held a significant lead over his four opponents, and no survey showed he had less than a two-to-one advantage over his closest rival.
Jennifer McClellan, a state senator who elected him governor, said Mr. McAuliffe is accused of underfunding the state’s parole system, cutting off deals with the National Rifle Association during his tenure as governor and being a late advocate for racial justice.
“Racial justice is about more than just criminal law reform,” she said. McClellan, who is black, said. “It’s embedded in every system we have in government, and I did not need George Floyd’s assassination or the Unite the Right rally to teach me that.”
Mr. During his speeches, McAuliffe emphasized his relationship with Mr. Northam and President Biden, two Democrats who both owe their offices to strong relationships with and support for black voters. He stressed his step to restore the voting rights of 206,000 criminals in the state and said that every police officer in the state should wear a body camera “so we can see what is going on.”
“Thank goodness we had all the individuals there who had cell phones when George Floyd was killed,” he said.
Mr. McAuliffe barely mentioned his opponents during the debate, except to remind the audience that McClellan was a regular partner of his when he was governor. But at the end of the debate, Mr. Fairfax defines itself as the biggest rival of the ominous former governor.
“There seem to be two rules here, one where the governor can talk as long as he wants and do what he wants, and one for everyone,” he said. Fairfax said. “I think it’s part of the thing, that we have so many differences in our society.”