Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who is running for governor again, released an ad this week clarifying that he has “always valued the concerns of parents” after a flood of backlash for stating in the last gubernatorial debate, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”
McAuliffe’s debate comment was met with a barrage of criticism, several op-eds from media outlets and interrogations from reporters, and fresh attacks from his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, who seized on the moment to launch a “Parents Matter” initiative highlighting the two candidates’ contrasting positions on education policy.
The new ad features photos of McAuliffe and his family as he stresses the importance of parents in schools. “As parents, Dorothy and I have always been involved in our kids’ education. We know good schools depend on involved parents. That’s why I want you to hear this from me. Glenn Youngkin’s taking my words out of context. I’ve always valued the concerns of parents.”
Fact check: his comment was not taken out of context, and he does not value the concerns of parents. He values the spread of Critical Race Theory (CRT), a racist indoctrination curriculum, in K-12 schools.
“Two weeks before Election Day, Terry McAuliffe is struggling to save his campaign,” said Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter. “After 3 weeks of confirming more than half a dozen times that he meant exactly what he said in the debate, McAuliffe has been ordered by panicked DC Democrats to stop spouting anti-parent screeds.”
Porter added that McAuliffe’s “attempt to fool Virginians is pathetic, and parents know the truth because the videos don’t lie.”