The conservative group Independent Women’s Voice (IWV) said earlier this week that an ad attacking Democrat Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe was deemed too explicit for television in Virginia.
“Numerous Virginia high schools’ libraries included books with pornographic content. IWV created an ad to raise awareness about this issue—but the ad was REJECTED as too explicit to run during the 11 p.m. hour on TV in Virginia,” Kelsey Bolar, the group’s senior policy analyst, said on Twitter.
Numerous Virginia high schools’ libraries included books with pornographic content. @IWV created an ad to raise awareness about this issue—but the ad was REJECTED as too explicit to run during the 11 p.m. hour on TV in Virginia.
WATCH our ad here: https://t.co/YKGGo3dwiQ
— Kelsey Bolar (Harkness) (@kelseybolar) October 25, 2021
“Caution: the following is inappropriate for children,” the ad begins, “but was found in Virginia public schools. TV rules say adults can’t see this, but Virginia schools think it’s fine for kids.”
McAuliffe, running against Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin for his second nonconsecutive term in office, has been roundly criticized for comments he made in a September debate against Youngkin.
“I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” McAuliffe said, setting off a firestorm.
The IVW ad, which is indeed graphic and can be viewed here, makes mention of those comments by McAuliffe.
“Terry McAuliffe vetoed the bill that would have given parents the ability to protect their children [from explicit content],” the ad says, before playing the clip of McAuliffe’s comments from the September debate.
Once again, the Youngkin campaign blasted McAuliffe.
“Parents have a right to know what their children are being taught and exposed to at school, but Terry McAuliffe disagrees,” Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez told The Virginia Star in an email. “He wants to keep parents in the dark. That’s why Republicans, Independents, and Democrats are supporting Glenn Youngkin.”
The McAuliffe campaign did not respond to a comment request.
The race between the two men is in a dead heat, with the momentum decidedly in Youngkin’s corner.
They square off on Election Day next Tuesday.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
