From 314 Action Fund:
Trump + Youngkin: A Perfect, Anti-Science Match
Finally admitting what observers knew from the start, Youngkin pivots hard into far-right conspiracy theories as he scrambles to try and win in Virginia
PHILADELPHIA — Today, Donald Trump announced that he would be making a campaign stop for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin in Arlington, VA. This announcement comes as the Youngkin campaign faces a host of controversies in the final days of the race — the latest being his decision to make a book banning “activist” his final TV surrogate.
314 Action Fund recently launched an ad in-state condemning Youngkin, whose support for anti-science policies has led to violence and abusive rhetoric at school board meetings in their states and across the country. This ad is part of 314 Action’s $10 million nonpartisan advocacy campaign for the 2021-2022 cycle, which is focused on issues critical to the science community. Watch the ad here.
“In the final days of his campaign, Glenn Youngkin has entirely stopped pretending that he’s anything more than Donald Trump’s mouthpiece,” said Joshua Morrow, executive director of 314 Action. “He’s pushed anti-science theories. He’s made a book-banning ‘activist’ a spokesperson for his campaign. He’s cut from the same cloth as Trump, and he’s finally gotten around to publicly admitting it.”
As a reminder, Donald Trump has been a leading figure against science and scientific advancement in the United States and abroad:
- Withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords, turning our backs to the world when they needed us to combat the climate crisis.
- Touted chemical disinfectant as a viable treatment for COVID-19, leading to a spike in calls to poison control.
- Censored scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Weakened hundreds of federal regulations focused on environmental protections, including the Coal Ash Rule, which regulates the disposal of toxic coal waste.
- Considered the merits of deploying a nuclear bomb to “stop” a hurricane.
- Continued to hold presidential campaign rallies during the pandemic, resulting in an estimated 30,000 coronavirus cases.
In 2022, 314 Action will aim to spend $50 million to elect scientists across all levels of government, with initial targets of seven U.S. Senate races, forty U.S. House races, and twenty-one statewide races.
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314 Action Fund is powered by a grassroots community of over six million people working to elect scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals who will use science and facts to address our most pressing issues like climate change and health care. In 2018 and 2020, we played a pivotal role in flipping the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, electing eleven Democratic scientists to federal office, as well as over 100 to state and local offices. In 2021 and 2022, 314 Action Fund will continue working to elect science leaders and defeat climate deniers in Congress and legislatures across the country.
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