From the Wendy Gooditis for Delegate campaign:
Sexual Abuse Survivor Wendy Gooditis Calls False Clemente Attacks “Disgusting” in New Ad
Gooditis has led the Virginia General Assembly in strengthening laws to protect children
Boyce, Va. – Delegate Wendy Gooditis, a survivor of child sexual abuse, released a new TV ad calling her opponent Nick Clemente’s false attacks on child abuse “disgusting” today. Gooditis has made protecting children her mission in the Virginia General Assembly and has championed numerous bills strengthening the Commonwealth’s laws — including bills that would require reporting of abuse and help catch predators at an earlier stage.
The ad will be run through Election Day and can be viewed here.
My brother and I were victims of child sexual abuse. It destroyed him and he took his own life. Republican Nick Clemente knows my story and that I’ve fought to protect children—but he’s accusing me of covering up sexual assault. For Nick Clemente to lie about THIS…is disgusting. pic.twitter.com/U3ii4xkxdj
— Wendy Gooditis (@WendyGooditisVA) October 19, 2021
“Protecting our children is personal to me and Nick Clemente should be ashamed of his latest attack ad,” Delegate Gooditis said. “Both my brother and I were victims of sexual abuse as children. Brian struggled with PTSD as a result and eventually took his own life. That’s why I have fought relentlessly in the House to prevent this from happening to other children by passing mandatory reporting of child abuse, as well as sponsoring legislation to catch predators at an earlier stage. I have always been and will continue to be an advocate for our children’s safety. And for Nick Clemente to lie about it is disgusting.”
In his latest desperate attack ad, Clemente is making a number of false claims — the most egregious being that Gooditis voted to keep sexual assaults secret. As is usual in Clemente’s ads, the attack uses no citation and is a flat-out lie. Gooditis has been a leader in the General Assembly on protecting children from sexual abuse, championing numerous bills to strengthen Virginia’s laws.
Ad Transcript
I’m Wendy Gooditis, Candidate for Delegate and Nick Clemente should be ashamed of his attack ad.
My brother and I were sexually abused as children. It destroyed Brian and he eventually took his own life.
It’s why I led the right to pass mandatory reporting of child abuse and wrote legislation to catch predators at an earlier stage.
I sponsor this ad because protecting children is personal and for Nick Clemente to lie about it is disgusting.
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Delegate Gooditis is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates (D-10). She represents parts of Clarke, Frederick, and Loudoun counties. Delegate Gooditis has two children and lives in Millwood, Virginia with her husband, five horses, and two Rhodesian Ridgebacks.