See below for a press release from the VA House Democrats on this new story from the WaPo, in which HD21 Republican nominee John Stirrup – who says NOTHING on his website about his views on abortion – admits in secret recordings, “I would support a 100 percent ban” and “I’d like to see, you know, [a] total ban,” adding:
“I would support a 100 percent ban,” he says. “It seems like the kind of acceptable … position has been about 15 weeks, but that really doesn’t save that many lives. It’s a start, you know, and I know the left gets really, you know, animated about this, ‘Oh you’re banning abortion.’ Abortion will always be legal in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Women will always have that option.”
For a full list of Virginia State Senate and House of Delegates Republican candidates’ stated positions on abortion, see here, and note that several running in competitive districts – Bill Woolf in SD30, Juan Pablo Segura in SD31; John Stirrup in HD21, Ian Lovejoy in HD22, David Owen in HD57, Riley Shaia in HD58 and Lee Peters in HD65 – say absolutely NOTHING on this topic. That almost certainly means that they also support a BAN on abortion, but don’t want to say so publicly because they know that it’s a politically disastrous position to take, as was just demonstrated yet again in “red” Ohio.
Bottom line: As a general rule of thumb, every Virginia voter this November should assume that if a Republican candidate says nothing about abortion on their website, etc, that means they’re strongly ANTI-choice but are HIDING their true views from voters. Make sure you vote (Democratic) accordingly!
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ICYMI: VIRGINIA REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE IN HD21 JOHN STIRRUP ADMITS TO SUPPORT FOR TOTAL ABORTION BAN IN NEW AUDIO
Audio Tapes Reveal Republican Candidate in tossup district HD21 Calling for 100% Abortion Ban, Will Be in Lockstep with MAGA Extremists in VA GOP
RICHMOND, VA – On newly uncovered audio, John Stirrup, the Republican Candidate for Virginia House District 21 admitted to supporting a 100% ban on abortion. In the audio, Stirrup is making it clear: the GOP’s true plan is to ban abortion access in the Commonwealth. HD21 is one of the most competitive districts this cycle and whoever holds the seat on November 7th could be the deciding vote on abortion in the next legislative session.
The extreme MAGA Republicans are coming for the fundamental rights and freedoms of hardworking Virginians and we must elect a Democratic majority in November to stop them.
“They’re saying the quiet part out loud,” said House Democratic Leader Don Scott. “We know that if the extremist John Stirrup and the rest of the MAGA Virginia Republicans take the majority in the House of Delegates, they will absolutely ban access to abortion in the Commonwealth. The GOP continues to show us who they are and we cannot allow them full control. Women’s lives are at stake.”
Josh Thomas, the Democratic candidate for House District 21 and a former Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, said, “When I’m out meeting folks in the 21st and I ask what issues matter the most to them, one of the things I hear over and over again is concern for protecting reproductive rights. It’s incredibly disappointing to hear my opponent’s blatant disregard for the rights and freedoms of women in Prince William County and across Virginia. We know that whoever represents the 21st House District in Richmond this January could be the deciding vote on abortion access in Virginia. The people of this district deserve a legislator who believes that medical decisions should be between a woman and her medical provider, not politicians, as my opponent would have it.”
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