See below for reactions from Virginia elected officials to the horrific, white-supremacist-motivated shootings in Buffalo, New York. Note that you won’t see many Republican reactions, because it’s been pretty much “crickets” from them (surprise surprise, huh?), other than a very weak statement by Glenn Youngkin, which wasn’t even pushed out on his social media feeds. Also note that far-right Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Albany, NY), who has pushed out white “replacement theory” rhetoric, has actually *endorsed* two Republican candidates for Congress from Virginia (Jen Kiggans in VA02, Jeanine Lawson in VA10), and that neither of those candidates has said a word about either the Buffalo shootings or the Stefanik endorsements. Very telling, eh?
“My heart breaks for those who lost a loved one in this horrific act of evil. Hate has no place in our nation, and we must be loud and clear in confronting it. It’s long past time to pass commonsense reforms to make our communities safer.” – Sen. @timkaine https://t.co/znaW1glBTT pic.twitter.com/UhlEYEomC6
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 15, 2022
Sen. @MarkWarner: “I’m disturbed by the senseless killing in Buffalo. We cannot continue to stand by while white supremacy, extremism, and hate tear apart communities and take lives.” https://t.co/6Jtumwg0SV pic.twitter.com/Bik6aC0Zy8
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 15, 2022
No doubt, Big Tech’s a Big Problem, & Congress should have passed laws about this a looong time ago. But who filled the white supremacist Buffalo murderer’s “head with this poison?” a) Fox; b) other right-wing media; c) right-wing politicians https://t.co/8ROts6F573 cc: @timkaine pic.twitter.com/eKiSVWUPJX
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 16, 2022
Del. @PriceForDel95, who btw is now “working to finish her MDiv the School of Theology at Virginia Union University,” has a message for Glenn Youngkin, namely that “‘thoughts and prayers’ mean nothing if you sit quiet in the face of race-based violence.” https://t.co/ugK50nYWr6 pic.twitter.com/wezlhJJ3fR
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 15, 2022
Virginia’s President pro Tem of the State Senate, @SenLouiseLucas, is – to put it mildly – NOT impressed by Youngkin’s response (or lack thereof) to the Buffalo white supremacist terror attack. https://t.co/zK10spLTN7 #AntiBlackRacism pic.twitter.com/GCAQx0iQuU
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 15, 2022
Has a single Virginia Republican done this?!? If not, why not? And yes, those are rhetorical questions… https://t.co/Nq78Zhl0TF h/t @SenLouiseLucas pic.twitter.com/ZjO1usw0sN
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 15, 2022
Unlike Youngkin, @SenatorHashmi gets it: “This act of domestic terrorism can only be addressed by looking at its root causes, by calling out the people who continue to profit by perpetuating racist ideologies, and by holding these people…accountable.” https://t.co/nHN8s3xPQl pic.twitter.com/IMsGPrcSL1
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 15, 2022
Nope, the problem isn’t about the US being any more “wicked” than any other country, or about “a craving for physical pleasure” (WTF?). Instead, it’s about: 1) a country awash in guns; 2) white supremacist rhetoric spewing out from Fox, etc. every day https://t.co/awUe1g5tIu pic.twitter.com/ul7sJ6uw05
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 15, 2022
Yes, what happened in Buffalo is horrifying and complete “not ok,” but it’s not generic “politicians” who “have decided this kind of carnage is ok,” it’s 100% *Republicans*. https://t.co/S6sW04UgO0 h/t @RepDonBeyer pic.twitter.com/TsFaTiGjdn
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 15, 2022
Former CIA Counterterrorism Officer @RepSpanberger (D-VA07) Says Buffalo Violence “rooted in the deadly ideology of white supremacy and the conspiracy of ‘replacement.’” (“All Americans must recognize the threat of white nationalist domestic terrorism”) https://t.co/3QFULW2XDI pic.twitter.com/YUUflIjdrw
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 15, 2022
My thoughts are with the Buffalo community as they grapple with this tragedy. Gun violence and white supremacy are scourges on our society and require us to take meaningful action to combat these forces.
— Rep. Bobby Scott (@BobbyScott) May 15, 2022
Statement from Governor Youngkin about the tragedy in Buffalo: “Virginia stands together against hate. Our hearts break to see this act of senseless violence. Today, Suzanne and I lift up in prayer the victims, their families and the entire Buffalo community.”
— Brandon Jarvis (@Jaaavis) May 15, 2022
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