NY Times Gives Wrong Impression about Virginia Race

In Virginia, the state’s conservative attorney general, Kenneth Cuccinelli, narrowly lost the race for governor . . . in part because Latino voters turned out in crucial urban areas and voted heavily against [him]. . . . In Virginia, where Latinos were only 4 percent of those who voted, Mr. Cuccinelli’s campaign devoted little effort to those voters. He also had a record of forceful immigration positions.” – Julia Preston, New York Times 10/6/13

Fact Check: This story gives the impression that Cuccinelli’s “forceful” stand against illegal immigration during the campaign played a significant role in his defeat. The writer notes that “As a state senator in 2009, Mr. Cuccinelli sponsored a resolution urging Congress to amend the Constitution to deny citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants. He voted against an in-state tuition bill for Virginia.” The story then quotes a Republican amnesty supporter saying that Cuccinelli’s loss should send a message to other GOP leaders about standing against illegal immigration.

What is significant is what the writer leaves out. The omissions tell a very different story about the race. The truth is that Cuccinelli did everything he could to conceal and back away from his “forceful positions.” This effort began even before the campaign when he erased all his statements against illegal immigration from his website. Evidently following the advice of “mainstream” GOP consultants, Cuccinelli avoided the issue during the campaign. When asked if he favored a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens, the candidate took no position.

But if Cuccinelli thought that the issue would go away, he was quite mistaken. His opponent Terry McAuliffe pointed to what Cuccinelli had said previously in order to rally Democrats against him. Cuccinelli could have responded by vigorously defending those stances, thereby rallying and motivating his conservative Republican base. But he didn’t.     

After the election, political commentators observed that Cuccinelli failed because he didn’t persuade enough Republicans to go to the polls. Thanks to his consultants’ advice he conducted a basically lackluster campaign focusing on economic issues. Maybe a heartfelt stand for our country’s rule of law and the value of our citizenship would have done better. Perhaps that’s the real lesson for other Republican candidates.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here