Election 2019: Prince William Republican faces calls to withdraw from race over deleted tweets
The partisan backlash over inflammatory tweets that Virginia Republican John Gray tried to hide intensified Thursday, with Democrats calling on him to drop his candidacy for chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
At a news conference with several other Democrats who either represent the area or are seeking office, state Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) said the GOP “has nominated a misogynistic, bigoted racist to lead the county government. . . . We don’t need this anymore in our county.”
Gray is seeking to succeed longtime county board Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R), who was criticized for inflammatory rhetoric and having ties to white nationalists during his recent runs for higher office. (Stewart cut ties to the white nationalists and said he had not been aware of their views.)
The campaign of Ann Wheeler, the Democrat running for board chair, recently found deleted tweets in which Gray used stereotypes to mock violence and political protest in African American communities and exhibit intolerance toward non-Christians.
Gray, whose campaign paid a scrubbing service $30 to delete several thousand tweets, apologized for some of the controversial posts and owned up to others. On Thursday, he did not return messages seeking comment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/prince-william-republican-faces-calls-to-withdraw-from-race-over-deleted-tweets/2019/09/26/346de694-e099-11e9-be96-6adb81821e90_story.html