| Founded | 2019[1] |
|---|---|
| Founder | David Gordon |
| Type | Political action committee |
| Website | virginiaproject |
The Virginia Project (TVP) is a Virginia state-level Republican political action committee that was founded by David Gordon in 2019.[1][2][3]
Activities
editTVP was involved in Republican efforts to win the 2021 Virginia elections, creating election integrity videos and hosting training sessions for Republican poll watchers.[4][5] The group, which was noted to have backed the stolen election claims of Donald Trump, also sought to interview and obtain election documents from county registrars.[6] Stacey Lennox of the right-wing outlet PJ Media noted TVP as being a significant contributor to Virginia Republicans' 2021 victories, including through candidate recruitment and voter mobilization efforts.[7]
The organization is opposed to critical race theory.[8][9][10] In March 2021, TVP shared evidence that members of a Facebook group, Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County had called for a so-called "hit list" of parents who opposed critical race theory, as well as computer hacking of opponents, which caused an outcry in national conservative media.[1][11] TVP subsequently sued a moderator of the group for defamation after she claimed TVP was sending unknown people to threaten her – the group had posted a letter to the moderator on Twitter that included her home address, which David Gordon described as an "oversight" and "perfectly legal".[1][11] The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office later determined that the Facebook group's social media posts, including the creation of a "hit list", did not constitute criminal activity.[12]
TVP has shown opposition to aspects of the LGBT movement, including letting transgender students use the bathroom of their choice in schools.[13] It has called LGBT advocacy group Pride Liberation Project, which has offered "emergency housing" to LGBT youth who wished to leave their homes,[14] a "kidnapping racket".[8] TVP was noted in December 2023 by David Kirichenko of The Kyiv Independent as posting anti-Ukraine remarks on the X social media site, and claiming illegal attacks from the pro-Ukraine NAFO group, which Kirichenko argued showed the effectiveness of NAFO.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Kingkade, Tyler (June 1, 2021). "In a wealthy Virginia suburb, parents face threats in battle over equity in schools". NBC News. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "Reports for The Virginia Project (PAC-19-01064)". Virginia State Board of Elections Campaign Finance Reports. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "The Virginia Project – Republican". The Virginia Public Access Project. October 7, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Parks, Miles (November 1, 2021). "Republicans want more eyes on election workers. Experts worry about their intent". NPR. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Mansoor, Sanya (November 2, 2021). "Poll Watchers Flood Virginia as GOP Raises Doubts About 'Election Integrity'". TIME. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Flynn, Meagan; Boburg, Shawn (October 27, 2021). "An army of poll watchers — many driven by GOP's 'election integrity' push — turns out across Virginia". Washington Post. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Lennox, Stacey (June 7, 2022). "How The Virginia Project Helped Engineer the 2021 GOP Wins in Virginia". pjmedia.com. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Joyce, Kathryn (October 6, 2022). "From "grooming" to "child abduction": Right's accusations against LGBTQ advocates get even worse". Salon. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Peritz, Aki; Kasai, Nathan. "Who Manufactured Virginia's "Critical Race Theory" Debate?". Third Way. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Ghate, Debi (March 30, 2021). "Loudoun County Parents at War Over Critical Race Theory in Curriculum". Philanthropy Roundtable. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Cline, Nathaniel (July 9, 2021). "Virginia Project seeks damages from Loudoun County woman over remarks". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Cline, Nathaniel (August 2, 2021). "No charges in social media posts, 'hit list' investigation, sheriff's office says". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Prestidge, Holly (March 23, 2022). "Transgender issue brings crowd to Hanover supervisors meeting". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Nomani, Asra (October 7, 2022). "Pride Liberation Project offers minors cash, 'emergency housing' with 'Queer friendly adult'". Fairfax County Times. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Kirichenko, David (December 6, 2023). "Opinion: NAFO is waging Ukraine's meme war". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved January 19, 2024.