Youngkin to Campaign for LePage in Maine Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin. (Getty Images)
By Theodore Bunker | Monday, 05 September 2022 02:31 PM EDT
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, will head to Maine later this week to campaign on behalf of former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who is seeking a third term in office after stepping down in 2019.
Youngkin is scheduled to appear in Lewiston, Maine on Wednesday for a fundraiser. The Republican governor has made similar trips to several other states in recent weeks to support GOP candidates.
In a message to supporters, LePage said, "Youngkin gave a strong voice to thousands of parents frustrated by a broken school system which ignored scientific data, relied on political theater, and aggressively shut down in-school instruction."
The Hill reports that this visit has come under scrutiny due to LePage's controversial comments, including his remark that he was "Donald Trump before Donald Trump," and his comments about Black and Hispanic people.
Democratic Party of Virginia Spokesperson Gianni Snidle hit out at Youngkin in a statement, saying that he "is once again ignoring his duties as governor to stump for extreme candidates across the country."
Snidle added, "If the GOP thinks sending Gov. Youngkin around the country will help them win the election, they're dead wrong. He's just another far-right cultural warrior who wears a sweater vest to hide his out-of-touch, outdated views."
Youngkin told reporters last week that he's unaware of any "racially inflammatory statements and, therefore, I'm not sure that that's accurate."