Following the horrific assassination of conservative commentator and activist Charlie Kirk last week, shocking displays of support and even celebration over the killing have created an enormous headache for Democrats running in Virginia’s pivotal statewide races on November 4.
In the hours after the tragedy unfolded, the vast majority of Americans on both sides of the political aisle rightly denounced the violence. That included Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi, and Jay Jones, who are the Virginia Democrat candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, respectively. All three issued statements offering prayers for Kirk’s family and condemning political violence.
But in the days that followed the attack, social media posts surfaced showing staffers, volunteers, and even other elected Democrat officials who had endorsed the trio of candidates smearing Kirk and rejoicing over his death. That has cast serious doubt on the sincerity of the condolences offered by Spanberger, Hashmi, and Jones given their apparent willingness to tolerate hateful rhetoric from among their inner circles.
The most widely shared comment came from Chesterfield County School Board Chair Dot Heffron, who posted the following on Instagram after the killing: “Call me old fashioned, but I remember when we used to be ok with shooting Nazis.”
Heffron has notably endorsed both Spanberger and Hashmi and has been spotted with them at multiple events. While Hashmi quietly removed Heffron’s endorsement from her website, a press release touting Heffron’s endorsement of Spanberger was still live on her campaign website as of September 15.
Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (also the GOP gubernatorial nominee) and other Virginia Republicans have demanded Heffron’s immediate resignation over her vitriol.
“Nobody who would cheer murder should be allowed within 100 yards of a student,” Youngkin wrote on X. “I call on leaders from both parties to not only publicly condemn her despicable comment and rebuke any endorsement she has made, but also join me in demanding her resignation.”
Neither Spanberger nor Hashmi has publicly called on Heffron to resign. Heffron says she plans to step down at the end of the year, but Republicans insist she must resign immediately.
Heffron’s remarks were hardly an isolated case. Earle-Sears pressed Spanberger directly after it was revealed that Jasmine Frye, identified on Facebook as working for Spanberger, posted “F around and find out” in response to Kirk’s assassination. Spanberger has offered no explanation for why a member of her own staff would celebrate political murder.
In another instance, Katie Pillis, Virginia Democrat Senator Mark Warner’s Casework Operations Coordinator, posted mocking remarks on Instagram in the window between Charlie Kirk being shot and his death. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) blasted Warner for tolerating rhetoric that celebrates political violence.
“These comments made by Mark Warner’s staff are abhorrent and undermine Virginians’ ability to trust the casework services of their U.S. Senator,” NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell said.
Meanwhile, a Virginia Democrat PAC finance director operating under the account name “mighty quinn” on X was exposed for mocking those upset at Kirk’s death and reposting claims that it was “objectively funny.” The user works for Rural Ground Game, a PAC supporting Virginia Democrats. Virginia Republicans have demanded the group fire the individual and purge its ranks of anyone who condones political violence.
The Fairfax Democrat Party also used its BlueSky account to repost a post that claimed former MSNBC contributor Matt Dowd “wasn’t wrong about what he said,” after Dowd suggested Charlie Kirk was to blame for his own assassination. Dowd has reportedly since been fired over the remarks.
Alana Hartman-Hall, dean of students at Chesterfield County schools, also said Kirk “reaped what he had sown.” Earle-Sears and other conservative leaders have called for Hartman-Hall’s resignation alongside Heffron’s. In a statement, the district said it “has been made aware of” the posts and is “reviewing” the matter.
For parents already concerned about the politicization of schools, comments like these only exacerbate fears. If everyone, from teachers to school board members, celebrates someone’s death for merely expressing conservative views, how can anyone trust that their child is safe voicing the same opinions? Even more alarmingly, what are these activist-minded individuals actually teaching in the classroom?
In 2021, a groundswell of opposition to Critical Race Theory in Virginia schools helped propel Youngkin to victory. Now, comments like those made by Heffron and Hartman-Hall could reignite that same energy among voters.
Spanberger, Hashmi, and Jones also could also face voter backlash over their failure to condemn hate-fueled comments from their staff and volunteers. While they were right to condemn the murder, those words sound increasingly empty as they refuse to publicly and clearly call out others on their own side who are unashamedly defending political violence.
Earle-Sears highlighted Spanberger’s role in promoting dangerous rhetoric that leads to violence in a video montage over the weekend. It shows Spanberger and other Democrats repeatedly branding Republicans as “fascists” and, at times, encouraging confrontation.
It was precisely this kind of violence that Kirk dedicated his life to preventing. “I go around universities and have challenging conversations. Because that’s what is so important to our country, is to find our disagreements, respectfully,” Kirk once said. “When people stop talking, that’s when violence happens.”
With early voting only weeks away, the growing scandal could tip the momentum in Virginia further toward Republicans. Voters will now decide which party stood firmly against political violence, and whether Democrats will pay a price in November for failing to act when it mattered most.
Sarah Katherine Sisk is a proud Hillsdale College alumna and a master’s student in economics at George Mason University. You can follow her on X @SKSisk76.
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