A Virginia Republican state senator wants voters to know he thinks his Democratic opponent is inexperienced -- by highlighting that she's a mother.
State Sen. Richard Black posted an ad on Twitter Thursday night, listing many qualifications for himself while only noting two for his opponent, Jill McCabe: "doctor" and "mother." The tweet was deleted later in the evening.
Black represents Loudoun County, just west of the Washington area. McCabe, his challenger, is a pediatrician and health care administrator. She notes her experience as a working mother on her campaign website, but relates it to her support of equal pay for women and a woman's right to choose an abortion.
Black is considered one of the Virginia's most conservative state senators and has been a fierce opponent of abortion and women's rights. According to The Washington Post, he once fought against making marital rape illegal in Virginia, saying, “I do not know how on Earth you could validly get a conviction of a husband-wife rape where they’re living together, sleeping in the same bed, she’s in a nightie, and so forth, there is no injury, there’s no separation or anything.”
Black recently tried to tie McCabe to the Planned Parenthood sting videos, released by an anti-abortion group in an attempt to portray the family planning organization as endorsing the sale of fetal parts. Black alleged that McCabe herself supported the sale of fetal tissue -- a claim PolitiFact Virginia found completely false with a "pants on fire" rating.
Black's campaign couldn't be reached for comment.
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