According to a new report from the American Independent, today prominent Virginia Republican and former Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling called out the “ridiculous” lawsuit filed by the Virginia GOP and argued the Trumpian attempt to remove Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe from the ballot only makes Virginia Republicans “look silly.”
The frivolous lawsuit was filed just hours after a new poll showed Terry McAuliffe 9 points ahead of Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin. Election law experts have “dismissed the Virginia Republicans’ suit” and predict the “really dumb lawsuit” will fail.
American Independent: Prominent Virginia Republican blasts GOP’s ‘ridiculous lawsuit’ to disqualify McAuliffe
By: Josh Israel | August 27, 2021
Key Points:
- “A former Republican lieutenant governor of Virginia blasted his party on Friday for filing a lawsuit aimed at knocking the current Democratic nominee for governor of the state off the ballot.”
- “Bill Bolling said that a ‘ridiculous’ lawsuit announced Thursday ‘does nothing but make the Republican Party of Virginia look silly.’”
- “In a Facebook post highlighted by the progressive blog Blue Virginia, Bolling wrote that the Virginia GOP ‘would be better off spending its time trying to come up with a compelling message as to why voters should vote for Republican candidates instead of Democrats, especially since every poll indicates that Democrats are wining [sic] and their margin is increasing.’”
- “‘I’ve seen a lot of dumb lawsuits by the GOP,’ wrote lawyer Marc Elias, who specializes in election law. ‘This is a really dumb lawsuit. I would note that not a single law firm is on these pleadings. Not even the Kraken lawyers,’ he added, a reference to a team of pro-Donald Trump lawyers who filed baseless conspiracy lawsuits in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.’”
- “Nonpartisan experts also dismissed the Virginia Republicans’ suit. ‘I predict that this lawsuit will fail,’ Michael Gilbert, vice dean of the University of Virginia School of Law, told the Associated Press. ‘The violation is harmless, and the remedy sought — removing McAuliffe from the general election ballot in November — is extreme.’”
- “McAuliffe has led Youngkin in every poll conducted since the two won their parties’ nominations. A poll released Thursday by AARP Virginia and the Wason Center for Civil Leadership at Christopher Newport University found McAuliffe leading Youngkin 50%-41%. Democrats also held double-digit leads in the lieutenant governor and attorney general races.”
Read the full report here.
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Published: Aug 27, 2021