McAuliffe Says 'Enough Is Enough,' Calls on Youngkin to Denounce Trump's 'Dangerous Lies'

Democrat Terry McAuliffe said a GOP rally held Wednesday evening in Virginia presented Republican Glenn Youngkin with the "darkest moment" of his gubernatorial campaign.

The "Take Back Virginia" rally, which Youngkin did not attend, was organized by radio host John Fredericks, the Virginia chairman of former President Donald Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns. At the start of the event, emcee Martha Boneta introduced an American flag, which she said: "was carried at the peaceful rally with Donald J. Trump on January 6." The hosts then led attendees in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance as the flag was held onstage.

Trump later called in to voice support for Youngkin, whom he first endorsed in May, and told Virginia voters he believed the race was "very, very winnable."

During his brief call, Trump also reiterated claims the 2020 presidential election was the "most corrupt election in the history of our country." His allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election have been widely debunked, with federal election officials declaring last year's election was "the most secure in American history."

McAuliffe called the rally "beyond disturbing" in a Wednesday night tweet.

"Glenn Youngkin was endorsed again tonight by Donald Trump at a rally where attendees pledged allegiance to a flag flown at the deadly January 6th insurrection," McAuliffe wrote. "Beyond disturbing, this is sick. And Glenn is honored to have Trump's endorsement."

The progressive veterans' group VoteVets cited the rally in its Thursday morning endorsement of McAuliffe.

"At an event this week for @GlennYoungkin and the @VA_GOP, they pledged allegiance to a flag from the Jan 6 insurrection. So, we endorsed a patriot and military dad @TerryMcAuliffe," VoteVets Chairman Jon Soltz posted on Twitter.

Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reposted a clip from the rally showing the attendees' Pledge of Allegiance on Thursday and called Youngkin "a threat to our democracy" as she encouraged followers to support McAuliffe.

Later Thursday, McAuliffe called upon Youngkin to speak out against the actions at the rally and Trump's continued claims about the 2020 election.

"Last night was the darkest moment of Glenn Youngkin's campaign yet — a Donald Trump rally for Glenn where supporters celebrated the Jan. 6 insurrection," McAuliffe said.

"Glenn, for the sake of our democracy: denounce last night's rally and Donald Trump's dangerous lies," McAuliffe's tweet continued. "Enough is enough."

Newsweek reached out to Youngkin's campaign for comment but did not hear back before publication.

McAuliffe and Youngkin are in a tight race to become Virginia's next governor, with most recent polls showing them either tied or just a few points apart. Less than three weeks remain until Virginia voters choose their next governor in the November 2 election.