Oh Hell Nah! Democratic Party Removes Black Candidate From Party Flyers!

Now you see him, now you don’t! It was Disappearing Acts and we’re not talking Terry McMillan!

A Democratic Party black candidate for lieutenant governor in Virginia, Justin Fairfax, got the boot from flyers attempting to rally support for the state’s Democratic Party candidates. Here's what Fairfax stands for:

Fairfax, a popular candidate who has garnered a diverse group of supporters, was previously featured on a flyer that championed the “2017 Democratic Team.”

In the most recent printing, the color flyer didn’t need any brown ink, as Fairfax, one of three candidates on the previous flyer, was eliminated.

So why was Fairfax removed?

Politics as usual!

Gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam and his staff had the photo of Fairfax removed in favor of the less diverse, more white version of the Democrats running for statewide office in Virginia.

In an attempt to save face, Northam’s campaign spokesman David Turner came up with this excuse.

“Out of over 3 million pieces of literature printed for the campaign, this literature constituted less than roughly 0.5% of the literature printed, and was only for LIUNA to carry on their canvasses,” he said in a statement. “These doors have also received the regular literature. This means roughly 1.5 million households in Virginia have received the regular literature. You can be rest assured, voters will know who Justin Fairfax is, what he stands for, and why he is the best choice for Lt. Governor in November.”

Why would LIUNA (Laborers' International Union of North America) want Fairfax removed from the flyer and why would Northam comply?

Fairfax doesn’t support (nor has he failed to support, rather wants studies to be conducted) the  Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a 600-mile interstate natural gas pipeline that would serve the energy needs in Virginia and North Carolina.

So in the end, was it racism that caused the removal of Fairfax, or just politics? Ultimately, we may never know. What we do know is that we will be keeping an eye out on the lieutenant governor’s race in Virginia. We will also be watching of Ralph Northam. Complimentary side eye included.