It’s the final stretch of the Virginia gubernatorial race, and apparently Democrat Ralph Northam is feeling the need to flip-flop on several of his earlier-held positions
Exhibit A: Northam’s campaign ad.
Titled, “Refuses,” the ad features Northam saying right off the bat that when it comes to President Trump, he’ll “work with him” to help the Commonwealth. That’s nice...until one rewinds the clock a few months.
In May, the Northam campaign released a different ad in which the Democrat says straight to the camera that President Trump is a “narcissistic maniac.” The Washington Post, in fact, has reported that Northam’s use of that label goes back as far as March 2017 -- at campaign events and in media interviews.
But as the Republican Governors Association already noted, now that Northam is struggling to gain traction in the polls he’s “singing a different tune on the President, while committing a major flip-flop in the process.”
There’s also Northam’s flip-flops on confederate statues in the Commonwealth. In August, Northam publicly stated he “believed the statues should be taken down” and as governor, he would work to make that happen.
But that’s after Northam said previously that the decision should be left up to local officials. “Going beyond the oft-stated view he had shared with Republican Ed Gillespie that monuments are a matter for local government to decide,” wrote Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Jeff Schapiro on August 19, “Northam declared -- unbidden l - that if it were up to him, he would take all of them down.”
Another flip-flop.
Last but not least is Northam’s changing attitudes on sanctuary cities in the Commonwealth. As Lt. Governor, Northam cast the deciding vote in the State Senate to allow sanctuary cities in Virginia - a vote he’s embraced on the campaign trail.
But once again - Northam’s latest policy stance doesn’t jibe with past actions. The RGA has noted that in 2007 Northam talked about fighting illegal immigration by properly funding law enforcement, “citing the need for an efficient way for sheriffs and state police officers to report illegals to federal officials.”
