McAuliffe releases ad hitting Youngkin over his latest call for audit of voting machines

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe released an ad Wednesday hitting his GOP opponent Glenn Youngkin over Youngkin’s most recent call for an audit of voting machines in the state, marking the latest spot in the campaign’s ad war. 

The 15-second spot, which was first seen by The Hill, ties Youngkin’s calls for an audit of voting machines in Virginia to former President Trump’s unfounded claims about fraud and voting machines in the 2020 presidential election. 

“Glenn Youngkin, putting Trump’s agenda first,” the ad’s narrator says. 

Youngkin re-upped his calls for an audit on Virginia’s voting machines on Monday. 

“I think we need to make sure that people trust these voting machines,” he said during a virtual forum with the Richmond Crusade for Voters.

“And I just think, like, I grew up in a world where you have an audit every year, in businesses you have an audit. So let’s just audit the voting machines, publish it so everybody can see it,” he said. 

Youngkin’s campaign told The Hill that the Republican had been calling for audits since February.

“He believes audits are a best practice when it comes to administering elections, and he will ensure Virginia continues to conduct audits and that they are thorough, efficient, and accurate,” the spokesperson said.

Additionally, Youngkin has acknowledged he believes President Biden is the legitimately elected president. 

His reiterated calls for an audit follow recently announced audits in Texas and the conclusion of the GOP-led audit in Arizona that found Biden defeated Trump in the state last year. 

The ad from McAuliffe is the latest in the slew of spots that has been released by both campaigns in Virginia. On Tuesday, McAuliffe released digital ads about Youngkin’s role in music mogul Scooter Braun’s purchase of Taylor Swift’s master recordings in 2019.

Youngkin’s team, on the other hand, have zeroed in on comments from McAuliffe at last week’s gubernatorial debate in which he said he did not believe parents should be telling schools what to teach. The Republican released an ad last week highlighting the comments.