Democrats hit Ed Gillespie below the belt, prop him back him, hit him again

It’s hard to imagine Republican Senate nomination candidate Ed Gillespie having much of a chance to unseat popular Democratic incumbent Mark Warner. But just in case, Virginia Democrats are doing what they can to hit below Gillespie below the belt, even if that involves propping him up a bit to give themselves a better target.

The focus this week is on a comment that Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chair, made in reference to a move by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to try to block the debt limit increase approved by bipartisan majorities on Feb. 12. Gillespie said he would have joined Cruz in voting no on the debt limit increase, “and as part of a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, I will help set priorities that will bring down our national debt.”

Shooting the fish in the barrel, Virginia Democrats leapt onto the comment to point out that it was Cruz and a small cohort of Tea Party Republicans who pushed the disastrous 16-day government shutdown in October.

“Virginians are finally getting a clear look at the misplaced priorities and additional gridlock that Ed Gillespie promises to bring to the U.S. Senate,” said Democratic Party of Virginia spokesperson Ashley Bauman. “More obstruction is the last thing Virginians want to see in Washington, but Gillespie’s approach really should come as no surprise. As a top D.C. lobbyist and political strategist, Ed Gillespie has spent more than 20 years playing key roles in orchestrating everything that is wrong with Washington today.”