Virginia's McAuliffe touts endorsement from group that supports defunding police, abolishing prisons

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Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who is running for the post again against Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin, touted an endorsement from a left-wing group that supports defunding the police.

The progressive group New Virginia Majority made the announcement last week, prompting the candidate to say on Twitter he was "proud to be endorsed" by them.

"Together, we are going to keep Virginia moving forward," the Democratic candidate continued. "That starts with building a more inclusive Commonwealth that lifts up working people across Virginia. Onward!"

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McAuliffe's decision to tout the endorsement could pose a political problem: New Virginia Majority has made controversial statements online, including supporting defunding the police.

"Defund the police, fund Black futures," the group tweeted in June of last year.

New Virginia Majority has also promoted a student organizer who said she and her group are "actively unlearning and envisioning a new world without police, and building that on our own" and shared a quote from an article claiming the police are "agents of white supremacy."

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New Virginia Majority has also tweeted their support of abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prisons, even going as far as to call incarceration "a human rights violation."

Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for the Youngkin campaign, told Fox News that McAuliffe does not want to see Virginia be more safe.

"Virginia's murder rate is at a 20-year high, and Terry McAuliffe is embracing the far-left’s efforts to defund the police, let more violent criminals out of prison, and create even more chaos in our communities," Martinez said in a Wednesday statement. "Terry McAuliffe will make Virginia less safe."

The Virginia Police Benevolent Association (VPBA) Board of Directors also weighed in, excoriating McAuliffe over the endorsement and sharing a similar sentiment.

"Terry McAuliffe has made defunding and demoralizing police a cornerstone of his campaign, and recent endorsements from pro-‘defund the police’ organizations like NARAL and New Virginia Majority confirm that," the board said.

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"Not only are these endorsements an affront to our brothers and sisters in blue, they signal to Virginia voters everywhere that Terry McAuliffe is not concerned with making our communities safer," they continued.

Neither New Virginia Majority nor the McAuliffe campaign responded to Fox News’ requests for comment.