At First Debate, Ralph Northam’s Support For Pipelines Creates Headaches For His Campaign

At this weekend’s first general election debate in the Virginia governor’s race, Democrat nominee Ralph Northam’s newfound support for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline continued to cause problems for his campaign, as he appeared uncomfortable and off-message. Before Northam even finished his opening statement, he was interrupted by an anti-pipeline protester, who admonished Northam and called his pipeline stance “grotesque.” The protest was widely covered on local television around Virginia:

When the debate started, Northam went off message when pressed on his stance on pipelines and other Virginia energy issues. When asked by Ed Gillespie how he squares his support for the pipeline while claiming to oppose fracking in Virginia, Northam admitted that he has no issues with fracking natural gas in neighboring states and moving it through Virginia:

And outside of the debate venue, Northam’s support for the pipeline drew even more protests from pipeline opponents, who have harassed Northam at campaign events since he admitted his support for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. When asked if they support Northam, they said no, because of his support for the pipeline:

With Northam doubling down this weekend on his support for the pipeline and now expressing his openness to fracking in watersheds shared by Virginia in neighboring states, Northam’s issues with his party’s anti-pipeline voters show no signs of being resolved any time soon.