No-Show Northam Skips Out On Traditional Labor Day Parade, Ignoring Virginia Voters

With the Virginia gubernatorial election just a few short months away, Democrat nominee Ralph Northam is taking heat for skipping Labor Day events in Virginia over the weekend. While Virginia gubernatorial candidates of both parties have a “long tradition” of attending the Buena Vista Parade on Labor Day, Northam broke with tradition, and skipped the parade. This comes just days after the Roanoke Times published an editorial blasting Northam and his fellow Democrats for sending the “wrong signal to rural Virginia” by ignoring key groups of Virginia voters.

The Roanoke Times reports:

“The fall campaign season for Virginia politics stepped off Monday at the annual Labor Day Parade and Festival, but the top of the democratic ticket was largely absent…

Northam, the Democratic nominee for governor, attended a 7:30 a.m. breakfast sponsored by the Buena Vista Democratic Committee, but skipped the parade and speeches…

The Buena Vista parade and speeches by both parties are a long tradition leading up to the November election. But the public events Monday were dominated by the GOP…

‘I vote for the person,’ said Missy Brown of Buena Vista, who attended the parade with her dog, a shih tzu named Prince. ‘I try to vote for whoever is going to do the best job’…

Asked what message Democratic candidates were sending by skipping the parade, Brown said: ‘Not a very good one.’”