Perriello And Northam Brawl At Richmond Debate, Racing Further Left

The gloves came off at last night’s Virginia Democrat gubernatorial primary debate between Ralph Northam and Tom Perriello as the two candidates battled to prove which of them was the most far-left candidate to lead the Commonwealth. After days of sniping between aides on social media, the two politicians viciously attacked each other’s left-wing stances, culminating in an exchange during which Northam accused Perriello of being a secret libertarian after his past support for Republican president George W. Bush was mentioned:

Both candidates were able to provide backing to their attacks on one another after the debate. While Perriello and Northam made no attempt to explain their numerous flip-flops and refusals to answer difficult questions, they both made clear to Virginia voters that they have no intention of keeping things civil going forward. If the last month of the Democrat primary is anything like this debate, the party is in for a brutal, drawn-out fight that will undoubtedly leave them divided and out of touch with mainstream Virginians as Northam and Perriello desperately try to out-left one another.