A school board member who endorsed Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger has praised the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, according to multiple reports.
Chesterfield County School Board member Dot Heffron, who endorsed Spanberger’s campaign to be the next governor of Virginia, pondered about how people “used to be okay with shooting Nazis.” The post attributed to Heffron comes after Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
According to reports, the suspect behind Kirk’s assassination is now in custody and has been identified as Tyler Robinson, 22.
WATCH — Alleged Assassin Left Messages on Bullets:
“Call me old fashioned, but I remember when we used to be okay with shooting Nazis,” Heffron reportedly wrote in a story on her Instagram account — which is now private.
In a post on Instagram from December 15, 2023, Spanberger expressed that she was “proud to announce” the endorsement from Heffron for her campaign to be Virginia’s next governor.
“Thank you for your dedication to Chesterfield’s students and families — and for always sharing your perspective as a parent and educator,” Spanberger said in her post.
Heffron is described as being a “former homemaker and roller derby star who made good trouble (and change) when she ran for the school board in Chesterfield County, Virginia,” according to an article from The Bitter Southerner:
Meet The Notorious D.O.T., a former homemaker and roller derby star who made good trouble (and change) when she ran for the school board in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Then she defied the odds again when she retained her seat during a national political firestorm.
In response to Heffron’s comments on Instagram, Virginia Lt. Gov. and Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears questioned if Spanberger would “condemn” Heffron’s words.
“A Chesterfield County School Board member who endorsed Abigail Spanberger said she ‘we used to be ok with shooting Nazis’ — in response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination,” Earle-Sears wrote in a post on X. “Abigail, do you condemn this?”
When asked by Breitbart News if Spanberger supported the rhetoric used by Heffron and if she would reject Heffron’s endorsement, she told Breitbart News in a statement that she condemns “any efforts to justify or minimize the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk or anyone else.
Spanberger’s statement reads:
As the investigation continues and law enforcement continues to build their case, I think it’s important to state unequivocally: I condemn any efforts to justify or minimize the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk or anyone else. Disagreements over policy, perspectives, or even worldviews should never lead to violence. We are a nation of laws — and we have a First Amendment right to free speech, and that right is not limited just to those who agree with us. Justifying or making light of violence damages the core fabric of our society and imperils all of us as Americans, just as calls to violence and revenge do the same. I hope that all elected officials and community leaders will join me in denouncing both.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include Spanberger’s statement, which had not been received by publication time.
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