Barbara Favola, a Democratic state senator who represents Arlington, Va., castigated Virginia's Republican candidates and their supporters on Wednesday night, saying "they're evil" and "we're the good guys."
Favola attended an Arlington County Democratic Committee monthly meeting at the Walter Reed Community Center where she fired up the crowd before the three Democratic candidates on the statewide ticket spoke to the crowd.
"What my colleagues didn't really tell you is how dangerous it will be if the other side wins. They're evil, we're the good guys," Favola said, as the room erupted with laughter, applause and cheers.
"Every one of you is an angel," she added.
The state senator was joined by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam, lieutenant governor candidate Justin Fairfax, and attorney general candidate Mark Herring. Democratic Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) also attended the rally to show his support for the Virginia Democratic ticket.
Washington Post reporter Fenit Nirappil spoke with Northam after the rally and told him about the uproar over Favola's depiction of Republicans being "evil." He tweeted that Northam "praised bipartisanship, but didn't quite denounce" Favola's characterization.
So I told Northam about the uproar over the "they're evil" comment about Republicans. He praised bipartisanship, but didn't quite denounce pic.twitter.com/NVe4hXOpIt
— Fenit Nirappil (@FenitN) November 2, 2017
Earlier this week, a pro-Northam advocacy group, Latino Victory Fund, released a controversial ad that tried to depict Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie's supporters as racists.
The progressive political action committee released an ad on Monday showing a man driving a pick-up truck with a Gillespie campaign sticker, a Tea Party license plate, and a Confederate flag on the back as he chases down a pair of Latino boys, an African-American boy, and a Muslim girl wearing a hijab.
The four children run into an alley and try to climb a fence as the truck is speeding towards them, but the children then wake up, revealing the experience was a nightmare that would exist if Gillespie was elected.
The ad was strongly criticized by some, including by local media and a Muslim civil rights activist, and the organization took down the ad on Tuesday after the New York City terror attack. Some Democrats, however, praised the ad as "moving and accurate." Gillespie told the Daily Caller's Vince Coglianese on Tuesday that his online donations tripled after the Latino Victory Fund released the ad.
The election will take place next Tuesday, Nov. 7.