West Nova News

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s statements about voter intimidation appear to be squarely aimed at increasing his office’s communications to voters ahead of the Nov. 3 election. 

In an Oct. 21 press release, Herring, a Democrat, announced that he had sent a letter to law enforcement agencies around the state to put them on alert regarding his escalating concerns about intimidation and harassment given President Donald Trump’s “dangerous rhetoric.” Over 44% of Virginians voted for Trump in 2016. 

The release is the latest in a steady drumbeat of anti-Trump language to come out of the state AG’s office leading up to the election. Herring has put out a series of official communications negatively portraying Trump and calling on law enforcement to closely monitor citizens while at the polls. 

Through the AG’s communications office, Herring called out Trump after the first presidential debate against Democratic candidate Joe Biden.  

“Following President Trump’s dangerous rhetoric at last night’s debate when he implied the existence of widespread, unsubstantiated voter fraud and urged his supporters to ‘go into the polls and watch very carefully,’ Attorney General Mark R. Herring is reiterating that there are protections in both state and federal law against voter intimidation, as well as highlighting the actual duties of poll watchers in Virginia,” a press release from Herring’s office reads. 

Herring's former policy advisor Fernando Mercado has served as the state's campaign director for Biden. Biden's name has yet to come up in Herring's office’s statements. 

Herring also led an effort to remove entertainment mogul Kanye West's name from the state’s ballot. West, who prior to his campaign for president was an avowed Trump supporter, has been seen as a political threat to Democrats should he capture even a small portion of the black vote. 

Last year, only days after calling on Virginia's Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam to resign after a photo surfaced of the governor wearing blackface, Herring was outed for wearing blackface himself. 

Currently seeking a third term as AG, Herring is hoping to boost his profile in a future bid for the governor’s seat.