Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin has secured former President Donald Trump's endorsement to be Virginia's next governor - is what one may think if they saw a new campaign ad by the state's Democratic Party on Wednesday.
Youngkin is in the final days of a heated race against former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, who's been a powerhouse in Democratic politics for years.
A piece of political mail was first obtained by Politico and features first-time candidate Youngkin smiling and wearing a red cap, with one sentence featured prominently.
'Donald J. Trump: Glenn Youngkin "has my complete and total endorsement!"' the mailer read.
Upon closer inspection, fine print in the lower right corner reads: 'Paid for by the Democratic Party of Virginia, authorized by Terry McAuliffe, candidate.'
One person who claimed to get the mail called it 'sneaky.'
On the other side are images of Youngkin and Trump photoshopped to appear side-by-side. The banner features Youngkin's name and the words 'Donald Trump endorsed,' with a red check mark in the middle.
The advertisement featured Youngkin and Trump photoshopped to appear side-by-side
Virginia residents took to Twitter to express their initial confusion over the mailer
The advertisement is filled with quotes attributed to Youngkin and the former president, who despite losing the 2020 presidential race is still widely seen as a kingmaker in the Republican Party.
'He has my complete and total endorsement!'
'Now a great candidate, Glenn Youngkin, is running.'
Youngkin's statements were, 'They said: This guy is like Donald Trump. I said thank you very much' and 'I was honored to receive President Trump's endorsement.'
The bottom banner was an ambiguous call out to 'make an informed vote for governor by Nov 2.'
At least some Virginians who got the confusing campaign mail apparently thought it was effective.
Doug Pinkham, president of the Public Affairs Council, said he received the advertisement on Twitter along with a photo of it. He suspected the enthusiastic endorsement to be 'over the top.'
'Just got a mailer highlighting Trump’s endorsement of Youngkin. “Glenn…will truly make Virginia great again,” says a Trump quote. But the mailer seemed over the top — more about Trump than Youngkin. And then I read the fine print: “Paid for by the Democratic Party
