Spanberger Won’t Reject Pro-Assassination Official’s Support

Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger won’t say whether she’ll renounce an endorsement from a local school board member who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

On Sunday, Chesterfield County School Board Chair Dot Heffron announced plans to resign after issuing a despicable social media post touting Kirk’s murder. On Instagram, the commonwealth official wrote, “Call me old fashioned, but I remember when we used to be okay with shooting Nazis.”

Heffron released a statement when disclosing her intent to step down, in which she said, “The words I shared were wrong,” and “I should have shown better judgment.”

According to an NPR-PBS affiliate, “Less than an hour after Heffron released her statement, the [Chesterfield school] board — whose four other members released a joint statement after the initial post, calling for Heffron to step down — announced it was accepting her resignation and would appoint an interim board member.”

“Heffron offered her resignation effective Dec. 31, but the board said it would appoint an interim board member until a special election can be held to finish out her term, which runs through 2027,” the report reads.

Heffron previously endorsed Spanberger for governor in December 2023. As of this article’s publication, posts championing Heffron’s endorsement are still on Spanberger’s campaign website and Instagram page.

“I’m proud to announce Chesterfield County School Board Member Dot Heffron’s endorsement of my campaign to serve as Virginia’s next Governor!” Spanberger wrote in a Dec. 15, 2023, Instagram post. “Thank you for your dedication to Chesterfield’s students and families — and for always sharing your perspective as a parent and educator.”

While Spanberger has issued several tweets condemning Kirk’s assassination and “any efforts to justify or minimize the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk or anyone else,” she has thus far not specifically condemned Heffron’s remarks celebrating the killing of the Turning Point USA founder. Spanberger’s campaign did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment on whether Spanberger would refuse Heffron’s endorsement or whether she would condemn Heffron’s celebration of Kirk’s assassination.

When pressed by Breitbart News “if Spanberger supported the rhetoric used by Heffron and if she would reject Heffron’s endorsement,” the Virginia Democrat reportedly provided the outlet with the same statement she tweeted on Sunday, in which she said she disavowed “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,” Spanberger wrote. “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.”

Meanwhile, Virginia’s Republican leadership have spoken out against Heffron’s post. Gov. Glenn Youngkin demanded Heffron resign on Friday. GOP gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears echoed similar sentiments, writing in a Sunday tweet, “Dot Heffron has no place on a school board — not for three more months, not for one more meeting, not for one more day. She needs to resign now.”

Heffron’s announced resignation came a day after Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson issued a statement condemning reported comments by state school personnel celebrating Kirk’s assassination. Gullickson further called on local school divisions to “promptly investigate these reports in accordance with their policies and local Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics and refer teachers and administrators who have violated these essential standards of decency to the Virginia Board of Education for licensure revocation.”

“Celebrating or condoning political violence is unacceptable and has absolutely no place in Virginia’s public schools,” Gullickson said. “Parents entrust our educators with the care and development of their children, and they rightly expect teachers and school leaders to model the values of respect, civility, and responsibility. Anyone who would suggest the heinous murder of the father of two young children is acceptable should be disqualified from teaching or working with children again.”

Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood