A photograph taken by a prominent Democrat candidate for Congress went viral for all the wrong reasons, and his delayed response drew the ire of both Democrats and Republicans across Virginia.
Eugene Vindman is running for Congress in Virginia’s 7th District and was photographed at an event last week meeting with pro-Ukrainian activists with a version of the Virginia flag from the Confederacy.
The activist who posted the photograph has since deleted it with an apology, and Vindman himself issued an apology as well.
I shared a pic with an old VA flag that was used during confederacy. I deleted it as it was unintentional.
The flag was shared by someone from NY and i was born in NY and live in NoVA where that flag is never discussed so i didnt catch the error. I apologize for the confusion.
— Jim McBride #Call4Ukraine #FwdDemocrat (@jimmcbride13) April 14, 2024
My statement: pic.twitter.com/bIBVRDeB3V
— Eugene Vindman (@YVindman) April 16, 2024
The day before he released his apology, Vindman touted a first-quarter fundraising haul of over 1.7 million dollars.
Potomac Local reported on the following criticisms that Vindman has faced over the past several days:
Democrats and Republicans were quick to criticize Vindman today on social media. The most notable, Virignia State Senator Louise Lucas, posted on X, “How could someone who wants to represent us be so ignorant of our history?”
Other Democrats seeking the party’s nomination in the 7th District race chimed in, too.
“One thing you’ll never see me do is pose for a picture with a Confederate flag,” said a former Virginia House of Delegates member, Elizabeth Guzman.
“It’s disheartening to see that someone who wants to represent so many people of color pose behind a confederate flag,” said Andrea Bailey, another Democrat seeking the nomination and a Prince William County Board of Supervisors member.
Republican Derrick Anderson, who’s in a race of multiple Republicans seeking that party’s nomination, said, “Yet another reason why this newcomer isn’t fit to serve Virginia’s 7th District.”
Louise Lucas also added some humor to the debate, retweeting a meme posted by the Virginia Young Republicans:
My first ever retweet of the Young Republicans 😂 https://t.co/XBV9qDvNOW
— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) April 16, 2024