Virginia state Senate candidate Barbara Favola is being attacked as a “racist” by her Hispanic opponent’s backers. It’s the latest accusation to fly in one of Northern Virginia’s most contentious Democratic primary races.
Fellow Democrats are denouncing Favola for implying that her opponent Jaime Areizaga-Soto could not win the 31st Senate District because he is Hispanic.
Blue Virginia blogger Lowell Feld reported that Favola told him in a phone conversation Aug. 8 that because her opponent was Latino, he had no base in the mostly white 31st District. Feld, an Areizaga-Soto supporter, told The Washington Examiner that “racism” didn’t cross his mind at the time of the conversation.
But Virginia politicians picked up on the conversation to denounce Favola for racism.
“[Favola’s] allegation is simply offensive on its face,” said Del. Mark Keam, D-35th, who along with Del. Patrick Hope. D-47th, spoke out about the alleged racism but did not endorse either candidate. “How can anyone in the year 2011 assume that an ethnic candidate cannot be elected without the support of fellow minorities?”
The 31st District, which includes Arlington and parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties, is 12 percent Hispanic.
A spokesman for Favola said she was citing the size of the Hispanic population in response to Feld’s question about the racial makeup of the district, but that Favola did not say anything else about race during the conversation.
“Jaime Areizaga-Soto and his supporters have made outrageous allegations at me throughout this campaign, but these accusations of racism are flat out untrue,” Favola said in a statement. “Mr. Areizaga-Soto and his supporters have sunk to a new low in Northern Virginia Democratic politics.”
Retiring state Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, who endorsed Favola, told The Examiner she was shocked by the allegations of racism.
“I’m quite astounded that delegates would make such statement based on the oral account of a telephone conversation,” she said. “She made a factual statement. People seem to be reading into that.”
The Areizaga-Soto campaign mailed fliers earlier this summer accusing Favola of having “sold her vote” to developers who contributed to her campaign. Favola struck back, accusing Areizaga-Soto of funding his campaign with the money he earned by working for international corporations that disregard the environment.
