Music mogul Pharrell Williams spoke at a campaign event for Democrat Terry McAuliffe on Friday, where, prior to introducing McAuliffe, he did not tell the crowd they should vote for McAuliffe.
What happened?
While on the campaign stage to seemingly stump for McAuliffe, Williams — a Virginia native — made it clear that he was not there to tell Virginians which candidate they should support.
“I’m not here to tell you to vote for a person or vote for a party,” Williams said. “I’m asking you to vote and be a part of the process of being a Virginian.”
Several seconds later, Williams continued, “So again: When you go home, if you haven’t voted already, speak to your neighbor no matter what color they are, no matter what color they’re wearing. Speak to your fellow Virginian. That’s how we show love to one another.”
“Last, but not least, I’m going to bring, um, uh, the former governor, and maybe the governor to be again, um, Terry McAuliffe,” Williams added.
Despite the unenthusiastic introduction, McAuliffe has claimed that Williams endorses his candidacy.
Pharrell Williams Delivers Remarks At Terry McAuliffe Rally Ahead Of November Elections
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The campaign of Glenn Youngkin, the Republican challenging McAuliffe, interpreted Williams’ comments as telling the assembled crowd that voting for Youngkin is OK.
“At Terry McAuliffe’s event, Pharrell Williams told the crowd it’s OK if they vote for Glenn Youngkin,” the Youngkin campaign tweeted.
Anything else?
In the final days of the gubernatorial campaign, McAuliffe’s campaign has enlisted a host of high-profile celebrities and politicians — including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Barack Obama — to campaign on McAuliffe’s behalf.
Harris, in fact, campaigned for McAuliffe at the same event in Norfolk where Williams unenthusiastically introduced McAuliffe.
Polling leading up to the Nov. 2 election demonstrate why McAuliffe’s campaign is pulling out all the stops to woo Virginia voters.
According to the FiveThirtyEight average of polls, McAuliffe’s lead over Youngkin has evaporated completely. Whereas McAuliffe was leading Youngkin by a nearly 8-point average in August, Youngkin now holds a narrow lead over McAuliffe.