Below is my press response to the Richmond Times Dispatch and the Virginian Pilot regarding their articles about years old Facebook posts.
I presented this statement 2 days ago at the request of the RTD reporter; it has yet to be published.
My name is Tom Brock. I am a Democratic candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates in Virginia Beach (District 21).
On June 13th 2017 a primary election will be held. Two names will appear on the Democratic ballot: Tom Brock and Kelly Fowler. One of us will be elected to be the Democratic nominee in the 2017 general election.
During the past 12 to 14 weeks, accusations about my character and fitness to serve have been circulated around the district and the state, on many platforms, among them, blogs, Facebook, the news media.
The principle accusations have centered on misogyny and racism, in relation to years old Facebook postings which were presented without context. I have previously addressed the accusations of misogyny.
The recent accusations of racism brought the harsh spotlight and censure of the Democratic House Caucus to my campaign; criticism which would be appropriate and deserved if these accusations were true; however, they are not.
I'm running to represent the voters and residents of the 21st District. The Virginia Democratic House Caucus can speak for itself, it has done so. My campaign, and my opponent’s, will speak for themselves. My campaign will remain positive, speaking to the voters about my relationship to them, and only them. I will not involve myself with my opponent's campaign, or with her personal life or personal matters; that's her business.
I have no ill will or resentments about the actions of anyone involved in attempts to damage my campaign or question my character. This is politics; and it is certainly true, "politics ain’t beanbags".
I will continue my positive, personal appeal to my neighbors in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. I look forward to meeting and speaking with as many of them as possible during the next few weeks and months, listening to their concerns, and addressing them to the best of my abilities. I am grateful to you for your attention, and for your active participation in the electoral process.
In Solidarity,
Tom Brock
I would like to sincerely thank the Daily Kos Community for providing the space for me to talk about my campaign. It is my firm belief that I have conducted my campaign with absolute honesty and in a manner that brings no shame to my staff or any of my volunteers. We will continue to bring our message to the voters of the 21st district.
If the voters of my district have questions regarding the comments that have been released or the ones that will be released in the future, I will personally talk with them about how important the underlying issues are and, I will share with them the personal stories that have helped me to transcend attitudes of privilege.
Say what you will about anything I have said in the past; I am a human being, I’m learning day by day, one day at a time. More may be coming, we will talk about those when they come out.
The primary election will be held on June 13th, the voter registration deadline to vote in the primary is 5 pm tomorrow night, early voting has already begun. If you live in Virginia please vote!
Tom Brock
Candidate for VA HD-21
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