DPVA demands Prince William County Republicans call on John Gray to drop out of PWC Board Chair race after revelation of racist, homophobic and threatening tweets

Top of GOP ticket unfit to serve and disgrace to county; Fellow GOP candidates must call for him to step aside

RICHMOND, VA - John Gray, the Republican nominee for chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, is an avid Trump supporter known for praising Corey Stewart's white supremacy and making other inflammatory and hateful statements. Yet Prince William County Republicans have stood by him, even as they've lost nearly every election in the county since Trump's election. 

But yesterday's revelations that Gray had an extensive history of making racist, misogynistic and bigoted statements on Twitter are a new low for Republicans in Prince William County. Below is a sample of some of Gray's statements reported by the Washington Post: 

• Gray said that African Americans would stop “rioting” and take a knee if someone played the national anthem
• He threatened that those who wanted to impeach Trump (who he called "bong and dildo holders") would be met with "300 million weapons and an estimated 2 billion rounds of ammo" 
• Commenting on an article that discussed domestic abuse committed by Omar Mateen, the gunman who killed 49 people at a gay bar in Orlando in 2016, Gray said, "Well, what did you expect? Being Islamic you knew he had the right to beat you."

Prince William County Republicans who have yet to even condemn Gray's statements include Kelly McGinn (HD-13), Rich Anderson (HD-51), DJ Jordan (HD-31), Ian Lovejoy (HD-50), Heather Mitchell (HD-2), Geary Higgins (SD-13), and Delegate Tim Hugo (HD-40). 

When confronted with his statements, Gray defended many of them. And rather than apologize for his racism and violent threats, he instead joked that the consultant he paid to delete the tweets didn't do his job correctly. 

"John Gray is an example of how Donald Trump and his hateful rhetoric have completely taken over the Republican Party in Virginia. His statements are disgusting and offensive, and someone like him who holds those views should have no role in public service. He should immediately withdraw from the race. And any Republican in Prince William County who refuses to call on him to drop out is telling voters that they think his racism and homophobia is acceptable," said DPVA Press Secretary Grant Fox. 

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