Our Revolution knocks Washington Post endorsement of Ralph Northam in Va. gubernatorial primary

The political organization that rose from the ashes of Sen. Bernard Sanders’ presidential campaign is urging voters to ignore The Washington Post’s endorsement of Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam in Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, saying the newspaper has a bad track record and lost some credibility last year when it backed Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid.

Jeff Weaver, president of Our Revolution, blasted out a fundraising email urging progressives to ignore The Post and contribute $27 to help fund their push to elect Rep. Tom Perriello, who has the support of Mr. Sanders, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, another progressive darling.

“Some, like those at The Washington Post, believe that Democrats should run as ’Republican-lite,’” said Mr. Weaver, who served as a senior adviser to the Sanders campaign. “When The Washington Post endorsed Tom’s opponent, they specifically cited his close relationship with Republicans and their pitch to get him to switch parties. We all remember when The Washington Post editorial writers went after Bernie day after day. Now that they are supporting Tom’s opponent, we know we are on the right side.

“If we as progressives are not taking dramatic steps to fix the problems in this country, we will not win elections and we are not doing what’s right for working families,” he said. “The Post didn’t get it right in 2016 — with disastrous results — and they don’t get it now.”

Mr. Perriello, who served in Congress from 2009 to 2011, had supported Mrs. Clinton in the Virginia presidential primary race last year, but did not vote because he was involved in peace talks in Africa as a special envoy for the Obama administration. Still, he has emerged as a favorite of grass-roots activists who see the gubernatorial primary race in Virginia as a chance to steer the party in a more progressive direction.

Voters head to the polls Tuesday.

Mr. Northam has the support of nearly every top Democrat in Virginia and is scheduled to campaign over the weekend with Gov. Terry McAuliffe, as well as Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, the latter whom served as Mrs. Clinton’s running mate in the presidential race.

In The Post endorsement, the editorial board said Mr. Northam “is a shrewd politician whose decade in office — six years as a state senator, and now as lieutenant governor — has made him highly regarded in Richmond, including among Republican lawmakers, who tried to recruit him to switch parties in 2009.”

“If any Democratic governor can nudge GOP majorities in his direction, it’s Mr. Northam,” the board said. “That matters in a state where governors, barred from running for consecutive terms, have one brief shot at getting things done.”