Today, Senator Barbara Favola and Democratic Party of Virginia Executive Director Lauren Harmon exposed the close ideological relationship between E.W. Jackson and Mark Obenshain, the Republican Lt. Governor and Attorney General candidates.

On a call open to the press, both Harmon and Favola pointed out two new videos that show Obenshain accepting the “Wilberforce Award” from an organization called the Valley Family Forum, who believes that “abortion is America’s holocaust.” At that same event, Jackson said that he “knows Mark” and “knows his work” and that he cannot think of anyone more deserving of the award (Ken Cuccinelli is also a recipient of the Wilberforce Award).

“During his time as a state Senator, Mark Obenshain has constantly tried to prevent women from making their own private health care decisions,” said Democratic Senator Barbara Favola. “There has been a lot of talk about E.W. Jackson’s rhetoric, but to see Mark Obenshain in action – to see him introduce laws that reflect what EW Jackson says – is really frightening.”

Mark Obenshain’s voting record on women’s health issues speaks for itself:

  • In 2004, he voted to defeat a bill outlining that contraception was not abortion
  • He co-patroned a “personhood” bill in 2007, introduced it again in 2011 and voted for it once more in 2012.
  • In 2009, he introduced a bill that would require women to report miscarriages to the police within 24 hours.
  • He voted in favor of a 2012 bill that would force women to go through an invasive transvaginal ultrasound before an abortion, calling it “common sense legislation.”
  • He sponsored a bill in 2012 to outlaw abortions after 20 weeks.

“Mark Obenshain votes like E.W. Jackson talks,” said Lauren Harmon. “Jackson has also said that the extreme right-wing Republican Tea Party ticket in this year’s state-wide races are ‘in fundamental agreement,’ adding that he’s heard that ‘this ticket is probably more homogeneous than almost any ticket ever in the history of Virginia.’ This is the truest statement that E.W. Jackson has made thus far, especially when you look the track record of his ticket-mate running for Attorney General, Mark Obenshain.

“E.W. Jackson has garnered attention throughout the county for his statements on women’s health issues, comparing abortion with slavery and saying Planned Parenthood has been ‘more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was.'”


Mark Obenshain Receiving Wilberforce Award at 2nd Annual Valley Family Forum


E.W. Jackson Praising Mark Obenshain at 2nd Annual Valley Family Forum