Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe warned Republicans today to stop complaining about giving felons the right to vote. He appeared today on "This Week":
STEPHANOPOULOS: “You say it’s not politics but, boy, every headline in your state actually made this move — we’re going to show some of them right now — did talk about this idea that it’s an election year ploy to help Hillary Clinton. I know you scoff at that. But this could make the difference in a close race, couldn’t it?”
MCAULIFFE: “Well, I would tell the Republicans quit complaining and go out and earn these folks’ right to vote for you. Go out and talk to them. I find it very — and in fact, I think some of the language that has come out of the Republicans, I would tell them to be very careful at how they frame this, very careful of their rhetoric.
They have an opportunity to go out and get these individual new voters to vote for them. But make your argument. These are the same legislators, George, that, just in this session, sent me a bill to sign that would have been very similar to North Carolina, religious freedom bill, that would have rolled back the rights and given protections to those who didn’t discriminate against LGBT members. They sent me a bill that would have defunded parts of Planned Parenthood. This is the same group of individuals several years ago passed the transvaginal ultrasound against women. I told folks when I ran for governor, I will be a brick wall to protect your rights for women. I will protect the rights of LGBT members and I’ll do everything I can to get disenfranchised voters entrenched. So I’ve done that. It’s exactly what I talked about. Our economy is booming. I just announced a 4 percent unemployment, biggest budget surplus in Virginia history. We put $1 billion in education. It works when you welcome people back into society and make them feel good about themselves.”