GOP candidate caught posing with 'wife and children of a longtime friend' in campaign video

27 September 2024

Derrick Anderson, a special forces veteran who is the Republican nominee in Virginia's 7th congressional district, was recently caught using his friend's family as props in campaign footage.

The New York Times reported Friday that there's actually more to an image of Anderson circulated by the National Republican Congressional Committee that "looks like a photo that might be used for an annual holiday card." Footage on his YouTube channel also shows him sitting with that same woman and children "chatting and smiling," even though they are not actually his.

"[T]he people are not relatives. They are the wife and children of a longtime friend," the Times wrote. "Mr. Anderson, who announced this month that he was engaged, does not have any children of his own. His campaign website says he lives with his dog and does not display any of the photos."

Anderson's use of a friend's family for his campaign even prompted disdain from a far-right influencer. Richard Hanania, who leads a conservative think tank, tweeted a summary of the article to his more than 118,000 followers by writing: "Republican congressional candidate in Virginia borrows the wife and three daughters of a friend to make it look like he has a family."

A spokesman for Anderson's campaign cried foul on the characterization that the candidate was being deceitful in his campaign materials. He described the footage in question as Anderson simply appearing "with female supporters and their kids."

"Derrick’s opponent and every other candidate in America are in similar pictures and video with supporters of all kinds," the spokesperson said.

In the November election, Anderson is running against retired U.S. Army colonel Eugene Vindman. However, while the Anderson campaign spokesperson's assertion that Anderson using a friend's family in campaign footage is not out of step with his opponent, Vindman has frequently been photographed with his wife and children throughout his congressional campaign.

"Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing mothers out there, and especially to my wife Cindy," Vindman wrote in a May Instagram post showing him, his wife, and their two children. "Thank you for being my rock and for supporting me on this amazing journey! We love you!"

The Republican congressional hopeful's use of someone else's family for campaign purposes is notably happening in an election in which the GOP's vice presidential nominee has repeatedly taken multiple jabs at Americans without children. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) doubled down on his characterization of his opponents as "childless cat ladies" shortly after former President Donald Trump selected him as his running mate.

Anderson and Vindman are both vying to win the seat previously held by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia), who decided not to run for reelection to Congress in order to run in Virginia's 2025 gubernatorial election. The Northern Virginia seat is considered to be fairly competitive, as it was previously represented by former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor before he was ultimately primaried by economist Dave Brat.

Click here to read the Times' report in its entirety (subscription required).

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