A Virginia Gubernatorial candidate from the Liberation Party, Princess Blanding, interrupted the final gubernatorial debate between Republican and Democratic nominees Tuesday, shouting from the audience about racism.
Blanding was not invited to join Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democratic Terry McAuliffe on stage during Tuesday’s debate. The third-party candidate started heckling her opponents from her seat in the audience in the first part of the live event, prompting NBC’s Chuck Todd — the debate’s moderator — to go on a commercial break and call for security to escort Blanding out, according to The Hill.
“This is not democracy!” Blanding can be heard exclaiming in one of the videos posted on Twitter.
Third-party #VAgov candidate Princess Blanding interrupts the governor’s debate live on @NBCWashington and begins heckling the stage, leading @ChuckTodd to call for security and toss to a commercial break.
What a mess. pic.twitter.com/HYErNGcIFJ
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 28, 2021
“I have every right to be up here. What you’re trying to do is — this is voter suppression,” she added, according to The Washington Examiner.
One of her supporters in the audience reportedly yelled, “Jim Crow,” apparently implying that Blanding was not allowed on stage because of being black.
Blanding also took aim at McAuliffe during her rant, shouting, “you are not going to win, Terry,” The Hill reported. (RELATED: Democrat-Linked Group Pushes Ads Hitting Republican Candidate For Not Being Endorsed By The NRA)
“The way that felt to me was, yes, you can come and get on the bus like everybody else … but you’re going to sit in the back of the bus. I met the requirements just like they did to get on the ballot. However, I’m being blocked,” Blanding told The Associated Press about her reaction to receiving the Chamber of Commerce’s invitation to watch the debate as an outsider.
The Tuesday event was the second and last gubernatorial debate before the election scheduled to take place Nov. 2, according to The Washington Examiner.