(The Center Square) – Virginia’s attorney general and Portsmouth’s top prosecutor have been asked to investigate alleged illegal electioneering and misuse of public assets at Portsmouth Public Schools tied to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger.
The request came from the Liberty Justice Center, which filed letters Monday asking both offices to open investigations into whether school officials violated state election and ethics laws by allowing Spanberger’s campaign to use school property for a political event.
Emails cited in the complaint show Spanberger’s campaign was in contact with Portsmouth’s chief operating officer, Jerry Simmons, and the school’s principal about getting teachers to attend during work hours and setting aside an extra room to film campaign material. The Liberty Justice Center says those exchanges raise questions about whether school resources were used to support the event.
Candidates said to be present included Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, running for lieutenant governor; Jay Jones, running for attorney general; and several House of Delegates candidates.
The Liberty Justice Center says the school’s free use of facilities, staff and teacher time amounts to an unreported in-kind contribution. Under Virginia law, in-kind contributions valued at more than $100 must be reported, and failure to report a contribution exceeding $1,000 can constitute a felony. The group said Virginia law also makes it a crime to use public assets, such as schools or staff time, for purposes unrelated to their normal use or other legitimate government interest.
The complaint asks the attorney general and the Portsmouth commonwealth’s attorney to open investigations by mid-November. The center says both offices have jurisdiction over election law violations.
“The Portsmouth School District should use its facilities and teachers to educate students, not provide free resources and crowds to a partisan political campaign,” said Brendan Philbin, senior counsel for LJC. “Portsmouth residents deserve to have their tax dollars spent on education, not handouts to gubernatorial candidates. What the district administrators did is unconstitutional, and very likely, criminal.”
Requests for comment have been sent to the Spanberger campaign and Portsmouth Public Schools.
