PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — Stanley Bender, who has his name on the ballot to be the next Prince William County School Board Chairman, At-large, has been largely absent from the campaign trail.
He’s raised zero dollars and failed to show up to debates between his fellow candidates Alyson Satterwhite, who is endorsed by Republicans, and Babur Lateef, endorsed by Democrats.
Bender’s name, however, showed up on Election Day on multiple red signs planted at polling places, many in the western side of the county stating “Republicans for Stanley Bender.”
Ask any Republican in the county’s GOP and they’ll tell you Bender is not their candidate. But calls started pouring into to the county’s GOP headquarters on Prince William Parkway early Tuesday morning from confused voters asking if Bender was their candidate.
“This is the most vicious attempt to deceive voters that I have ever seen,” said Prince William County Republican Committee Chairman Bill Card.
Republicans chalk up the move to voter suppression and maintain their support for Satterwhite.
While all school board candidates run as independents, it’s common for parties to endorse candidates as they’ve done in this race.
Records from the Virginia Department of Elections Show former Prince William County Democratic Committee Chairman Harry Wiggins filed for the creation of a “Republicans for Bender” political action committee on Oct. 24. Wiggins is listed at the PAC’s treasurer, and his Woodbridge area address as the PAC’s headquarters.
Wiggins could not be reached for comment.
“This is just someone taking advantage of a race where candidates don’t have Rs or Ds beside ther names on the ballot,” said Card.
Card urged for Democrats to denounce he move, and said it would cheapen the win for their candidate, Lateef.
Prince William County Democratic Committee Chairman Don Shaw referred us to a prepared statement posted to social media.
“Dirty tricks and deception are just as bad as fake robocalls and providing an insufficient number of voting machines at polling places. Voter suppression, regardless of its source or form cuts against everything we stand for. Anyone who participates in such reprehensible behavior does not share our values,” the statement read.
