A photo of GOP Virginia congressional candidate Derrick Anderson that appeared to be a happy family photo was actually him posing with his friend’s wife and children.
Anderson, a former Army Green Beret running for Virginia’s Seventh District, used the photo of himself alongside a woman and three girls smiling, as well as another showing them at a dining table together, in a campaign video similar to how other politicians would showcase their own families. The Republican is, however, childless, was only recently engaged to a woman who isn’t the one seen in the photos and lives alone with his dogs.
Several screenshots of the video went viral and New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni‘s post on X acknowledging that “none of these people are related to” Anderson was viewed more than 6 million times.
Anderson’s campaign claimed that they intended to show him “with female supporters and their kids,” noting that he’s had a longtime friendship with the husband and father of the individuals shown, but denied the notion that he was trying to portray them as his own family, in a statement to the New York Times.
“Derrick’s opponent and every other candidate in America are in similar pictures and video with supporters of all kinds,” a spokesperson said.
The video, which was paid for by the National Republican Campaign Committee, was not used in an official campaign advertisement, however, is featured on Anderson’s YouTube channel and official website. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused Anderson of “misleading” voters with “deceitful” tactics by posing as a family man.
“Derrick Anderson is so desperate to mask his anti-abortion views and look like a family man that he’s posing for fake family pictures,” DCCC spokesperson Lauryn Fanguen said in a press release. “He’s clearly not above misleading Virginians and definitely can’t be trusted to represent them in Congress.”
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