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: baseless claim - a bold statement that is presented as accepted or established fact, with no discernable evidence to support the claim.
: Public service announcements (PSAs) don't accomplish anything.

: whataboutism - discrediting a criticism by accusing hypocrisy to shift the focus away from oneself and onto others.
: Youngkin sidesteps the accusation that he's anti-vax by implying McAuliffe is, by virtue of him appointing a donor who's anti-vax—diverting attention from his own stance.

: whataboutism - discrediting a criticism by accusing hypocrisy to shift the focus away from oneself and onto others.
: Youngkin shifts the focus from his involvement with the Carlyle Group by pointing to McAuliffe’s ties to the same firm—making the issue seem mutual.

: post hoc - proclaiming that because something occurred after X, it was caused by X, when no causal relationship at all may exist.
: Taking credit for dropping unemployment, while McAuliffe was in office, when it was dropping at about the same rate in other states during that time.^[1]

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Youngkin has expressed support for limiting access to late term abortions, NOT for a total ban on abortions or defunding Planned Parenthood.^[2]

: muddying the waters - introducing irrelevant information or overly complex reasoning to confuse or complicate an issue that is otherwise straightforward and easy to understand.
: Youngkin introduces unrelated comparisons, like the Texas abortion law and its flaws, which adds unnecessary complexity and ambiguity to his position on the abortion bill in question.

: labeling - casting a person or group into a rigid, stereotypical identity and assigning names or attributes to that identity.
: Youngkin brands McAuliffe "the abortion governor," assigning him a rigid ideological identity and reducing his platform to a single controversial issue.

: labeling - casting a person or group into a rigid, stereotypical identity and assigning names or attributes to that identity.
: Youngkin defines McAuliffe as "the most extreme pro-abortion candidate," assigning him a rigid ideological identity, while disregarding his broader policy positions.

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Youngkin did get recorded saying he would support further restrictions to abortions, NOT that he was for banning abortions or defunding Planned Parenthood.^[2]

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: McAuliffe did say he wants to "make life difficult" for those who refuse to get a Covid vaccine, NOT all Virginians.^[3]

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: The economic plan McAuliffe is talking about is no longer Youngkin's plan since August.^[4]

: cherry picking - presenting only evidence that confirms your position, while ignoring or withholding an often more significant portion that contradicts it.
: Youngkin highlights only the murder rate, while not mentioning that Virginia had one of the lowest crime rates in the country when McAuliffe was in office.^[5]

: half truth - a statement that is essentially true, but lacking critical information and presented as the whole truth.
: McAuliffe mentions that he supports qualified immunity, without mentioning he called for ending qualified immunity in April.^[6]

: adding qualifiers - adding an extra word or phrase to a response that makes it ultimately meaningless, but still leaves the desired impression.
: McAuliffe touting Virginia as having the lowest crime rate of any "major" state when he was governor doesn't necessarily mean Virginia had the lowest crime rate of any state—just those states he considers "major."^[7]

: exaggeration - stretching the truth to make something seem more powerful or meaningful than it actually is.
: While Virginia did have a low crime rate, it was never the lowest in America.^[7]

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: The "economic plan" McAuliffe is talking about is no longer Youngkin's economic plan since August.^[4]

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: The "plan" McAuliffe keeps referring to, to eliminate the state income tax, has not been Youngkin's economic plan since August.^[4]

: appeal to compromised authority - insisting something is true because an expert on the issue says it's true, when that expert has a vested interest in the outcome.
: The author of the Jefferson Institute report was involved in a paid capacity with Republican members of Virginia’s General Assembly.^[8]

: guilt by association - discrediting an opponent by linking them with a person, group, or entity viewed negatively by the target audience.
: McAuliffe uses Trump's endorsement of Youngkin to associate him with Trump, implying that the endorsement alone confirms they are ideologically aligned.

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Youngkin said "Trump represents so much of why I'm running," NOT "So much of the reason why I'm running is because of Donald Trump."^[9]

: hyperbole - an extravagant statement or figure of speech used for effect, not intended to be taken literally.
: Characterizing Youngkin's lack of support for mandating Covid-19 vaccinations as his plan to "unleash Covid" on Virginians.

: out of context - removing a passage or quote from its surrounding context in such a way as to distort its intended meaning.
: In a panel discussion at a conference where Youngkin was moderating and McAuliffe was a panelist, Youngkin was actually asking McAuliffe to explain to the audience how he recruits foreign businesses to Virginia.^[10]

: cherry picking - presenting only evidence that confirms your position, while ignoring or withholding an often more significant portion that contradicts it.
: Youngkin lists a presentation at a 2015 conference and a recommended book on the BOE website, while ignoring the absence of any evidence that CRT is actually being taught in any of the state’s 1,825 public schools.^[11]

: dog whistle - ambiguous messaging designed to stoke fears, anxieties, or prejudices against minorities or other marginalized groups, or to covertly signal allegiance to specific subgroups.
: The phrase "critical race theory" can be redefined to portray any institutional recognition of long-standing racial inequity as divisive or un-American. Opposing it can signal support for perpetuating systemic racism to certain audiences while appearing as just a defense of racial equality to the broader audience.^[12]

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: The "plan" McAuliffe is talking about is no longer Youngkin's plan since August.^[4]

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Youngkin has said "Trump represents so much of why I'm running," NOT "So much of the reason why I'm running is because of Donald Trump."^[9]