Breitbart called Ed Gillespie a 'culture warrior' two weeks ago. Now that he lost, he's a 'Republican swamp thing.'


Just last week, Breitbart News executive chairman Stephen Bannon predicted that Republican Ed Gillespie would win the Virginia gubernatorial race. But on Wednesday morning — just hours after Gillespie's 9-point defeat at the hands of Democrat Ralph Northam — Breitbart's front page referred to Gillespie as a "Republican swamp thing":
President Trump, meanwhile, tweeted that Gillespie lost because he "did not embrace me or what I stand for."
In the weeks leading up to the election, Breitbart published several articles suggesting that Gillespie had surged in polls because of his focus on illegal immigration and his support for populist issues. An article published Oct. 26 called Gillespie a "culture warrior"; another post published Sunday was more explicit in its praise of Gillespie for "pushing back against the Far Left." Breitbart's senior legal editor, Ken Klukowski, went so far as to predict that "a Gillespie victory would be a vindication of the principles President Trump ran on."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But hours before the polls even closed in Virginia, Breitbart began to change its tone — perhaps in preparation for a Northam victory. An article providing live updates on the Virginia gubernatorial race referred to Gillespie as an "establishment Republican tactician" and called his campaign a "band of virtue-signalling Bush loyalists."
Two hours after Northam claimed victory, Breitbart posted an excerpt of a Daily Beast report that claimed that Bannon's offer to campaign on Gillespie's behalf was rejected by the campaign. Hours after Northam's victory, ABC News White House correspondent Tara Palmeri tweeted that Bannon's team was "fuming" after Gillespie's defeat.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
June 17 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include a delay in the Artificial Intelligence invasion, 'No Kings' at the G7 Summit, and an 'arrest' of Gavin Newsom
-
The best podcasts for bookworms
The Week Recommends From reading list recommendations to author interviews these literary listens are perfect for bibliophiles
-
Will the new grooming gangs inquiry achieve anything?
Today's Big Question Critics point to a previous inquiry's still-unfulfilled list of recommendations
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia