Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin was heckled during a visit to a grocery store in Alexandria, Virginia on Thursday where he appeared without wearing a mask to discuss tax reform.
Two shoppers in the store took aim at the Republican governor and demanded to know where his mask was. Alexandria is a heavily Democratic city and Youngkin won just less than 25 percent of the vote there in the November 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election.
The heckling came as seven school boards in the state are suing over an order the governor issued that allows parents to let their children opt out of school mask mandates. The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia also announced it was suing over the order this week.
Youngkin was attending a round table event at the Safeway grocery store in Alexandria about a plan to eliminate Virginia’s grocery tax.
During the round table, one shopper shouted at Youngkin from an elevator behind where the event was taking place.
“Where’s the mask?” the man said, and appeared to call Youngkin a “putz” as the governor continued speaking.
As Youngkin was leaving the store via the cash registers, a woman also took issue with the fact he wasn’t wearing a mask. The cashier who was assisting Youngkin was wearing a face mask.
“Governor, where’s your mask?” the shopper shouted. “You’re in Alexandria. Read the room, buddy!”
The woman repeated that Youngkin should “read the room” with regard to mask-wearing.
Though Youngkin’s appearance in Virginia was to tout the plan to eliminate the state’s 1.5 percent grocery tax, reporters also asked him about an email tip line that he’s set up to allow parents to make complaints about teachers engaging in “divisive practices.”
The tip line was established as part of the governor’s efforts to prevent the teaching of Critical Race Theory in Virginia schools. Youngkin didn’t say whether his administration would take any action against teachers who were reported to the tip line.
“We’re responding to those inquiries to make sure Virginians know we’re listening,” Youngkin said. “That’s the job of constituent services.”
The governor also addressed the lawsuit taken by the seven school boards against his executive order. That order says, in part, that parents of school children “may elect for their children not to be subject to any mask mandate in effect at the child’s school or educational program.”
More than half of the state’s school districts are refusing to comply with the order, according to a recent analysis by The Washington Post.
“History will not look fondly upon them for taking these decisions to tell children who want to be in school that they can’t be in school,” Youngkin said of the districts defying his order.
The governor also said he was “just so proud” of parents in Loudoun County, who are suing the local school district for not complying with the order.
Newsweek has asked Glenn Youngkin’s office for comment.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
