New election filings in Richmond show a group backed by Trump donor and tech billionaire Peter Thiel is pouring millions into a misleading ad campaign ahead of the April 21 referendum in Virginia. A $2.5 million contribution ties Thiel’s network to false and racially charged ads targeting Virginia voters.
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones issued the following statement yesterday in response to the development:
“Peter Thiel, one of Donald Trump’s top billionaire backers, is spending millions in Virginia to push a campaign built on lies and racial division. These ads deliberately exploit the history of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement to mislead Black voters and suppress participation. That is not just offensive. It is a modern playbook for voter suppression.
“My family lived through Jim Crow in Virginia. That history is not a political prop for Trump’s allies to weaponize to rig elections and manipulate voters. Virginians deserve facts, not fear. I will continue to stand up for civil rights, defend the integrity of our elections, and call out any effort to deceive voters and undermine our democracy.”
Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott released the following statement in response to the news:
“Now Virginians know exactly who is behind these lies. Peter Thiel – a Silicon Valley tech billionaire, one of Donald Trump and JD Vance’s biggest donors, and someone who has openly questioned whether democracy even works – is now pouring millions into Virginia to mislead our voters.
“He thinks he can trick Virginians. Just like Trump, he thinks he can rig the midterms. And he’s doing it by funding a campaign built on deception.
“As the first Black Speaker in Virginia’s history, I don’t take this lightly. Our elections belong to the people – not out-of-state tech billionaires using cheap tricks to manipulate voters.
Virginia can fight back by voting Yes. Reject Trump and Thiel’s anti-democratic agenda – and send a clear message: we will not bow down to billionaires trying to buy our democracy.”
The malicious text, digital, mail and TV campaign misleads Black and senior voters, invoking Jim Crow and lying about Obama and Spanberger Support for Yes on Redistricting Amendment.
The TV ad uses images of Martin Luther King and civil rights activists, falsely claiming that Vote Yes forces are threatening gains in the civil rights movement. It falsely claims “Black and Brown voices are being suppressed” by the Vote Yes effort.
A new Virginia State Board of Elections report shows a $2.5 million contribution from Thiel-funded group to the creator of the ads.
A $2.5 million cash contribution reported Wednesday links Thiel’s network to the same campaign that’s been sending false and racist ads invoking Jim Crow and misleading Virginians in the final weeks of the referendum.
According to the filings, Per Aspera Policy Incorporated — a key part of Thiel’s network — is backing ads that revive imagery and language associated with the Jim Crow era to target Black voters while pushing false claims about the Vote Yes campaign. The ads deliberately distort what a Yes or No vote means, and use inflammatory and historically-charged imagery to mislead seniors and communities of color.
Other text messages and mailers by the group misrepresent both President Obama’s position and Governor Spanberger’s record to further confuse voters.
Thiel, co-founder of Palantir and megafunder for Per Aspera Policy Incorporated, has become one of the most influential and aggressive financiers of Trump and the MAGA movement, using his wealth to support political operations that peddle in disinformation and attacks on democratic norms.
Statement from Keren Dongo, Campaign Manager for the Vote Yes Campaign:
“Now we know exactly who is funding this deceptive campaign. The same megadonor network backing Donald Trump and JD Vance’s agenda is now trying to manipulate Virginia voters with lies. But Virginians won’t be fooled — and now they have the chance to level the playing field and stop the MAGA power grab by voting Yes.”
Early voting is underway now through April 18. Election Day is April 21.