'The Five' rips media's claim VA GOP ticket embodies White supremacy: They replaced two men who wore Blackface

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Winsome Sears pushes back on racially-charged attacks

Lt. Gov-elect Winsome Sears, R-Va., rejects claims about GOP White supremacy; 'The Five' reacts.

The panel on "The Five" discussed the media's claim that a majority of Virginia voters cast ballots not for Glenn Youngkin, Winsome Sears and Jason Miyares, but instead for White supremacy – ripping pundits for ignoring the fact the two incumbent Democrats in Richmond previously were accused of dressing in blackface and a third was accused of sexual misconduct.

MSNBC hosts Tiffany Cross and Joy Reid slammed the GOP ticket in remarks following its victory, with Cross claiming the election was "about the fact that a good chunk of voters are OK with White supremacy."

"Stoking this kind of soft White nationalism eventually leads to the hardcore stuff," Reid claimed separately.

On "The Five", host Dana Perino remarked that the left-wing media pundits' comments were ridiculous.

"If electing a Black female to lieutenant governor in Virginia is a gateway drug to White supremacy – this is absurd," she said

Sears, who recounted her journey from Jamaica to the United States and then on to the Marine Corps in her victory speech, will be the Old Dominion's first Black female elected to statewide office. 

Perino said the media should instead focus on Sears in a more balanced way, noting that if she were a Democrat she would be treated much differently.

Virginia Lt. Gov-elect Winsome Sears and AG-elect Jason Miyares are shown in this composite photo.

"In mentoring circles, there is a saying: ‘You need to see her to be her.' When you are a little girl, it is good to be exposed to different women executives: You think about all of the young Black girls watching Winsome Sears and saying ‘that’s another thing I can aspire to’," she said.

Perino also pointed to Miyares, a state delegate from Virginia Beach who will become the state's first Cuban-American attorney general.

"Winsome Sears and [Miyares] are replacing Democrats who were accused of sexual abuse and wearing blackface," she said.

In 2019, shortly after a yearbook photo surfaced purporting to show term-limited Gov. Ralph Northam dressing in either blackface or a Ku Klux Klan robe, Commonwealth Attorney General Mark Herring publicly admitted to wearing blackface.

In a statement, Herring admitted to dressing in "brown makeup" as a college student in 1980 in an attempt to resemble rapper Kurtis Blow. Herring apologized, saying that he "did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others" at the time.

WINSOME SEARS CHALLENGES MSNBC'S REID TO DEBATE

Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who was not on the ballot, forcefully denied a misconduct claim from 2004 when it surfaced on a political blog in 2019. 

"Lt. Governor Fairfax has an outstanding and well-earned reputation for treating people with dignity and respect," the statement from his office read. "He has never assaulted anyone—ever—in any way, shape, or form."

In response to the "White nationalist" allegations, Sears told Fox News earlier this week that she has challenged Reid to invite her on her program to discuss the issue.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, left, speaks to supporters as Attorney Gen. Mark Herring, center, and Lt. Gov. candidate Hala Ayala, right, cheer during a rally as running mates, in Richmond, Va., Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

"Let's see if she is woman enough," Sears said. "I am destroying all of the narratives about race – look at me: I am a hearbeat away from the governorship in case anything happens to the governor – how are you going to tell me I am a victim?"

On "The Five", Judge Jeanine Pirro compared the attacks on Sears to those waged against Los Angeles Republican talk show host Larry Elder in his unsuccessful bid for the California governorship. 

Republican conservative radio show host Larry Elder speaks to supporters after losing the California gubernatorial recall election Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, in Costa Mesa, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) (AP)

Elder had been called the "Black face of White supremacy" by a Newsom rally speaker and a Los Angeles Times columnist  – a claim he repeatedly denounced and debunked.

Later, host Greg Gutfeld said Reid cannot invite Sears on her program because it would wreck her own narrative:

"She has to pretend she doesn’t exist… to protect their false narrative of White supremacy," he said.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.