No, this isn’t a real McAuliffe campaign sign

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is running for his old job, but not using the slogan some people recently saw on a photo of a sign being shared on social media. 

 "Keep parents out of classrooms," the sign says. "Vote McAuliffe. Keep Virginia blue." 

Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin’s campaign tweeted out the image with a gritted-teeth emoji, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz opted for a face palm. 

We’re not sure who made it. Neither does McAuliffe, said Christina Freundlich, a spokesperson for his campaign. 

"This is not a sign distributed by us," Freundlich said. "It’s not our sign."

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stated on March 21, 2024 in an Instagram post

Video shows legislators “dancing in Congress” while the border is “overrun.”

The role of parents in the classroom has driven the gubernatorial contest’s narrative in recent days as "Youngking has increasingly built his campaign’s momentum on issues of parental grievance," the Washington Post reported.

During the second and final gubernatorial debate, Youngkin raised a bill McAuliffe vetoed as governor in 2016 that would have given parents the right to opt their children out of some reading assignments.  

"I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach," McAuliffe said. 

Youngkin seized on the quote, and it's drawn both critical and supportive coverage in the days since. 

But that sign is not from McAuliffe’s campaign. 

We rate claims that it is False.