Corey Stewart trashed Danville during the US Senate debate. See how Danville is responding.

“We’re a great city. Not a talking point.”

At the first US Senate debate in Virginia, Tim Kaine and Corey Stewart discussed economic conditions in Danville, a city on the Commonwealth’s southern border.

Tim talked about how he helped Danville open advanced manufacturing facilities during his time as Governor, and has followed the city’s growth ever since. He even highlighted the Danville IKEA plan he toured earlier this year.

Corey, on the other hand, used his time on the debate stage to completely trash Danville. Take a look:

Since the debate, folks who know Danville — including local leaders, newspaper editorial boards and TV stations — have been responding to Corey’s portrayal of their city:

“Stewart has overstated Danville’s problems and attributed the ones it does have to the wrong causes.”

“Cities grow. Cities change. They have their ups and downs. But make no mistake, Danville is coming back. We’d urge Corey Stewart to come visit so he can see what’s happening in our city — be a supporter, sir, and don’t use us to score some cheap, political points.”

“The City of Danville has attracted, just in the last five years, over $130 million in new private investment and that trend is still an upward trend as we speak,” [Deputy City Manager Earl Reynolds] said.

The Kaine Campaign’s official response:

“Danville is a great city full of hardworking people and Senator Kaine has had their back since his time as Governor. Corey Stewart’s unfair characterization during last week’s debate is inconsistent with what we’ve seen during our visits there this year.”

— Brandon Gassaway, campaign spokesperson

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