Article snippet: The Virginia gubernatorial election is now officially a week away, and a new ad from a Democratic group in the state is again sparking a bitter war of words between the two campaigns vying for the Commonwealth’s top office. The minute-long ad -- entitled "American Nightmare" -- from the Latino Victory Project features a pickup truck adorned with a Confederate flag and an Ed Gillespie bumper sticker driving aggressively through the neighborhood chasing young minority children fleeing in terror. The ad drew swift condemnation from both the Republican National Committee -- which said it showed Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam's campaign was in "total panic mode" -- and the Gillespie campaign. "Ed Gillespie has focused his campaign on the many policy differences between Ralph Northam and him, but sadly the Northam campaign and its allies have launched a desperate smear campaign against Ed in the closing days of this election," Gillespie campaign manager Chris Leavitt wrote in a statement. "The lieutenant governor was roundly rebuked for exploiting imagery from the tragedy of Charlottesville for political points. Now his allies have reached a new low with a disgusting, vile television ad seeking to instill fear in our children with that same imagery. This is not an attack on Ed Gillespie anymore. This is an all-out attack on the people of Virginia. This latest ad gives a clear indication of just what Ralph Northam and his national Democratic allies think of all of u... Link to the full article to read more