Citing negative campaign ads about him, Brat tells jailed addicts he’s got it hard too

When Republican Congressman Dave Brat visited the Chesterfield County Jail to talk with convicted drug offenders, he had some nontraditional advice, according to WCVE’s Ben Paviour, who covered the visit.

Brat, who is running for re-election, told inmates they had to find substitutes for their drug use once they got out of jail. He suggested exercise, reading or religious practice, WCVE reported.

But then he had an interesting take when inmates mentioned the difficulty they face once they’re out of jail, likening his tough contest against Democrat Abigail Spanberger to the inmates’ concerns.

“You think you’re having a hard time?,” Brat said. “I got $5 million worth of negative ads coming at me. How do you think I’m feeling? Nothing’s easy. For anybody.”

An odd moment from @DaveBratVA7th‘s visit to an addiction support group at Chesterfield County Jail: After an inmate describes some of the difficulties she’d face upon release, Brat says his life isn’t all roses either, pointing to attack ads from @SpanbergerVA07 pic.twitter.com/uVDW4jsAhs

— Ben Paviour (@BPaves) October 18, 2018

“And you’ve got it harder,” he later said. “I’m not dismissing that. You’ve got some fierce, real anxiety with coming up with a job or whatever. And what you’ve got to find is a support system.”

It’s worth noting Brat later acknowledged the inmate was up against steeper problems. Here’s a longer cut for more context. pic.twitter.com/80hTiZWAua

— Ben Paviour (@BPaves) October 18, 2018

Dave Wasserman, an editor at the Cook Political Report, said on Twitter missteps like this make Brat a headache for his party.

“Every cycle, there are a few incumbents their own party’s strategists wish they could throw overboard,” Wasserman tweeted. “Brat is one of them.”

It appears it hasn’t hurt the incumbent too bad: He earned President Donald Trump’s “full endorsement” the morning after the visit.