Days before elections in Virginia that will choose a new governor and shape the Virginia legislature, incendiary ads are popping up in House of Delegates races in Northern Virginia and Virginia Beach.

A Democrat challenging Del. Scott Lingamfelter (R-Prince William) recently sent out a mailer that depicts tire tracks over a family and the words: "Warning: Scott Lingamfelter is running over Virginia Families."

The ad from Democrat Elizabeth Guzman arrived in some voters' mailboxes Tuesday, the day 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov was accused of driving a truck into pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path in New York City, killing eight people.

The ad depicts Lingamfelter behind the wheel of a car with President Trump riding in the passenger seat and links the delegate to Trump, who lost to Hillary Clinton in Lingamfelter's district — one of several Democrats are targeting.

Dottie Miller, head of the Prince William GOP, called the ad "shameful rhetoric."

The idea of Lingamfelter, a grandfather, "running down families is a vile insult," Miller said in a statement Wednesday. "After the tragic events in New York City yesterday, I hope Ms. Guzman denounces this insensitive mailer."

A spokeswoman for the Virginia House Democratic Caucus, who responded to a request for comment from Guzman, said, "The mail piece predated the terrorist attack in New York and in no way was meant to suggest that Delegate Lingamfelter would run someone over with his car."

Negative attack ads have ramped up in the final days of the race.

Guzman's campaign has objected to mailers criticizing her support for driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, which featured images of bullet-ridden glass and hooded figures. Democrats blasted a mailer about candidate Danica Roem, a transgender woman, that referred to her with male pronouns. And Republicans complained about a mailer that juxtaposed an image of one of their Latina candidates with photos of a werewolf and hockey mask.



A mailer in a Virginia Beach House of Delegates race. (N/A/Holcomb campaign)

In Virginia Beach, the campaign manager for Democrat Cheryl Turpin, who is challenging Del. Rocky Holcomb (R-Virginia Beach), criticized an ad that said Turpin wants to reinstate parole in Virginia "and let rapists out of jail early."

The ad includes a photo of a man's hand over the mouth of a little girl. Campaign manager Daniel McNamara said the hand appears to belong to a person of color while the girl appears to be white. He called the mailer "stomach-turning."

"Our opponent says he isn't a Trump Republican, but he is ending his campaign the same way that Trump started his — by claiming that people of color are rapists," McNamara said. "This is not the kind of leadership this community deserves."

Heather Guillot, Holcomb's campaign manager, called that claim an "outrageous, defamatory personal attack" and dismissed it as "absurd."

The election is Nov. 7.

Fenit Nirappil contributed to this report.