“He is trying to incite hatred, Islamaphobia, and I would argue violence against her and other Muslims in this country. This is the test of all tests for us. It’s not just that he’s partisan, it’s not just that he is divisive. He’s hateful. He’s racist. He is encouraging the worst tendencies ... ” O’Rourke said in Williamsburg.

“Unless we defeat him in November of 2020, it will continue. Unless we offer a compelling, profoundly powerful alternative to hatred to division and fear and anger, it will continue.”

The Republican Party of Virginia issued a statement calling O’Rourke a “liberal loser” who was ineffective in Congress and would weaken border barriers; the GOP included a mugshot of O’Rourke from a 1998 drunken driving arrest.

“Virginia is sick and tired of hypocritical Democrats running roughshod through our commonwealth,” state GOP Chairman Jack Wilson said in a statement. “O’Rourke and his comically inept campaign should probably spend more time in Iowa if he wants to even think about competing in Virginia in 2020.”

But Democratic crowds loved O’Rourke on Tuesday, lining up for selfies with him outside Charlie’s American Cafe in Norfolk’s Riverview neighborhood and crowding the restaurant to the point where a fire marshal stopped letting people inside.