VA Gov. Youngkin-Friendly Agency Gets $268,000 Contract
Virginia’s Office of the State Inspector General is probing a $286,000 state tourism contract given to the political advertising agency behind Glenn Youngkin’s successful bid for Virginia governor.
The state’s tourism bureau awarded Richmond-based Poolhouse a contract to produce the “Governor’s Welcome Project,” featuring Youngkin and shown at welcome centers and in airports, according to the Associated Press.
Virginia Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw and House Minority Leader Don Scott, asked the inspector general to investigate what they say are concerns about the political media firm that does ads for Youngkin landing the contract, arguing that the video amounted a political ad for Youngkin
“The government RFP process should not be used to reward political cronies,” Scott stated in The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Poolhouse is “a full-service creative agency partnering with" campaigns, causes, and companies. The agency produces ads for Republican campaigns and continues to work with Younkin’s political action committee.
Rita McClenny, president and CEO of Virginia Tourism, defended the process that led to selecting Poolhouse, which she called a “local, talented, Virginia-based company that has done exceptional work for other corporate clients from Anheuser-Busch to Honda to GE,” AP reported.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported it obtained public records that show Youngkin aides were concerned about using the Youngkin-friendly firm through a single-sourced contract and they asked the tourism bureau to seek more contract bids.
Those records show that one firm didn’t respond and another said it couldn’t meet the scope of work.
Kate Hourin, a spokesperson for the inspector general, said the office would look into whether the proper procurement process was followed and “whether any waste of government funds was involved," she told the AP.
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