HAMPTON, Va. — A Hampton judge has issued a protective order against Delegate A.C. Cordoza following what the Virgil Thornton campaign described as an incident of “armed harassment and intimidation” toward a campaign supporter.
In a statement released Saturday, the Thornton campaign said Cordoza confronted a supporter at the Hampton City registrar’s office while armed with a gun. The campaign also alleged it was the second incident in less than a week, citing what it called a prior confrontation involving Thornton’s niece.
“The safety of our volunteers and staff is our top priority, and we’ve again instructed them to keep their distance from the delegate for their own protection,” the campaign said. “This ongoing pattern of intimidation is dangerous, unacceptable, and makes clear that Delegate Cordoza is unfit to hold public office.”
The campaign thanked law enforcement for “their quick response and professionalism in de-escalating the situation.”
In response, Cordoza’s campaign denied the allegations, saying the Thornton team misidentified campaign staff.
“Note to the Virgil Thornton campaign: not all Black people look alike,” a spokesperson said in a written statement. “Their staff mistook our campaign manager and chief of staff for Delegate Cordoza. After $2 million in slanderous attack ads, voters keep seeing the public record prove our opponent is lying — leading the most dishonest and arrogant campaign in Virginia. Delegate Cordoza continues to show transparency and accessibility, and voters of all parties see through the lemons Virgil Thornton is trying to sell and they’re not buying it. They see effective leadership and public service and they see it in Delegate Cordoza.”
The Hampton Police Division has not released additional information about the reported incident.
