Virginia County GOP Group Sends Halloween E-mail Depicting Obama with Bullet Hole Through Head

Virginia's Republican Party has condemned an e-mail sent by Loudoun County's Republican Committee (LCRC) on Halloween, which depicts President Barack Obama as a zombie with part of his skull missing and a bullet hole through his head.

The e-mail was reportedly meant to encourage supporters to meet for a Halloween parade. The message, first posted online by the blog Too Conservative, states the group will vanquish zombies with clear thinking conservative principles.

In addition to Obama, a picture sent with the e-mail also has a caricature of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as a zombie whose flesh appears to be melting off.

GOP leaders were quick to disassociate themselves from the controversial e-mail.

Virginia Governor: E-mail Shameful and Offensive

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell's spokesman, Tucker Martin, told The Washington Post the governor thought the e-mail was shameful and offensive.

[The governor] calls on those involved to apologize for their actions, and to immediately ensure that such imagery is never used again. The governor has long stressed the need for more civility and respect in our politics. An e-mail like this one undermines those goals, offends all Virginians and discredits our entire political process. It will not be tolerated, Martin said.

Pat Mullins, the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, told The Post the group condemned the image and its use in the strongest possible terms.

The disgusting image used today on a mass e-mail has no place in our politics. Ever, Mullins said.

In a statement, Mark Sell, the chairman of the LCRC, said the e-mail was meant to be light-hearted and satirical, and was not intended to illustrate President Obama as a victim of a violent crime.

The LCRC deplores any effort to display, suggest or promote violence against the president or any other political figure, Sell said.