Lexington is right in the middle of the reddest part of Virginia and shouldn’t be judged by the antics of one wing nut.
I wouldn't say it's right in the middle of the reddest part of Virginia, being about halfway between very blue Charlottesville and blue Roanoke but practically all the surrounding counties are red. I'm thinking they've screwed the pooch not with tourists so much as people from surrounding red counties, in which case throwing money at tourism marketing is just not going to help.
I have a friend that moved to Virginia now that makes to wing nuts because he’ll be right at home.