Last week, the Winsome campaign hosted “An Event with Virginia’s Republican Ticket” in Vienna, Virginia. The room for the July 1st event was packed with more than 450 people and there was standing-room-only. This was the first event of this cycle featuring all three candidates together in what was an exciting moment for the Republican Party of Virginia.
All three candidates spoke and were endorsed by Governor Glenn Youngkin. Youngkin thanked participants for hiring the best lieutenant governor and attorney general he could have asked for, and for trusting him, stating, “You are my boss, and I go to work every day for you.” Youngkin highlighted
important milestones in his term, including how Virginia was named the top state for business. His Administration enacted $9 billion in tax relief, created 200,000 jobs, and oversaw a 30% drop in the murder rate in Virginia’s most violent cities. Youngkin vetoed 437 bills that would have hurt Virginians, and as Maryland currently has the third-highest taxes in the U.S., Youngkin said, “Don’t Maryland my Virginia.”
John Reid, the candidate for lieutenant governor, was the first to take the stage. Reid said, “This is commitment day,” and spoke of his 40 years of service to the Republican Party, beginning with his work on the Reagan Campaign. Reid has advocated for freedom around the world and stood up to Gov. Ralph Northam and Mayor Levar Stoney of Richmond when the city was being burned and looted in 2020 during the Democrat-monikered “Summer of Love.” Reid supports people of faith and said, “Biological truth has to matter.” Reid said, “Common values and common goals among diverse people—that’s strength.” Affirming his allegiance to the voters of Virginia, Reid recalled President Reagan telling him that while there will always be people who hate and desire to tear down, the secret is to surround yourself with people who want to build. Attorney General Jason Miyares spoke of a Virginia Renaissance. Miyares said that as attorney general, he served as the people’s protector. When he was elected in 2021, Miyares said the murder rate in Virginia was at a 20-year high, and the addiction rate was at a 30-year high. Under Operation Cease Fire, the murder rate dropped 66%. Under Operation Free, the state went
after suppliers and dealers, and Virginia became the state with the greatest decrease in addiction deaths.
Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears closed out the event, affirming that Virginia is a law-and-order state. Parental choice is her vision for education. Earle-Sears recalled how she left politics 20 years ago but returned because she felt a calling. She said, “We need a governor who understands we’re not going back,” and encouraged everyone to vote and to vote early.
