Video

Chris Saxman with Virginia FREE speaks with WPA Intelligence’s Amanda Iovino and Axiom Strategies’ Kristin Davison on Glenn Youngkin’s winning campaign for Governor in Virginia.

The interview runs just 36 minutes and offers some interesting insights as to how the pollsters and strategists caught the wave as Biden’s numbers continued (and continue) to plummet nationwide.

“Mark herring hasn’t done the job — but I will.”

Republican challenger Delegate Jason Miyares (R-Virginia Beach) is out with a blistering new ad against scandal-prone Democrat Mark Herring (D) taking the progressive to task on his left-wing policies that include a massive increase in murder rates across Virginia and the early release of violent criminals — without notifying the families of their victims.

Highlighting his prosecutorial experience, Miyares pulled no punches in a campaign that has seen the Democratic controlled House of Delegates walk back its earlier pledges to “defund the police” in the hopes Virginia voters will forgive and forget.

With Miyares maintaining a slight lead over Herring, Republicans are definitely keen to see whether the attorney general race will connect with hard working House Republicans and their efforts to retake the Virginia House of Delegates in 2021.

Sources indicate that House Republicans are focused on at least 12 seats with more resources coming.  The Democrats hold a six-vote majority in the lower chamber.

Early voting begins on Friday, September 17th.

Loudoun County’s Free To Learn Coalition has just put a $500K advertisement on air in Northern Virginia fighting back against their local school board, as Virginia school boards across the commonwealth continue to impose Critical Race Theory (CRT) in classrooms and indoctrinate teachers to impose these values on students.

“Loudoun County Public School leadership has prioritized political activism above all else,” said Alleigh Marré, President of Free to Learn. “We have seen targeted efforts to silence dissenting parents and push teachers into reporting their colleagues. This activist behavior by Loudoun County leaders will not be tolerated. Free to Learn will continue to shine a light on these harmful practices until Loudoun County leadership ceases its divisive, activist-driven efforts.”

In addition to airing during the WFT game, the ads are airing on television in the DC-Maryland-Virginia area and will include digital efforts targeting every Loudoun County school. Free to Learn will also display a mobile billboard outside of the Loudoun County School Board meeting Tuesday.

“At Free to Learn we are dedicated to ensuring that schools are focused on academics, not activism,” said Marré. “We work together with parents and teachers to provide a platform, so their voices aren’t marginalized or excluded when considering what’s best for student outcomes. Anyone who is observing political ideologies driving school practices should reach out to us. We can help.”

 

 

Please join former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore as he shares his experiences as ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) on Facebook Live and here via YouTube on March 10th starting at 7:30pm.  DirectLine is sponsored by the Montgomery County Republican Club.

Jim Gilmore, who served as Virginia’s governor from 1998 to 2002, became the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in May 2019. A native Virginian, Gilmore graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Foreign Affairs in 1971.  He enlisted in the U.S. Army and became fluent in German and served during the Cold War in West Germany as a counterintelligence agent.

Following his military service, he returned home to earn a law degree from the University of Virginia. He was later elected to public office as a county prosecutor before being elected in 1993 as Attorney General. In 1998 he was elected as Virginia’s 68th Governor.

Gilmore was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in both the 2008 and 2016 elections. In November 2018, Gilmore was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the U.S. Representative to the United States Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a position which carries the rank of ambassador and is based in Vienna, Austria. His nomination was confirmed by a voice vote of the United States Senate on May 23, 2019.

Jim Gilmore was sworn in on June 25, 2019. Ambassador Gilmore and his wife, Roxane, recently returned home from Vienna, Austria to Richmond, Virginia. They raised two sons and recently greeted a new baby granddaughter into the world.

The ad is impressive; the life story even more so.

Glenn Youngkin is not your typical Republican, that’s for sure.  From blue collar leanings to the head of one of the largest capital investment groups in the nation, Youngkin has a story that is rooted in Virginia soil.

Youngkin wasted no time throwing punches at his opponents.  From his press statement:

“I’m not a politician, and I certainly don’t have the 120 years of combined political baggage that my opponents have. They talk a lot about solving problems, but I’ve actually done it. I spent the last 30 years building business, creating jobs, and bringing people together to succeed. Guided by my faith, I will bring that same dedication to serving Virginians.

Former Speaker Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) — who has the lion’s share of that political experience — took a different and more graceful tack altogether:

“I had the chance to talk with Glenn several times last summer as he first began to consider running for Governor. Through those conversations, I came to respect Glenn’s faith and commitment to service. I also know Glenn has been very successful throughout his career in private equity across the globe. His business resume and extended global connections certainly make him a worthy competitor.

Meanwhile, Pete Snyder — a man with similar credentials to Youngkin — is already up on television with a six-figure advertising buy focused on education:

“We’re nearly a year into this pandemic and the career politicians in Richmond have done more to rename our schools than open them. As governor, I’ll take on the special interests, get our kids back in the classrooms and bring strong, decisive leadership to the state capitol.

To add yet another wrinkle to the Republican gubernatorial bid, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Sergio de la Pena is also running for the Republican nod as a proud Trump supporter that will surely bite into State Senator Amanda Chase‘s (I-Chesterfield) presumptive leadership over the populist wing of the party:

When Sergio immigrated legally, he learned English and assimilated. He supports building a wall to stop illegal immigration, and making English the official language. Sergio would eliminate taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants in Virginia like in-state college tuition and drivers licenses for illegals.

De la Pena is also a retired colonel in the United States Army.

With Youngkin’s introduction to the race, this makes five announced candidates for the Virginia Republican gubernatorial nod — with State Senator Emmett Hanger (R-Mount Solon) also widely believed to be on the cusp of an announcement.

Now in case you are wondering where The Republican Standard falls in these contests, among Republicans we do not take sides.  As our Mission Statement makes clear:

We should not be afraid of stating the obvious.  Our public square has a number of publications committed to attacking conservatives, both outside and within.

This publication will refrain entirely from such intramural contests.

Expect this to be as much as we say about the intramurals unless they are taking on Democrats or performing their public duties as Republican elected officials.  Naturally, we welcome anyone willing to take up the conservative banner and challenge the political left in Virginia — and surely we could use builders rather than destroyers.