With voters in the Commonwealth set to nominate candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General this spring, the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) is launching a limited-run spinoff of its Patients Come First podcast series featuring short interviews with candidates for statewide office.
All declared candidates for these offices have been invited to participate in podcast recordings to help introduce them to voters, give them an opportunity make their case for election, and to articulate their health care policy views and positions.
Each episode in this series will be available on VHHA.com, and on your favorite podcast apps, including : Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, SoundCloud, Blubrry, iHeart Radio, Deezer, Podbay, Overcast, and Pocket Casts.
Interviews in this series will also be featured on the radio airwaves – episodes from the Patients Come First podcast air each Saturday at noon and Sunday at 10 a.m. on 100.5 FM, 92.7 FM, and 820 AM across Central Virginia.
VHHA is conducting this series of statewide candidate interview as an informational service to the public, voters, and the hospital community. These recordings do not constitute endorsements by VHHA, and the views expressed by participating candidates do not necessarily reflect those of VHHA and its members.
So far, VHHA has recorded and published podcast episodes with the following individuals:
- Candidates for Governor of Virginia: Senator Amanda Chase (R) of Chesterfield County; Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax (D); Senator Jennifer McClellan (D) of Richmond; and entrepreneur Pete Snyder (R);
- Candidates for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: Military veteran and technology executive Lance Allen (R); Delegate Hala Ayala (D) of Prince William County; Delegate Glenn Davis (R) of Virginia Beach; Delegate Mark Levine (D) of Alexandria; Norfolk City Councilwoman Andria McClellan (D); attorney and community advocate Sean Perryman (D); Delegate Sam Rasoul (D) of Roanoke; military veteran and former Delegate Winsome Sears (R), and businessman Xavier Warren (D);
- Candidates for Attorney General of Virginia: Chesterfield County Supervisor Leslie Haley (R), Attorney General Mark Herring (D); Delegate Jay Jones (D) of Norfolk; Delegate Jason Miyares (R) of Virginia Beach; and military veteran and attorney Chuck Smith (R).
“The 2021 races for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General have attracted a diverse field of candidates with unique experiences and professional backgrounds. When Virginians head to the polls this year, they will elect leaders who will govern for the next four years and influence the future direction of the Commonwealth,” said VHHA President and CEO Sean T. Connaughton.
“These candidate interviews are being conducted as a public service and are being shared with Virginia voters as part of the hospital community’s ongoing effort to enhance public understanding about health care policy and the critical role of the health care delivery system in supporting and strengthening the Commonwealth.”
Listeners of this limited-run series will also hear information about HosPAC, VHHA’s political action committee that helps support candidates who will work to improve health care in Virginia and support the critical work of hospitals and health systems.
This November, voters will choose Virginia’s next Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, as well as district representatives for all 100 seats in the House of Delegates.
Before that, though, there are party nominating contests this spring.
On May 8, Republicans will hold an unassembled convention, with voting locations across the state, to elect nominees for the three statewide offices. Participating in the process required people to apply to be convention delegates with their local GOP unit. Delegates will cast ranked-choice ballots to determine the nominees.
Then one month later, on June 8, voters will select Democratic nominees for statewide offices in a primary election open to all registered voters. That same day, voters from both parties will determine nominees in House of Delegates district races with intra-party contests.
VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast was launched to coincide with National Hospital Week in May of 2017. Since then, the podcast has eclipsed 100 episodes, logged thousands of plays and downloads, featured guests from hospitals and health systems across the Commonwealth, and profiled Virginia health care professionals and public officials including Governor Ralph Northam, MD; U.S. Senator Tim Kaine; and many others.