50 Days to Election Day: Fairfax, Locke, Mason, Sound an Alarm

top: Justin Fairfax speaks in Hampton, bottom Richard Mason speaks.

HAMPTON, VA — RICHARD MASON EVENT HOSTED BY JUSTIN FAIRFAX. At every stump speech, several Black Democrats are stressing that our democracy is literally on the line — and that policy on the local level is where the stage is set for change. They’re not just saying “democracy is on the ballot” and that’s it. They’re detailing exactly which policies are likely to be impacted at a time when a growing list of candidates for one political party are claiming that elections are in need of protection.

Last week, Attorney General Jason Miyares launched a twenty-lawyer “election integrity” unit.

☀️ Early voting in Virginia begins next Friday, September 23, 2022. Election Day November 8, 2022 is 50 days away.

AD

Right now in Virginia, education policy is on the ballot after Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin campaigned on parental involvement in education (after a consequential debate gaffe by Democrat Terry McAuliffe) “critical race theory” and open talk from members of his party on banning certain books. Two days ago on Sept. 16, Gov. Youngkin reversed Northam’s policies implemented last year on how Virginia treats transgender students in public schools.

Right alongside basic democracy, the details of how education policy will be administered are also on the ballot in fifty days. At a Sept. 15 event for Dr. Richard Mason, who is running for re-election to serve on the Hampton City School Board, hosted by Virginia’s 41st Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax, much of that policy detail was discussed.

Mason, Fairfax, State Senator Mamie Locke and 90 others gathered in Hampton to sound several alarms as early voting gets closer. Mason was elected Hampton School Board Chair and Ann Cherry is the Vice Chair. Attending the Sept. 15 fundraiser for Mason’s re-election were Cherry, State Senator Mamie Locke, Hampton City Councilman Steve Brown, Angela Reason, Hampton City Council candidate and businessman Randy “Bo” Bowman and Newport News Mayoral candidate Phil Jones.

Also attending was businessman Verrandall Tucker, whose family is often featured in the media as the Tuckers are believed to be descendants of two of the first enslaved Africans to land at Point Comfort in 1619.

Republicans have historically been better at focusing, funding and supporting local elections — including school board candidates and city council races. The strategy was prominently pursued years ago by Virginia Republican Ed Gillespie, when he controlled the GOP’s state campaigns. But it’s not only the state houses where policy is decided.

The strategy of focusing on every single race to control public policy from top to bottom has resulted in national headlines on book banning and critical race theory. At the Mason/Fairfax event, Sen. Locke spoke on what the challenge is in a global sense as the the midterms for Congress grab most of the headlines.

“They’re out there getting people ready to run for school boards and engage in conversations about things that aren’t even taught in public schools like CRT,” Locke noted.

“Let’s have a little bit of real talk. We have to be serious about voting. Because there are folks who are serious about voting but they’re not serious about our children. They’re not serious about our teachers or our administrators. What they’re serious about is banning books,” Sen. Locke said.

(from left) Phil Jones, Justin Fairfax, Ann Cherry, Mamie Locke, Richard Mason, Kellie Mason, Angela Reason, Randy “Bo” Bowman, Stephanie Afonja and Verrandall Tucker.

Gov. Youngkin won his election in large part because of the constant amplification of “critical race theory.” The southern strategy style narrative was a clear attempt to get mostly white crowds at his campaign rallies to view “CRT” as a serious problem. It did’t matter that CRT isn’t taught in public schools in Virginia. As with most disinformation campaigns — the war is won by the ability to move inaccurate information into publication. The strategy requires an asleep media unwilling to challenge basic facts in a comprehensive and consistent way.

Fliers for the September 15 Mason event.

Will Democrats be able to reverse the historic trend of the party in the White House losing big in the midterms? Only time will tell. But with the money already being seen on the federal level, local candidates in both parties are likely to make an argument for support.

🍁 Please send tips, questions to BlackVirginiaNews@gmail.com