Lt. Gov. Sears Announces for Gov in Virginia Beach and Mentions Trump; Youngkin on Voting Rights; LGBT Life Center Opens in Hampton; HU Homecoming Schedule
🚩 4 days until the Harris vs. Trump Debate on Sept. 10
🚩 5 days until CBC Week in Washington DC on Sept. 11
🚩 8 days until The Battle of the Bay between Norfolk State University and Hampton University on Sept. 14
🚩 14 days until early voting in Virginia: Sept. 20
🚩 60 days until Election Day Nov. 5
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Lt. Governor Sears Announces Run for Governor in Virginia Beach… and Mentions Trump Twice
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears announced she will be running for Governor of Virginia in 2025.
Sears’ announcement followed endorsement statements by former Congresswoman Thelma Drake, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, State Senator Tammy Mulchi, Delegate A.C. Cordoza of Hampton, Del. Joe McNamara of Roanoke, Virginia Beach Clerk of Court Tina Sinnen and Montgomery County Sheriff Hank Partin. State Senator David Sutterlein was also in the audience and posed for pictures with Lt. Gov. Sears but did not give remarks.
Lt. Governor Sears spoke for 25 minutes and mentioned her father’s journey from Jamaica in 1963 and mentioned that 17 days later after his arrival, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his I Have a Dream speech at the March on Washington.
“It was the height of the civil rights movement. But folks it is no longer 1963. This is two zero two four. We are not living in 1963. Things have changed have they not? Of course they have. Because how else could I be second in command in the former capitol of the confederate states? They’re turning over in their graves,” Sears told the crowd to cheers.
“When I was a delegate so many years ago I was the one who carried the bill to protect us against the Klan when right here in Virginia Beach a Black man and his wife who was white were terrorized by the Klan. My bill survived and we live under that bill today. And so those of us who would like to divide us — we must not let them,” she continued.
Two speakers, including Mayor Dyer, referenced Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s victory over former Governor Terry McAuliffe as a sign Republicans can continue to win statewide races. Virginia Republicans are hopeful they can repeat the results of the 2021 race which was a surprise to many — but it was a very close contest that could hardly be defined as a mandate.
The 2021 contest featured Youngkin marketing moderation in the era of MAGA Republicanism — specifically to swing voters and white women in Virginia. Youngkin’s campaign also focused on campaigning in Southwest Virginia, a region that often feels overshadowed by Northern Virginia.
Because it’s more than a year to the 2025 elections in Virginia and the 2024 race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is the dominant political story and priority for both parties, it’s hard to tell if anyone else will join the 2025 gubernatorial contest on either side. Democrat Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger announced she was running for Governor in 2025 in Nov. 2023. Many in both parties find early announcements to be a distraction from the next election at hand.
“If this ploy today is to run for VA Gov 2025, Winsome Sears might as well be paid for and authorized by the Harris-Walz campaign. She's an insufferable, never-Trumper that's totally myopic and self-serving,” wrote John Fredericks on social media. Fredericks was Trump’s campaign chair in Virginia in 2016 and 2020.
“We’re 65 days out of the most critical election in history, we have a competitive Senate race & a tied open House seat. Instead of helping GOTV, she's wasting valuable time & resources in the middle of the campaign to run for governor in ’25 to promote herself,” Fredericks added.
Sears has been critical of Trump in the past though she has not announced herself as a “never-Trumper.” She has yet to endorse Trump for President or appear with him at an event. Avoiding Trump extends from the 2021 strategy that Youngkin adopted in an effort to appear moderate. At her announcement yesterday in Virginia Beach, Sears mentioned Trump twice telling the crowd twice that, “2024 we still have work to do. We have to support President Trump, we have to get Hung Cao for Senate,” and then she listed all the other and Republican candidates on the ballot in 2024.
“I’ve had great pain and great sorrow, yes. But a story like mine: A Jamaican immigrant, a United States Marine, a business owner, a homeless shelter director, the leader of a men’s prison ministry, a former Delegate and now — your Lieutenant Governor, that story is only possible in America. I love this great country warts and all,” Sears said towards the end of her remarks.
The announcement was well attended and took place at one of the many oceanside locations in Virginia Beach: Chick’s Oyster Bar.
Gov. Youngkin on Rights Restoration
SUFFOLK, VA — on Sept. 4 in Suffolk after a groundbreaking ceremony, WAVY TV correspondent Regina Mobley asked Gov. Glenn Youngkin about a specific restoration of rights case involving a man hoping to cast his ballot in the 2024 elections.
Virginia is the only state in America that permanently disenfranchises citizens with felony convictions, unless the Governor approves their individual right to vote. No other state in the U.S. has this requirement.
Mobley asked Youngkin why he continues to “slow walk” the process.
“Totally disagree. We have not slow walked the process at all. And in fact we have been very proactive in this process. I just want to be clear with restoration of rights. The Supreme Court of Virginia opined very clearly that the Governor must review every single person who are getting their rights reviewed. That’s exactly what I do. I am following the law directly. We have worked through all of the backlog and we make sure that we are responding to people who complete their application within 60 days. We have a very straightforward process. It follows the law as described in the constitution and the Supreme Court. I believe our team has done a fabulous job of making sure that people are not waiting around for answers. There’s a whole facilitation process. We’ve staffed in to it to make sure that they can get their questions answered — and that’s why I do believe your premise is incorrect,” Youngkin responded.
On March 16, 2021, former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam restored the voting rights of 69,000 people via executive action. Northam automatically restored voting rights to all Virginians who are not currently incarcerated. In January 2022, Gov. Youngkin ended Northam’s rights restoration policy and the number of rights restored plummeted.
Incarceration has been used by many southern states as a way to keep people from voting. Virginia has one of the highest incarceration rates in the U.S. and in the world with an incarceration rate of 749 per 100,000 people, which is higher than the U.S. average.
Hampton: Opening of the LGBT Life Center
Yesterday in Hampton, a new LGTB Life Center was opened at 20 Settlers Landing Road. The center will provide counseling and health cares services and be a location of community events. There is also a second location in Norfolk at 222 W. 21st Street.
Upcoming
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