Virginia General Election Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Prepared for those registered in Blacksburg / House of Delegates District 12 1

This document is designed to address one reason why many people choose not to vote: the feeling that they are unable
to make an informed decision. I know that some people simply dont want to voteperhaps for personal or ideological
reasonsand thats their choice. But for those who would vote if they had a condensed primer on the candidates, well,
thats something I can help with.

What follows is 1) a description of the positions up for re-election, 2) a highly condensed statement of each candidates
policy positions, and 3) links to more in-depth information. I have attempted to be as neutral as possible throughout this
document.

I did get a bit ambitious on the Governor race, and ran out of time to cover other races as comprehensively, but have
hopefully linked to useful resources and provided reading times for them.

In about 15-20 minutes, you can read everything apart from the Blacksburg Town Council election coverage. The Town
Council / Mayoral race should take another 15-20 minutes simply because there are many candidates, and there is no
concise way to compare/contrast their policies.

Whats On the Ballot? (1.5 minute read)

The election next Tuesday decides several positions within the government of Virginia, both at the state and local level.
The state level positions are:

Governor (4 years). Virginias Governor is the chief executive, meaning he/she has veto power over bills proposed by
the General Assembly (this is Virginias Congress, made up of a Senate and House of Delegates). In Virginia, the
Governor is not allowed to serve consecutive terms.

Lieutenant Governor (4 years). Virginias Lieutenant Governor is President of the Senate and next-in-succession for the
Governor should the position be vacated. The position is very similar to the Vice President on the national level, except
that the Governor and Lt. Governor of Virginia are elected separately.

Attorney General (4 years). As the name states, this is the general attorney who represents the state in legal matters.
He/she provides legal advice to the state government, represents the government in court, and defends the
constitutionality of state laws.

House of Delegates Member (2 years). Like the House of Representatives on the national level, the House of Delegates
is the lower house, has two year terms, proposes bills, and drafts the budget.

The local level positions are2:

Mayor (4 years). Blacksburgs town council is organized in the council-manager style, meaning that the mayor is a first
among equals within the town council. The mayor often plays a large role in setting the agenda of the council, but is in
most ways equal to other members.

Town Council Member (4 years). The Town Council sets tax rates, decides the budget, approves zoning decisions, and
oversees long-term planning for the town. They also appoint a town manager who acts as a lead administrator for the
local government. Their terms are staggered, so not all seats are up for re-election in any given year.

1
Montgomery County actually has three districts; you can see them at this link.
2
http://blacksburg.gov/town-council
 Candidates for Governor of Virginia (3-4 minute read)
Ed Gillespie
(Wikipedia) Edward Gillespie is an American
Republican Party politician and lobbyist. He was the
61st Chair of the Republican National Committee
(RNC) and was Counselor to the President in the
George W. Bush administration. In 2012 Gillespie was
a senior member of the Mitt Romney presidential
campaign.

As a lobbyist, he represented the interests of

companies such as Enron, AT&T, Microsoft, insurance Image Source: The Washington Post
company Anthem, and others. In 2001, his firm was
ranked by Forbes as the 11th most powerful lobbying firm in the US, helped by Gillespies close ties to the White House
and members of Congress. In 2014 Gillespie ran against Mark Warner for Virginia governor, significantly outperforming a
polling deficit of several points to lose by a mere 0.8% margin.

Ralph Northam
(Wikipedia) Ralph Northam is an American physician, politician, and U.S. Army veteran. He is the 40th and current
Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. From 1984 to 1992 he served as a United States Army medical
officer. During his Army service, he completed his residency and a child neurology fellowship. Since leaving the Army in
1992, Northam has been a pediatric neurologist at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia.

Northam served in the Virginia State Senate from 2008-2013 representing the 6th Senate District, comprising the Eastern
Shore and parts of Virginia Beach and Norfolk. In 2013, Northam was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia; a position
he holds currently.

Primaries
Ralph Northam defeated Tom Perriello in the Democratic Primary at a margin of 56%-44%. Perriello was endorsed by
Our Revolution: a 501(c)(4) organization with roots in Senator Sanders 2016 presidential run promoting progressive
change. Northam, in contrast, could be seen as a representative of the Hillary Clinton wing of the Democratic Party.
Since the primary, Sanders and Our Revolution have refused to endorse Northam.

Gillespie narrowly defeated his challenger, Corey Stewart, in the Republican primary: 43.7%-42.5%. In a similar fashion
as the Democratic primary, the moderate Gillespie defeated the more radical Stewart. Stewart had previously led an
effort to crack down on illegal immigrants on Prince Williams County, called Gillespie a cuckservative in a Reddit AMA,
and announced that his campaign would give away an AR-15 rifle for Christmas to show his support for gun ownership.
Since the primary, Gillespie has been hesitant to acknowledge presidential support, but did appear at a rally with Vice
President Pence.

Policy
The following is mostly condensed from Wikipedia.

Gillespie
Abortion Pro-life, excepting cases of rape, incest, and cases
that endanger the mothers life.
Supports banning abortions after 20 weeks.
Confed. Opposes removal.
Monuments statues [are] history and could be used to teach
people about slavery in the South.
better [] to erect statues honoring people like
Douglas Wilder [] the nation's first African-
American governor
Northam
Opposed mandatory vaginal ultrasounds.
Supports expanding access to contraceptives.
Opposes banning abortions after 20 weeks.
Supports removal.
Statues in the Capitol should be taken down and
moved into museums
But, the decision on other statues belongs to
local communities.

Economy Supports increased spending on defense, such as
Naval vessels.
Supports a 10% flat tax cut.
Education
Environment "I believe there is ample scientific evidence that
contributes to climate change but I'm not entirely
dismissive of those who have a different point of
view."
Supports the Keystone, Atlantic Coast, and
Mountain Valley pipelines. (The last is the one
referred to by the no pipeline bumper stickers
around Blacksburg)
Supports withdrawal from the Paris Climate
Accords
Supports the repeal of the Clean Power Plan
Guns Opposes any further restrictions on guns.
Health Care Opposes the Affordable Care Act
Immigration Supports DACA.
Opposes Sanctuary Cities.
Said he does not believe that children should be
punished for decisions that were not their own,
but at the same time, it is important for us to
enforce our laws"
LGBT(QIA) Opposes same-sex marriage.
Rights Says so-called bathroom-bills are a local issue,
and would oppose legislation dictating which
bathroom transgender individuals should use.
Redistricting Says its "hard to take the politics out of politics."
More Resources
The Washington Post has a very concise summary (shorter than what I have written, I think)
Wikipedia: Ed Gillespie, Ralph Northam.
Libertarian Cliff Hyra is also running, but is polling in the single digits.
There should be more statues to other civil rights
leaders.
Proposed increasing the minimum wage to
$15/hour.
Opposed right to work legislation that undercuts
unions influence by preventing compulsory union
membership.
Supports free education in high-demand fields
(e.g. cybersecurity and education) with a promise
of one year of public service.
Accepts the scientific consensus on climate
change: the earth is warming, and this is
extremely likely to be due to human activity.
Supports one-gun-a-month legislation
Supports limiting high-capacity magazines and
assault weapons
Supports the Affordable Care Act, but argues it
needs improvement.
Opposes a single-payer system.
Supports DACA for unauthorized minors.
Unclear on sanctuary cities.
Supports [doing] everything we can to make sure
immigrants are comfortable living here.
Northam has said that if elected, he will only
approve a map of new Virginia legislative and
congressional boundaries in the post-2020
redistricting that is drawn by a nonpartisan
commission.
 Candidates for Lieutenant Governor (4 minute read)
Just read the Washington Post Overview. Its the most concise and complete I found:

What does Virginias lieutenant governor even do? A guide to figuring out this race

By Fenit Nirappil November 6 at 5:10 PM

When Virginians head to the polls on Tuesday, they may be surprised to see that theres a lieutenant governors race, a
contest that has been overshadowed by the high-stakes gubernatorial contest between Ralph Northam (D) and Ed
Gillespie (R).

Unlike in other states, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor in Virginia run separately, not as a team.

No matter who wins in November, Virginia will get long-awaited diversity in a state thats only had white men serve in
statewide office since 1993.

Democrat Justin Fairfax would be the first African American in statewide office since L. Douglas Wilder became
lieutenant governor and then the nations first elected black governor in 1989. Republican Jill Vogel would be the first-
ever woman in the lieutenant governor role, and only the second in statewide office since Attorney General Mary Sue
Terry.

Heres a rundown on the candidates and the issues. But first...

WHATS A LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR DO?

Theres an old joke that the lieutenant governors job is to check the governors pulse since they are next in the line of
succession and have few official responsibilities. And Northam, the current occupant and a physician, likes to quip that
hes been the perfect man for the job.

Beyond that, the lieutenant governor is a part-time officeholder whose main responsibility is presiding over the 40-
member state Senate during the legislative session and to break ties when needed. The lieutenant governor also sits on
various state boards and commissions, and can use the visibility of the position to advocate for pet causes.

In practice, the lieutenants governors office is a launching pad for higher office. Every occupant in modern history has
sought the governors mansion or a seat in Congress.

Former Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling refreshingly said in his 2005 campaign, Anyone who says that they are running
for lieutenant governor but they dont want to be governor is lying. Neither candidate this year is tipping his or her
hand regarding future plans.

MEET THE CANDIDATES

Democrat Justin Fairfax: Hes a 38-year-old white collar attorney in Fairfax County making his second attempt to win
statewide office. Raised by a single mother in the District, hes worked as a U.S. Senate staffer, clerk to a federal judge,
federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia and private attorney representing clients from student loan
providers to the grocery chain Giant.

Fairfax brings energy on the campaign trail to balance out the more low-key Northam and Attorney General Mark
Herring (who beat him in the 2013 Democratic primary for that office). But Fairfaxs candidacy has also brought to light
concerns that Democrats are neglecting the black voter after he was left off of some campaig mailers printed for a union
that endorsed Northam, but not him.
Republican Jill Vogel: Shes a 47-year-old state senator from Fauquier County and longtime attorney for Republican
causes. The daughter of businessman and prolific GOP donor William Holtzman, Vogel became a big player in national
GOP politics as general counsel to the Republican National Committee and was elected to the state legislature in 2007.

While the rest of the Republican statewide ticket toes a careful line with President Trump, she wholeheartedly embraces
him on the campaign. On television, Vogel presents a different image as a mother of four who champions womens
rights even as Democrats hammer her for sponsoring a bill in 2012 that would have required invasive ultrasounds for
women undergoing abortions early in their pregnancy.

KEY DIFFERENCES

Health care

Vogel is airing an ad accusing Fairfax of supporting a government-run, single-payer health care system. Its a reference to
a candidate questionnaire completed by Fairfaxs campaign that indicated he would support a Medicare-for-all-
system.

Fairfax has walked back that position: He says he prefers more incremental and feasible steps to affordable health
coverage, namely, expanding Medicaid to low-income Virginians. Vogel opposes Medicaid expansion as unsustainable
for the state budget.

Confederate monuments

Fairfax has said resources spent on removing Confederate monuments are better directed toward dismantling other
barriers to racial equality, including disparities in how students are punished in schools and difficulties minority
entrepreneurs face in getting access to capital. He personally supports removing statues, but says localities should make
that decision a position that the rest of the Democratic ticket shares after initially vowing to advocate for their
removal.

But Vogel has hammered Fairfax for calling the statues divisive and harmful, a message she has underlined at
appearances before white, rural voters in southwest Virginia. At a rally with Vice President Pence in the coal country
town of Abingdon, her campaign signs were plastered with a label saying Teach history, dont erase it.

Guns

Vogel has the highest rating from the National Rifle Association of all Republicans running statewide: An A+. She brags
about authoring the most pro-gun bills as a state senator, and apologized for calling for more gun control after the
Sandy Hook shootings in what she described as a momentary, emotional reaction.

Fairfax, who has an F rating from the NRA, supports universal background checks to purchase firearms, as well as a ban
on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons.

This Ballotpedia article summarizes the debates and touches on some additional policy. The August 9 debate section
was the most informative to me (1 minute read).
 Candidates for Attorney General (2 minute read)
From the Debate descriptions in the Noteworthy Events section in this Ballotpedia article:

October 20 debate
The second debate of the election was held on October 20 in Loudoun County. Much of the discussion between Herring
and Adams was centered on Herring's decision to join the plaintiffs in Bostic v. Schaefer, a case challenging Virginia's ban
on same-sex marriage. Weeks after Herring took office in January 2014, he announced that the office of the attorney
general would no longer defend the state's position and would instead join the plaintiffs suing to overturn the same-sex
marriage ban.[13] Adams argued that it was the attorney general's job to defend the state's laws regardless of their
personal opinions:

For the attorney generals office to be so politicized, that its not we the people who choose our laws through
our elected representatives but its an attorney generals office that forces its view on the citizens that is just wrong.

John Adams

Herring countered that there were cases in which it was appropriate for an attorney general to decline to defend state
law:

I had to think about, well, in what circumstances is it appropriate for an attorney general to take up the side of
the challengers. And I thought in this case it was exactly the right thing to do. Because the fundamental right to marry of
so many Virginians was at stake and because of our own unique history on getting landmark civil rights cases wrong and
going all the way up to the Supreme Court defending things like school segregation, (and a ban on) interracial
marriage.[14]

Mark Herring

The candidates also exchanged views on healthcare and contraceptive access. Herring stated his support for the
Affordable Care Act and asserted that Adams did not believe in covering patients with pre-existing conditions. Adams
countered by arguing that he believed that a privately-managed healthcare system was a preferable alternative to a
government-managed program and was capable of achieving the same level of coverage. Herring also asserted that
Adams was opposed to access to contraceptives for women, citing cases Adams had litigated on behalf of employers
that did not want to be required to provide access to contraceptives. Adams countered that he was not opposed to
contraceptives but did not support mandating that employers provide contraceptive access, noting that he had won the
cases Herring referred to.

June 17 debate
The first debate of the 2017 election was held on June 17 in Virginia Beach. The candidates clashed on LGBT marriage,
abortion, firearms regulation, President Trump's immigration executive orders, and their respective backgrounds.
Herring criticized Adams' background as a defense attorney, arguing that "He has been part of a powerful Richmond law
firm for the last seven years, and he and his team brag about how they specialize in shielding people who are involved in
kickbacks, pyramid schemes, embezzlement, money laundering, tax fraud, bribery, obstruction of justice. Its
astounding." Adams expressed dissatisfaction with Herring's actions during his first term as attorney general, saying "I
decided to get into the arena for the first time because of what I believe is the extreme politicization of the Attorney
Generals Office...The way to get the politics out of the Attorney Generals Office is to get the politicians out of the
Attorney Generals Office."
 Candidates for House of Delegates 12th District Member
Yost is a lifelong resident of Giles County and a moderate republican. Hurst resides in Roanoke and is a moderate
democrat. On many of the big issues, they agree. Both Yost and Hurst see mental health reform as a major issue, though
they differ on general health care reform: Hurst supporting Medicaid expansion and Yost opposing. Both oppose the
Mountain Valley Pipeline. Both are supporters of increased education funding, though Hurst has made it a more
prominent issue.

I would recommend reading the Collegiate Times articles on incumbent Joseph Yost and challenger Chris Hurst. (about 2
minutes each)

The Roanoke Times has a slightly more in-depth (and very good, in my opinion) article on each. (about 6 minutes each)

Local Candidates
The Collegiate Times articles on Town Council / Mayoral candidates are really the only overview I have found. (about 3
minutes each, for six articles)