If there is one thing the 32 candidates running for statewide Virginia office agree on, it’s that they will represent every constituent. GOP gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Amanda F. Chase (Chesterfield) tweeted that she “will be a governor for ALL Virginians,” and Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a candidate for his party’s gubernatorial nomination, says he’ll seek “Justice for All.” Democrat and former governor Terry McAuliffe, who is also running for governor, tweeted that the pandemic recovery should “lift ALL Virginians.” Incumbent Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) likewise claims his policies “promote justice, equality, and opportunity for ALL Virginians.” And Jack White (R) says that as attorney general, he’ll “make sure that the law remains on the side of the people.”
No candidate can represent the views of all of the commonwealth’s 8.6 million residents or the nearly 4.5 million people who voted in the 2020 elections. People are passionately and angrily divided about issues such as abortion, education and gun rights. But every candidate can, right now, promise to protect the rights of all Virginians to engage in free speech on these and all other political issues.
