Saturday, May 22, 2021

Virginia Gubernational Democratic Primary

There's a democratic primary going on right now for the Virginia Governor. The republican primary has already happened.
It started April 28, and the final day of voting is June 8th. I think you can vote in person up until June 8th, but I'm fuzzy on the details.
 

The candidates for governor are:

- Jennifer Carrol Foy
- Lee Carter
- Terry McAuliffe
- Justin Fairfax
-  Jennifer McClellan
Briefly, Jennifer Carrol Foy is my favorite for this, though I do like Lee Carter too. I'm disappointed that there are so many people in this race, and it's very important to me that Terry McAuliffe doesn't win the primary (though it's likely he will).
 
Terry McAuliffe is a terrible candidate. He is funded by Dominion, and many other large corporation. He supported the pipelines that we can not build if we're actually planning on transitioning to clean energy in the next 10 years.
Terry McAuliffe is the favorite to win, in a state that likes big money candidates.

Jennifer Carrol Foy I think is an excellent candidate to take him on, though there are other good candidates in the race. JCF has had multiple excellent endorsements including Ben Jealous and the Sunrise Movement.
The Sunrise Movement is an excellent organization with regard to environmental activism.


The candidates for running for Lt Governor are:

- Sam Rasoul
- Hala Ayala
- Mark Levine
- Andria McClellan
- Elizabeth Guzman
- Sean Perryman
- Xaviar Jamar Warren

Sam Rasoul is my favorite to win here. He has been an active candidate fighting for the green new deal. Multiple activists friends have been working for and donating to his campaign. I feel very confident in supporting him.

The candidates for Attorney General are:

- Jerrauld C. "Jay" Jones
- Mark Herring
From Washington Post, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/va-atty-gen-herring-appears-in-blackface-in-photo-from-college-days/2019/02/06/9aa4aff8-2a26-11e9-984d-9b8fba003e81_story.html
Also some commentary on Jerrauld Jones: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/herring-jones-virginia-attorney-general/2021/05/04/30793f28-a2d7-11eb-a774-7b47ceb36ee8_story.html
I don't know enough about Mark Herring, but as he is a fixture in "Corporate Democratic Virginia" I wouldn't mind some new leadership.


The sample ballot for Harrisonburg is here:
https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/Registrar/LPW_YB_21PVAHAR_SAMPLE%20YELLOW.pdf