A Time for Choosing Virginia

Virginia is at the crossroads. The General Assembly is increasingly dominated by Democrats who have already shown their priorities: bigger government, social engineering over common sense, and a tolerance for crime policies that erode safety. The only brake on that radical tilt is the state’s GOP ticket—Winsome Sears for governor and Jason Miyares for Attorney General. If you care about your taxes, your children, your safety, you must cast your vote for them this November.

The Tax-and-Spend Conveyor Belt

Let’s be clear: whoever wins Richmond will reshape your wallet. Democrats in the General Assembly have repeatedly pushed aggressive tax agendas. In one legislative proposal, leaders included nearly $2 billion in new taxes — from expanded sales tax to targeting digital goods and services — under the guise of funding “investments.” ^{Governor Glenn Youngkin} In 2024, they trashed Youngkin’s proposal for permanent tax relief and instead embraced one-time rebates and tax increases as routine governance. ^{AP News+2AP News+2}

Spanberger, in interviews, has pledged a sweeping progressive agenda: reforms in immigration, healthcare expansion, increased public education spending, and a broad hierarchy of government programs. Royal Examiner Put steep taxes and bigger spending next to that, and you see the logical outcome: your taxes go up, your freedoms shrink.

Contrast that with Sears: she’s pledged to oppose new taxes and act as the brake on the legislature’s appetite. She stands between your paycheck and Richmond’s insatiable demand for revenue. If legislators smell weakness in the executive, they’ll keep piling on new levies. She can’t veto everything—but with her in the chair, every tax proposal will have to pass over her objections.

DEI, Schools & Locker Rooms — Whose Rights Matter?

This election isn’t just about money. It’s about ideology. Democrats have aggressively advanced DEI mandates, gender identity policy changes, and locker room/sports eligibility rules in K–12 without asking whether they respect fairness, tradition, or girls’ rights.

Jason Miyares has already waded into these fights. In recent months, as AG, he opened investigations into public school diversity and gender identity policies — drawing federal attention and pushing back against overreach. ^{The Washington Post} He’s not a bystander; he is demanding accountability.

Spanberger and her allies see these issues differently. Their agenda pledges “equity,” “inclusion,” and policies that elevate identity over objective standards. ^{Royal Examiner:} That path leads inevitably to biological girls being displaced in sports, to policies favoring ideology over fairness in classrooms, and to alienation of parents whose values differ.

A vote for Spanberger is a vote for granting those DEI architects the power to impose their worldviews on your children—regardless of your objections.

Law & Order: The Stakes Could Not Be Higher

Virginia families are seeing the effects of softened enforcement, lenient prosecutorial tactics, and a culture of “reform” that often means ignoring victims. The problem is not hypothetical — it’s real.

Attorney General Miyares has made public safety a centerpiece of his record. He’s taken on Fairfax’s Commonwealth Attorney Descano for policies he says violate victims’ constitutional rights: “weaponized incompetence,” lenient plea deals, and refusal to enforce laws passed by the legislature. ^{Royal Examiner} He’s also combated organized retail theft: after his report revealed $1.3 billion in annual retail losses, the General Assembly upgraded theft of high-value goods from misdemeanors to felonies. ^Wikipedia

Meanwhile, Democrats and progressive prosecutors champion “decoupling” criminal justice from public safety goals, emphasizing reform over consequences. In some pockets, the rhetoric is “defund the police” or scaling back sentences for violent offenders. That’s not safe. That’s a recipe for crime spreading.

To be clear, the opponent running against Miyares advocates for softer criminal policies, including decriminalization for certain acts, and weaker prosecutorial stances. That’s the direction they want for Virginia. But you and I don’t have to accept it.

With Miyares in charge, police get support, victims get a voice, and laws are enforced evenly — not discarded at the whim of ideology.

Immigration & the Rule of Law

A hidden pressure cooker in Virginia is the matter of immigration enforcement and the downstream costs of ignoring it. Democrat leadership in Richmond is far more likely to favor sanctuary-type policies, lax enforcement, and soft-on-illegal-immigration stances. Spanberger’s platform reflects openness to change, more inclusiveness, and fewer barriers. ^{Royal Examiner}

Miyares, by contrast, has a strong record of defending the statutes, of pushing back against overreach in schools, and of enforcing laws that protect Virginians against tax burdens, crime, and security risks.

If pro-illegal-alien policies pass unchecked, Virginia’s social services, law enforcement, and public safety budget will stretch thin. Someone must stand up for the rule of law, not turn a blind eye.

Objections You’ll Hear — And Why They Fail

“Democrats just want investments that reduce root causes of violence.” That sounds nice — until you find that violence increases, bail reform fails, and victims get ignored. No policy that doesn’t punish violent crime fails those caught in its crosshairs.

“Spanberger is moderate — she’ll restrain excesses.” But moderation in rhetoric does not prevent votes for massive spending, new entitlement schemes, or expansive bureaucracies. Her public pledges and endorsements show she is aligned with progressives. ^{Royal Examiner}

“We can trust internal checks in Richmond.” Experience teaches otherwise: when power curves toward big government, checks collapse. Only a firm executive with backbone, backed by a principled AG, can hold the line.

Wake Up, Virginia — It’s Time to Choose

If you care about lower taxes, common-sense school policies, safety on our streets, and respect for the law and order, your only credible option is Winsome Sears as governor and Jason Miyares as Attorney General. Sears is the firewall between your paycheck and a legislature that never met a spending idea it didn’t like. Miyares is the prosecutor who defends victims, not excuses offenders.

Don’t let the radical left take over Richmond. Don’t hand over your children’s schools to ideological engineers. Don’t accept that crime or fiscal pressure is your lot. This is your fight. Vote for Sears and Miyares. Wake up, Virginia — and take back our Commonwealth.

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Sources (selected):

1. Virginia Mercury — “Virginia Democrats released their budget plans…” (Feb 2024) Virginia Mercury
2. Americans for Tax Reform / Glenn Youngkin press — on $2B tax increase proposed by Democrats, Governor Glenn Youngkin
3. AP/media coverage — Democrats’ shift from tax cuts to one-time rebates AP News+1
4. Washington Post — Miyares’s public school interventions around DEI & gender identity The Washington Post
5. Royal Examiner/media — Spanberger’s pledged progressive agenda Royal Examiner
6. Miyares press/media — Fairfax prosecutorial critique and organized retail theft law changes Royal Examiner+1

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Rusty Sullivan is a contributor to Direct Line News. He can be contacted at Rusty.Sullivan@mcgopclub.com

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