RICHMOND, Va. — With the statewide tickets for both the Democrats and Republicans set, the candidates for each party are wasting no time in pivoting to what they're focused on in the November general election.
On the Democratic side, gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger leads the ticket and is joined by Tuesday's primary winners state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Richmond) for lieutenant governor and former Delegate Jay Jones for attorney general.
There was no need for a primary on the Republican side whose ticket consists of Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for governor, John Reid for lieutenant governor, and Attorney General Jason Miyares running for re-election.
Education in Virginia
Reid spoke to the media Wednesday outside Falling Creek Middle School in Chesterfield where he said he wanted to highlight education on day one of the general election as it was a concern he'd been hearing from parents around the state.
He noted Hashmi is the chair of the Senate Education Committee in Virginia.
Reid said Hashmi's focus is to throw more money at public schools which he says won't work for everyone.
He said he wanted to provide parents with school choice options like a voucher program.
"I understand wanting to protect public education. No one wants to obliterate it. No one's talking about dissolving it, but we're talking about giving parents an opportunity to take the tax money that they are paying, and it is a little bit of tax money in Virginia, and provide opportunities that will actually work for their kids," Reid said. "It will allow people who might be locked into a zip code that they can't escape, that they can't afford, to move out of, and give them some options to find a school that will match up."
Hashmi said she is calling for more funding as studies have said Virginia schools are underfunded compared to other states.
"Ensuring that every child in Virginia has access to high quality education, so that they are better prepared for the careers and opportunities that lie ahead," Hashmi said. "You know, the lack of school funding has impacted rural counties and communities hardest, and we need to ensure that every child in Virginia has support and resources that our teachers are given the materials and necessary support systems that they need. This is a very positive step for Virginia."
The Trump Effect
Hashmi said Reid has almost completely tied himself to the Trump administration whose actions, she said, are causing harm in Virginia.
"We have seen thousands of Virginia's families losing jobs, losing benefits, and they want leadership that's going to be speaking out for them and working to protect them," Hashmi said.
Reid said he supports the president who is making tough, controversial decisions -- but adds he is focused on what he can do in his office.
"I want us to get back to a place where we can have rational and reasonable conversations about important topics and Donald Trump can do what he's going to do in DC. I want to fix things for the Virginians," Reid said.
Party Foul
Both candidates make up part of a larger ticket -- which could bring some challenges.
For Republicans -- they have not had any joint appearances -- since the ticket was set -- sparked by a social media scandal in which Governor Glenn Youngkin asked Reid, an openly gay man, to end his campaign over social media posts he was accused of making. Reid denied the social media account was his.
Reid said he has not heard from Republican gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, which he was disappointed by, but said they are unified.
"To quote the lieutenant governor, we all have our race to run, and I took her seriously that I'm going to run my race, And I welcome Jason Miyares, and Lieutenant Governor Sears by my side," Reid said.
While for Democrats, Hashmi has supported a full repeal of Virginia's right-to-work law -- while Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger has said she wouldn't support that. Hashmi says it's an ongoing discussion.
"The first step is going to be through legislation, of course, and so we will, you know, I'm sure have these discussions in this upcoming session," Hashmi said.
Attorney General Race
Rounding out the statewide ticket is the attorney general's race.
Former delegate Jay Jones won the Democratic nomination and will face incumbent Republican Jason Miyares.
With Jones saying Miyares has failed to stand up for Virginians during his time in office.
"We have a real contrast between myself and Jason Miyares and what the office can and should be doing and what they're not doing. They're not protecting people, they're not putting Virginians first. They're using the office as a partisan tool to do the bidding of Donald Trump," said Jones. "And that, I think, is going to be a real sort of contrast point between the two of us, because we will step up. We will put Virginians first. We will fight for them. We will use the office as it is intended to be used."
Jones also talked about what his top priorities would be.
"We will prioritize consumer protection, going after the price gougers, the corporate landlords, the folks who make us less safe and less secure. Fully staffing up and building out a civil rights division so that we can protect Virginians of all stripes everywhere, no matter who you are, what you look like, and then building out our labor justice unit so that we can prioritize and fight for working people," he said.
But in a statement released Tuesday, Miyares said that by picking Jones, Democrats "stand to unravel the safer, more prosperous Virginia we have worked so hard to build."
"I have spent the last four years putting violent criminals behind bars, cracking down on fentanyl trafficking, and protecting Virginians from discriminatory practices and Title IX violations," he added. "My opponents ideological record makes Virginia families less safe and our streets more violent. The law is a shield to keep people safe, not a sword for social justice warriors or a platform for grand social experiments."
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