A Few Thoughts on Where Virginia Republicans Go from Here

Donald Trump has won in a landslide but that does not mean Republicans can rest on their laurels.  Now we move to the next stage of battling for a new and better America and make sure we win next year’s elections in Virginia.     

In volunteering for Trump and other candidates I have learned a lot over the years.   What I think Republicans need to do now is continue building the minority vote.  Go to churches, get-togethers, festivals: anywhere you can reach out to a large group of people.  Many blacks and Hispanics are ready to change the way they vote.  After all, they are dealing with the same issues we are facing – inflation, illegal immigration, crime, a tenuous world situation.  (Last week five drug dealers were indicted here in Nottoway County, population 15,000, and one is still on the loose.  Welcome to Joe Biden’s rural America.)    

I know the owner of one of our Mexican restaurants here in Blackstone.  One night during dinner, I asked a waiter if he was happy with the election and he gave the thumbs up sign so I made a mental note to talk to his boss about meeting with a group in order to register people to vote and encourage them to get involved. 

 After all, it can be a great career and even if it’s just summer volunteer work on a campaign, this leads to good recommendations and networking if the teenager has worked hard. We need to visit high schools in rural areas where most of the voters will be Republican leaning, register 18-year-olds to vote, and explain why their participation is so important.  After all politics is local and young people need to understand candidates can sometimes lose by just a few votes.   

I work in Republican tents at festivals, county fairs, wherever we happen to be, and it’s not just a vote I am after; it’s the relationship.  If I meet someone and get their contact information, I can stay in touch and encourage them to help in some fashion.  I also encourage voters to come to events, meetings, sign up to volunteer, and introduce family and friends to our cause.  It works. And living in a small rural county as I do, I know I will bump into some of these people time and time again. 

I also encourage people to sign up to be election officials.  Not only are you helping your community, this is a great way to meet more people, not to mention Democrats.  By working at the polls, I can show the opposition maybe we Republicans aren’t so bad after all.  When voters tell me they’re Democrats, I always point out that if we sat down and had a cup of coffee, we would agree on more than they would expect.)   

On another note: Big tents win elections.  It is time for Republicans of all stripes to come together and get more people who think like us elected on all levels.  Republican infighting has become our Achilles Heel, and it plays right into the hands of the Democrats.  The moderates must come together with the ultra-conservatives, shake hands, work together and beat the Democrats. Nowadays, I sometimes ask people if they want the perfect candidate to vote for and they always say yes so, I reply “Then, you need to run.”  It is rare to find someone you are going to agree with on everything. Over the years, I have voted for many candidates I wasn’t wild about but so be it. 

Remember Ronald Reagan’s 11^th Commandment when he ran for governor of California in 1966?  “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” This should be our watchword. 

We are trying to unite a big state full of good people who may disagree on a few things- especially social issues.  I also tell people let’s have those arguments another day; when you can’t afford your groceries, worry about hanging on to your job, and don’t feel safe in your neighborhood, well, arguing about abortion rights isn’t high on a lot of people’s lists.  (Although the transgender mess certainly is.  Whether it’s sex changes on children or drag queens reading stories to kindergarteners or the 15,000 transgenders in the military.) 

I asked a few political activists where we Virginia Republicans should go from here and as expected their advice was to the point. Sonny Abbott, longtime Republican volunteer and current chair of the Nottoway County School Board, explained this is not a good time to sit back and admire the miracle we have just created nationwide.  We need to “focus on policies that will make things better” and not break up into side groups. He also pointed out it’s time to get rid of identity politics and the problem with special elections is they can weaken our strengths.  

I also talked to John Reid, WRVA talk show host, political consultant and likely lt. governor candidate next year.   “Republican voters must stay engaged.  There is no election that’s not important now.  Democrats treat politics like their religion- because it is for them.  We must not let hyper-political zealots overtake us.  We must turn out without fail because even one lost election can lock us into failed economic and social policies that will doom an entire generation of kids and workers.” 

Mike Hankins, current Board of Supervisors member in Lunenburg County and former chair of the GOP Committee, pointed out Republicans all over and even in our state aren’t the best at raising money. “Votes equals money and money equals votes,” he said, and we need more for campaigns and ads.  Republicans tend to ask for too little money and “they tend to think if they have a good candidate then that should be enough to win the election.”  He also pointed out the cost of elections. Even in the 5^th District where we live, a candidate for Congress may spend 1 and half million, a bid for the US Senate, five to six million.   

When I told Hankins I doubted the impact of ads, he disagreed and said they do make a difference.  If you show something enough times, he pointed out, “people believe it.”

He also explained the importance of having not only good candidates, but also the importance of getting them out in front of people as much as possible.   “People talk about whom they’ve met, and it builds the grassroots.  Even short conversations leave an impression that we all remember.”  

Come to think of it, I remember the conversations I’ve had with famous politicians over the years, whether it was Bob Dole or Newt Gingrich.  Further, I went to a Gov. Youngkin rally in Farmville once and was able to tell him when I was going door to door for him in my neighborhood, I got attacked by a blind chihuahua and had to hold him off with a campaign sign.  When I went back to the house to make sure the dog had had his rabies shot and the owner said yes, I made sure the individual would vote for Youngkin, and he said he would.  I told Gov. Youngkin I had taken one for the team and he thought that was funny.

In closing, I will quote John Reid from his text, “Virginia Republicans are closing the gap because Democrat policies are failing, and Democrats refuse to acknowledge it or even slightly recalibrate. They’re tripling down on higher taxes and sympathy for violent criminals.  We must constantly point out not just their failures to protect citizens and help them better their own families but point out what we will do.”

There is no better time to be a Republican.  Join the fight.