While the 2017 field for Lieutenant Governor is probably still not even settled, the early entrants continue to gain support.
The latest tranche of endorsements comes for Sen. Bryce Reeves. While serving in Richmond, Reeves has cultivated a reputation for being strong on “law and order” issues and on the Second Amendment. While most people recognize him as a successful small businessman and legislator, what many don’t know is his previous career in law enforcement, in which he served as a narcotics detective in Prince William County, and in the military before that, when he qualified and served as a U.S. Army Ranger.
This background has now paid off with the endorsement of 30 county sheriffs from around the Commonwealth:
Accomack County Sheriff Todd Godwin
Albemarle County Sheriff Chip Harding
Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith
Bath County Sheriff Robert Plecker
Bedford County Sheriff Michael Brown
Bland County Sheriff Thomas Roseberry III
Brunswick County Sheriff Brian Roberts
Caroline County Sheriff Tony Lippa
Charles City County Sheriff Alan Jones
Chesterfield County Sheriff Karl Leonard
Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins
Cumberland County Sheriff Darrell Hodges
Danville City Sheriff Michael Mondul
Fredericksburg City Sheriff Paul Higgs
Grayson County Sheriff Richard Vaughan
Greene County Sheriff Steven Smith
King George County Sheriff Steve Dempsey
Lancaster County Sheriff Patrick McCranie
Louisa County Sheriff Ashland Fortune
Montgomery County Sheriff Hank Partin
Northumberland County Sheriff James “Doc” Lyons
Orange County Sheriff Mark Amos
Page County Sheriff Chadwick Cubbage
Patrick County Sheriff Daniel Smith
Prince William County Sheriff Glendell Hill
Richmond County Sheriff Steve Smith
Spotsylvania County Sheriff Roger Harris
Stafford County Sheriff David Decatur
Wythe County Sheriff Keith Dunagan
York County and Poquoson Sheriff Danny Diggs
Virginia Sheriffs are all elected by the people, and tend to be the most liked and most respected elected officials in their respective counties. So, these endorsements mean more than most, and reflect impressive strength for Reeves this early in the contest.
Reeves and Sen. Jill Vogel (R-Fauquier) and Del. Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach), the other currently-announced candidates for Lieutenant Governor, as well as all the other announced (and, perhaps, unannounced) candidates for statewide office will gather this Saturday at the Liberty Farm Festival in Fauquier County.
