Yesterday, I stepped out of dad’s car with my father and four brothers, in frigid temperatures, to stack wood for my grandfather. The drive from Luray to Stanley is around 20 minutes long, and we figured if we worked fast, our fingers wouldn’t feel too numb. My grandfather lives deep in what we rural folk know as “the hollers,” basically small valleys in between mountains. Simply put: I am part of the community that both the Democratic and Republican Parties have forgotten here in the State of Virginia.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Page County’s unemployment rate currently rests at 5.6%, nearly double the surrounding counties of Rockingham, Greene, Madison and Rappahannock.
The average household in Page County makes $55,416.00 a year, while the average household expenditure is $46,726.00 a year. This leads many here in the county to live paycheck to paycheck. Located between the Blue Ridge and Massanutten mountain ranges, we are unfortunately not positioned near any interstate corridor, with I-64 to our south, I-66 to our north, and I-81 to our west. This unfortunate placement only exacerbates the lack of gainful employment, and keeps the Page Valley isolated from major industrial enterprises. The Valley is starved for more industry and gainful employment.
You can ask anyone, from the Shenandoah Valley to the Page Valley and all the way across the western portion of the state, we feel neglected, overtaxed, and downtrodden. We come from a diverse set of political opinions, and don’t sit within the norm of conservative stereotypes. When I used to work at Walmart, the only major shopping outlet in Luray, I frequently got into debates with co-workers, shoppers, and fellow citizens of the county. Throughout my discussions with thousands of people, I can concretely say one thing about political opinion here: we value liberty. The liberty to think and say whatever we feel, raise our families how we wish, keep the majority of what we are paid, and most certainly our right to bear arms.
This is why you should support Delegate Nick Freitas for Senate. Del. Freitas has a lengthy history of supporting the Republican Party, going back to high school, when Nick campaigned for Republican candidates at age 15. After the terror attacks that shook the nation during 9/11, he enlisted in United States Army Special Forces, more commonly known as the Green Berets. After two tours in Iraq, he was honorably discharged and then became director of operations for a company that helped with counter insurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. During that time, he was deeply politically involved, being the Chairman of the Culpeper County Republican Committee.
As a Delegate, Nick has sponsored legislation that has reduced burdensome state regulations, increased local control of educational decisions, and increased government transparency. He also sponsored House Bill 900, which protects citizens from having their property forcibly seized, requiring there be a proof of guilt to do so. Along with that, with House Bill 2377 he helped to get certain textbooks and other educational materials off of tax doles, saving the taxpayers of Virginia more money.
I’m not the only one who thinks Nick is a champion of conservatism, however. Nick has endorsements from Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who has worked closely with President Trump and his America First agenda; Delegate Todd Gilbert, the Virginia House Majority Leader and Representative of Page and Shenandoah; former narcotics detective and current State Senator Bryce Reeves; Mike Rubino, Virginia Senior Adviser of Trump for President; and Rick Buchanan of the Tea Party Foundation.
In Nick Freitas, we finally have a Republican candidate with the credentials, life experience, and values to inspire and ignite every segment of the Republican Party, from conservatives to moderates and everywhere in between. This extensive list of policies and endorsements prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Republicans should support Delegate Nick Freitas to help forward Trump’s America First agenda in the Senate, and provide a voice strong enough to defeat Tim Kaine come November.
34 comments
[…] Freitas isn’t running for any office at the moment; he’s focused on his duties as a delegate in Virginia. But if you wanted to know some of what he’s done there, you can check out BullElephant: […]
This comment is for every Va. Representative Democrat and Republican.
Yes you served but this is in no way a prerequisite to the qualifications required to be a representative.
One of my boys came home on from school Sept 2, 2011. He asked me why those people flew those planes into our buildings. I told him they don’t believe in the freedom of religion, a Civilized society or the rule of law. Many men in this world would like to rule other men rather than represent a Civilized society.
It was this son’s goal to serve in the USMC. Some serve for many reasons.
I had seen his only focus was to kill Hadji. Before he left home I told him that this was the most Nobel profession to not just desire to defend America but attack the enemy.
I also told him while you are in look at the guy to your right and left and know this; while you find young men are on deployment to take the fight over sees so not to have it on Main St. America the same powers that be are allowing our Country to come under attack by illegal immigration, so much for the rule of law.Remember President Bush and Iraq, all because Sadam was not compliant with the UN ordered sanctions, the rule of law.
Now who is allowing America and the working class family to be attacked by illegal immigration. So much for the rule of Law.
How are the Retired Repulican Veterans now holding a seat that belongs to the people defending Va today from law breakers?
What about the rule of law in Va?
Yes, Goverment is the problem! This is why we need,
Corey Stewart for Senate.
He won’t wag the dog
Why hasn’t this proclaimed Conservative brought forth an E-Verify bill to support my President?
What is the elected Va Republican waiting on?
Are they (Va Republicans)waiting on the Fed to pass a bill which orders the States to do so?
Along with personal responsibility we must have professional and Legislative responsibilities or else the conservative man is just telling us what to do, not much liberty with that way of thinking and darn sure lack the ability to take the helm.
I’d support Nick Freitas against Corey Stewart any day of the week. Far superior a candidate.
Nick raised 5 thousand dollars for his last campaign and you are willing to put that against Kaine. Why not leave it open and anoint Kaine. Losers like losing I guess!
Well, Corey Stewart has shown that is certainly the case I guess. #LosersGonnaLose
I hate to do this, but information of this magnitude needs to be put into the stream of discussion. Many have rushed to judgment regarding the incident that led to the death of a woman in Charlottesville a few month back. I have said repeatedly that such a rush to judgment in the midst of chaos is unwise. Well, here is an example of why it is unwise:
Dwayne Dixon, a University of North Carolina anthropology professor and leader of the armed Antifa group Redneck Revolt, has admitted to chasing James Alex Fields Jr. with a rifle just before he drove into a group of protesters — killing Heather Heyer.
My apologies to Nick. Sounds like a stellar candidate worth of support by all Republicans.
Back to defending the driver after denying you did?
Good luck with this right-wing fringe theory. His right to bear arms and boast about it is sacrosanct under our constitution. The driver is wholly responsible for his alleged homicidal actions, unless one theorizes a broader criminal conspiracy.
I read exactly what Dixon said, and it wasn’t and isn’t what you wish it were, but good luck with your theories. Maybe they will free your boy! With your attacks on the FBI, law enforcement generally and now support for an alleged murderous criminal who disgraced good conservatives, your stripes are clearer.
For some time now, you have supposedly supported the Constitution and rule of law. Yet when confronted with something other than your rush to judgment, you just have to defend your rush to judgment by accusing others.
There is no right wing fringe theory here, there is a valid defense – and you can bet that a decent defense attorney will use Dixon’s comments. And unlike you, I believe in innocent until proven guilty regardless of my likes and dislikes.
You aren’t even clever using “alleged” because you simply follow it up the your rush to judgment. As one of the founders once said, it isn’t good speech we have to defend but the very worst of it.
What the Hell are you writing about? It’s completely off-topic and designed to walk back to your moronic defense of the murderous fool in Charlottesville.
For what it’s worth, you’ve admitted your animus towards numerous Republicans and advocated other parties. I subscribe to no party at all, do not declare myself a libertarian or a Republican and I’ve been clear about that.
You disgrace this place. You spew the Kremlin line on the failure of Western democracy, either unwittingly or purposefully.
Your valid defense for the driver? The guy with the gun made me do it! The guy with the gun was exercising his constitutional right to carry. The guy with the car was driving at high-speed into crowds. The former in no way justifies the latter.
Write anything you want. You are living a fantasy anyway.
By the way, us Russian spies are busily at work. Here is our latest from Reuters.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Russia is helping North Korea evade international sanctions and that Pyongyang is getting “closer every day” to being able to deliver a long-range missile to the United States.
“Russia is not helping us at all with North Korea,” Trump said during an Oval Office interview with Reuters. “What China is helping us with, Russia is denting. In other words, Russia is making up for some of what China is doing.”
This is the nut of the problem, and you are the nut: You believe whatever you read from your right-wing fringe sources and then spread the nonsense here as fact without regard for the role you are playing in distributing fake news. It’s a nasty game of schoolyard telephone.
In fact, the driver — Fields — backed up before he hit the gas and drove at high speed into the crowd. Police helicopters captured the action, and charges against Field were later upgraded.
Fake media quickly asserted she died from — get this — being fat and having a heart attack, which the autopsy disputed, determining conclusively she died from blunt-force trauma. Now fake news says a gun-toting leftist exercising his right to carry made him do it. Again, absurd and contradicted by the facts.
You are gullible and fall for anything that fits your narrative, and how soon you forgot your passionate defense of the right to carry guns at this rally, now switching course and asserting it justifies a murder.
As usual, I am backing law enforcement and you arguing with them. You believe the alleged criminal and I believe the authorities. Who is the conservative? Who is the radical?
I back the Constitution and rule of law. Rush to judgment is neither constitutional or lawful.
Failure to support law enforcement is a sign of your lack of proper judgment, proof you are complicit with the radical right wing that is leading the RPV over the edge.
So arrest me. Arrest the police, if you think it unlawful. Someone needs to stand for the police and law enforcement authorities. I back the Constitution and the Rule of Law and the authorities who charged him, then later upgraded the charge. They watched it happen from the air, have reviewed numerous videos and photo evidence. I support them.
You believe quotes in the media attributed to a guy who claims membership in an Antifa-style counterprotest group, the sort you claim has no credibility and is composed of criminal elements, but apparently you’ll take his word as quoted in a game of telephone over that of law enforcement authorities.
Yes, we understand you better now, Warmac9999, and we get that you are unwittingly (or — perish the thought — purposefully) touting the Kremlin line on the evaporation of Western Democracy and the need to xenophobically close borders.
You serve the revolution, comrade! Well done!
If you “back the Constitution and rule of law” then (a) you’d quit writing nonsense about what happened in Charlottesville, and (b) you’d be arguing for the impeachment of Trump.
You’re not doing either, which makes you cognitively challenged, or an out-and-out liar.
You must be an SJW without much of an understanding of how America works. By the way, America is a constitutional republic not a democracy – the founders understood the dangers of a democracy. See, you learned something today.
Oh, you’re quite the snarky one.
The U.S. is a democratic republic, formed and based on democratic principles like popular sovereignty, equality, justice, freedoms for all citizens, tolerance, and promoting the general welfare, all of which the Framers wrote into the Constitution. Over time, the Bollof Rights and other amendments have brought us closer to those ideals…ideals that Republicans rhetorically embrace but ideals that they consistently and continually try to subvert.
See, you learned something today…maybe.
Who wants to change the law? Warmac9999 does. He’s the SJW (Social Justice Warrior).
He wants to change Supreme Court rulings, he wants to force Target to change its bathrooms. He crows about how they are going to lose business due to boycotts from the groups to which he belongs (at last count, Target stock was doing fine).
He says PayPal is run by Leftists, calls for a boycott (PayPal was founded by Peter Thiel, certainly no liberal Peter Thiel). He predicts earthquakes for sinful California and disasters in their wake.
When it comes to SJW, there is no one more active in seeking change and “social justice” than Warmac9999. He’s simply on the wrong side of history, hoping to lead a progressive global world back to his regressive, bigoted home.
I suspect Fields will be convicted. I just want it to be done in a just manner not by a screaming horde out for blood.
Hmmm, who wrote these words: “Many have rushed to judgment regarding the incident that led to the death of a woman in Charlottesville a few month back. I have said repeatedly that such a rush to judgment in the midst of chaos is unwise.”
But you suspect Fields will be convicted. Got it. Unwise, but you’ll go there. Got it.
He has about as much chance as OJ Simpson had. Oh, wait a minute ———-
Why can’t we stay on topic? This comment may be worthy, but not on this article.
If you look back at previous articles, you will see breaking news put in off topic areas. I wish this site had something like a breaking news column and maybe It will be added at some point.
Breaking news. You know better. We understand, Warmac. We understand. Add that breaking news column for Warmac! Let him decide the topics!
Count me among those who is amazed and inspired by Nick’s love of country and his message of hope and personal accountability. Go meet him when he comes to visit your area.
Great article and I could not agree more. @NickFreitas is the real deal and can convey the message of limited government to millenials, women, and other voters most other GOP candidates simply cannot. I encourage all my fellow Virginians to get to know the Gentlemen from Culpeper and ask their friends to just come meet Nick one time and then make their own decisions.
I agree. Nick Freitas speeches are inspiring, and he says all the right things. He could be a rock star in the Republican party. But….. I’ve yet to see him tested under fire in a tough political contest. Will he attack the left and make a sharp contrast with his opponent? Or is he one of those Republicans who thinks he is above all that?
Consider that Ronald Reagan and Lindsey Graham can both deliver the Nick Freitas speech, and they both believe every word of it, however, one of them is a fighter and the other is a surrender monkey. We already have plenty of useless Republicans who make nice speeches about universal principles, but once elected they spend more time fighting other Republicans than Democrats.
I’m reserving judgement until I see Freitas take on Corey Stewart. If Freitas can defeat Stewart without making himself sound like a clueless Democrat, I’ll support Freitas every way I can. But if he makes that contest sound more like McCain arguing with Trump, I’ll oppose him vigorously. I truly want Freitas to become our new rock star, but the last thing we need is another Never in the trenches when we have an epic battle ahead of us. I’ll be watching closely.
This area the author speaks of should be vibrant with distribution hubs being that 64 and 81 surrounding it.
George Bush thought he could have job grow through trucking and fulfillment centers of imported Chinese made goods while allowing illegal Central Americans to be illegally given our jobs left in our towns.
We must be vigilant against Republicans like Senator Grahamnesty who just the other day said;
America doesn’t belong to Americans it belongs to the rest of the world.
I support Stewart at this time.
I will make my judgment on this fellow on how he handles a couple of bills that I am monitoring in our General Assembly.
No need to trade Kaine for another Grahamnesty.
Comparing Nick Freitas to Lindsey Graham? Seriously??? Really?
Y’all gotta be smarter than this.
Nick is an unknown to many while Corey isn’t. I look forward to a spirited campaign.
Yes, seriously. I’ve listened to Nick Freitas stump speech several times. Always the same. I love everything he says, but I’m concerned about what he doesn’t say. It is exactly the kind of speech that Jeff Flake used to make. I’m tired of being betrayed by Republicans who speak to the base one way, and govern differently.
As I said, I hope he is the real deal. But he has NOT been tested yet, though he surely will be, when he has to battle Corey Stewart. I’d be happy to see Nick Freiitas win that debate, if he can, because he doesn’t carry the baggage of Corey Stewart’s clumsy language. But I’d definitely support Stewart if Freitas tries to distance himself from the issues and refuses to fight, because at least Stewart will try to get in there and fight for us.
Yes, just like Grahamnesty.
What is the Honorable Delegates position on these bills;
1) HB 1293
2) HB 1171
3) HB 1106
4) HB 164
Now if the Delegate can’t address Va issues how can he represent Virginians on a National level?
The Delegate is correct Goverment is the problem, the Executive and Legislative branches are a major problem.
Don’t vote for someone who does nothing.
Stewart for Senate, he won’t sit on his hands.