Governor Terry McAuliffe has been working hard to have the new Redskins’ stadium built in Virginia. The team already has its headquarters and practice fields in Virginia. Most of the team lives in Virginia.
What do the candidates for Governor think about having the Redskins stadium in Virginia? From WTOP.com:
“The Redskins are a Virginia team. Most of its fans are from Virginia,” said Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart. “As governor, I will fight for the stadium to be located in Virginia. It should have been located in Virginia in the first place.”
Frank Wagner said he would “love to have the Redskins move to Virginia” but when asked if state money should go to the team, he said,
“Zero. I think it’s totally inappropriate. We just cut $1.2 billion out of the budget. We made some hard choices, some very hard choices. And quite frankly, I don’t think it’s a priority to help subsidize a billionaire to move to Virginia.”
Candidate Ed Gillespie’s spokesperson said,
“If we can generate jobs and revenue with no loss to the taxpayers, Ed would love to see the Redskins play in Virginia.”
The two major Democrat candidates apparently don’t care if the Redskins move to Virginia because neither responded to the question.
When our candidates for Governor were asked about the Redskins name, predictably, the Democrat candidates were less fond of the name and Republicans were fine with it.
From the Richmond Times:
“Tom (Perriello) has long supported Washington’s football tradition but believes that it’s high time the name be changed,” Perriello spokesman Remi Yamamoto said in a statement.
Ralph Northam’s response about Redskins’ name,
“As a business owner, I wouldn’t name my practice anything offensive, and if I owned a football team, I would apply the same principle,” Northam said in a statement.
“We’ve seen another team in the region provide an example when the Bullets changed their name to the Wizards after (then-owner) Abe Pollin determined the name was no longer appropriate. So I believe the team needs to make that determination.”
Ed Gillespie on the team name:
Gillespie, the front-runner in the GOP primary, would let the Redskins decide their own name as a “private Virginia company,” Gillespie spokeswoman Abbi Sigler said in a statement.
Candidate Corey Stewart was very direct,
“When I’m governor, we’re not going to give them any heat at all on their name. I support keeping the name just the way it is.
“I love the nickname,” said Stewart. “I have no problem with the ‘Skins. These politically correct ‘nitties’ around the country that are trying to get the team to change its name should be ignored. I will support the Redskins keeping … their nickname.”
Frank Wagner in the Richmond Times:
Wagner, who called the name debate “contrived,” said: “My stepfather was a Choctaw Indian and the biggest Redskins fan I’ve ever known.”
“I think it’s much to do about political correctness,” said Wagner. “It’s the Redskins when I grew up. It’s the Redskins while I’m here. And I hope it’s going to be the Redskins far into the future.”
The Republican Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, supports the team and the name.
