The perennial election is a fair descriptor of American politics. After all, 2020 hasn’t even ended yet and the 2021 elections in Virginia are already heating up.
The Democratic side for Virginia’s gubernatorial race is already looking interesting. Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax has now entered the race. I want to focus on the GOP side of things this week, though. Things are starting to pick up as the party attempts to regain ground in the state.
A Meeting Between Two Candidates in SW Virginia
On the weekend of the 12th and 13th of September, it caught my eye that two potential GOP candidates for Governor – Bill Carrico and Kirk Cox – had been to multiple events together throughout the weekend. Both men have been open about possibly running. I was able to get some comments from former Senator Carrico this past week about the meeting and his plans.
On what made him think about running:
Seeing the direction Virginia was going, the lack of leadership in the Governors office. It just felt like something that I was trained to do. I believe I can be a leader in Virginia and can bring some continuity to the state.
On any conversations with Kirk Cox during the weekend:
Kirk and I have been friends for a long time now. I invited him down here that weekend to do some events. We talked about the importance of 2020 and that everyone needed to get out to the polls and vote. We talked about how we were both planning to run in 2021, but that we need to focus on 2020.
Whether he would not run if Kirk Cox decided to get in
No, if he decides to get in the race then that’s his choice. That has no bearings on what I intend to do. I consider Kirk a friend and if we both decide to get in then it’s something the people should decide who would be a better leader. I have certain qualities that Kirk doesn’t have and he has certain qualities that I don’t have. It’s not going to be about Kirk though, it’s going to be about me and how I can lead.
His thoughts on how crucial it is for the Virginia GOP to take back the Governors office:
We are coming after 8 years of elections where we’ve seen Democratic leadership at the gubernatorial level. We’ve seen the dangers that happen when they control all three levels of government, we’ve seen how quickly things go downhill. The last eight months we’ve seen our constitutional rights be trampled on. The number one job of the governor is to keep people safe and protect property rights and we’ve seen how easily that has been let go. That’s why I think I have the best qualities, I’m a former state trooper and I’ve been all over Virginia, served in riots. I can lead this state and protect the people.
These comments all seem to point towards Bill Carrico and Kirk Cox both announcing runs for the Governor’s office in the coming months. We have less than 45 days to Election Day 2020, but it looks like the 2021 Virginia elections are just getting started.