Below is the full transcript of a recent interview I conducted with Tim Cox, who is one of the Republican candidates running for the 51st district. I want to thank Tim for taking the time to speak with me. You can listen to a full transcription on YouTube, and an audio version can be found on podcast providers like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Why did you decide to run for delegate?
I have been interested in running for public office for many years. I want to serve my local community and Rich Anderson the previous GOP incumbent encouraged me to look at this district, and to run for the 51st.
How did you first get involved in Virginia politics?
Yeah, I mean I follow Virginia politics very closely. I am not happy with the policies that are being passed in Richmond. I see the elitists they’re trying to encroach on our first and second amendment rights, and I don’t believe that is the role of government. I believe in limited government, and frankly I want government to get out of the way so that we as private citizens can live up rightly and freely.
You’re running in the 51st district which is one of the many northern Virginia area districts that flipped the Democrats in 2017 and stayed with them in 2019. Why do you think you’re the candidate to flip it back?
Because I overlap and identify with so many different people in this district. I grew up overseas in Brazil. We have about 12% of an immigrant population in this district. We’re a very diverse district. People are hard workers here. They want the freedom that is promised in the American dream. They don’t want to have their taxes raised, year after year, they don’t want to have third world barriers to entrepreneurship and opening new businesses, and they don’t want to see COVID extend forever.
And so, not only the immigrant population, but also other people in this area, that identify with a global and international perspective, and you want the American dream. I identify with that and I can speak to that. My wife is almost a US citizens she is part of the US CIS immigration process. And so we just want to continue to speak for us and help people live that dream.
You do have to get through a primary for the Republican nomination here, how are you convincing primary voters that you’d be the better candidate in the general compared to your opponent?
Yes, we do have a primary, and that is one of the main things we’re focusing on right now is convincing the Republicans and the conservatives in our base that we do have the right conservative message that we believe in faith, family and freedom. Those are the bedrock of society that’s what our country was established upon, and then we focus on the important local issues like education and health care, public safety, keeping our taxes down I mean, goodness, government just keeps raising those year after year. and we’re not getting much else for it. Everyone needs to pay taxes we get that for public services and for public safety, but we don’t need to keep raising them year after year.
You spent most of your adult life in the Navy and soma aspects, how was that experience shaped your worldview?
Sure, it shaped my worldview, because it continues with that legacy and theme of service. I joined the Navy because I wanted to serve my country. I also wanted to travel and see the world and get different perspectives. And that’s exactly what happened as a Surface Warfare Officer in the active component I served for many years, and then I continued in the reserve force I continue to serve that way. And it’s just continued to bring to mind the importance of the American experiment, and our constitutional liberties. Our freedom can be taken away. That is why we have a strong military to maintain and to serve and to protect and defend our freedoms.
If we do not stand up for our constitutional rights and freedoms, they will be taken away, even by people within our own government, even by people who have a different worldview and you think, okay, you know, we need to control this aspect we need to raise taxes so that we can control this aspect of a private citizens life. And so it saved my worldview, because we need to defend our freedoms, and I want to continue to serve in public office that way.
On your website, one of the key policies you mentioned is supporting small businesses. Obviously, with the COVID 19 pandemic, especially in places like Northern Virginia, a lot of those small businesses have been hit really hard because of the pandemic. How would you plan to help them as delegate to recover from this pandemic?
Yeah I want small businesses to open quickly and safely. I think that we see the large businesses we look, we go to Walmart and there’s people everywhere. You know, I don’t know why we should have different standards for the large corporations like Walmart and for the smaller businesses. We need to let people have business as usual, let them be open. People are being vaccinated, we need to treat this virus seriously. But we can’t let it debilitate our economy. So, simply that I would encourage small business owners to continue with business as usual, continue with their excellent services. Another thing I would lower the barriers to entry, I spoken with several veterans who have veteran owned small businesses, and they told me, especially in Prince William County, especially the barriers to entry for their small business as an entrepreneur, are like the third world they’re outlandish.
They get run around, they go to the McCoart building, or they go to whatever administrative office they need to go to, and they’re just given a runaround oh you need to talk to so and so. Oh, you need to fill out this form. Oh, you need to complete this oh you need to pay this speed, and instead of being a straightforward streamlined process, they just get run around, that’s wrong. We need to streamline the process, get back to the American Dream get back to the promise of, If you work hard, and if you abide by the laws. You can do anything in this country. And so that’s how I support veterans and small business owners get back to business as usual.
Another key thing you mentioned on your website policy wise, is education and that’s, that’s always been a big concern or Virginia especially is kind of the difference in education between the charter schools and the public schools. How do you make sure that everyone has the ability to a good education in the Northern Virginia area?
Yeah, I support parent choice, I think parents are the most vested in their children’s education. And so parents need to be zoned in and have the ability to decide. Look, I really like how this private school approaches education I think they have great teachers. So if they choose to send their kid to a private school. Wonderful. We need to have tax incentives to allow them to be able to do that and to pay for a more expensive private school, or if they think the public school in their areas a strong public school, and they want their kid to be involved in that wonderful, send them to public school, be aware of what is being taught, who is teaching your kids what the subject matter, are, and we can’t have government micromanaging the content and trying to teach revisionist history, trying to get into common core or the 1619 project, and basically just hiding from parents, what is being taught to their kids, parents need to be fully aware what is being taught.
They need to have freedom and options if they want to send a public school private school, or even if they want to take on the huge commitment of educating and schooling their kids at home. That is another perfect viable option there are so many wonderful homeschooling curriculums throughout the country. And so that is also another strong option. I also had lots of international school experience growing up, So I know that depending on the teachers depending on the curriculum that can also be a solid option, but of course stateside here at the state level, we’re looking more at home schools, public schools and private schools.
The Democratic candidate, she doesn’t have the primary has been kind of a fundraising juggernaut. She’s been one of the best non incumbent Democratic fundraisers for the House of Delegates, this past cycle so far. How do you think you can compete with that fund rising that she’s gonna be able to do in this district to make sure that you can keep up with the level of spending that she’s gonna be able to do?
Because you know, she doesn’t have a primary we do have a primary, and so I respect the voters, and people who are involved with donating and fundraising, you know, they want to be able to give to a sure thing. So right now we have a primary, and so they’re, they’re making their choices they’re checking our messages. Right now, We are winning on the message we are winning on the principles. So, basically I am doing this, I’ve been doing this now for three months, I need to continue to get my name out there, continue to let people inform themselves and make their own decisions. And as soon as we make it past the primary we do expect the house caucus and other interests in the party to come on board with the donating and fundraising is something we’re definitely looking at carefully. Another difference though is our approach to voters and our view of voters.
Republicans have a high view of voters at the individual level, we don’t believe in buying votes are in trying to flood a person with advertising and subliminal messaging and just overbearing in that way. We believe in people making informed personal decisions. And so I don’t want to buy anyone’s vote. I want people to make their own decisions, to study the issues to be about substance not sound bites, and so we do have a little bit of a philosophical difference. Fundraising is very important, and we are continuing to do that after the primary Of course we expect it to pick up, but it’s not the top priority for anyone seeking office. We should not have to buy people’s votes or overwhelm them with advertising. I want people to make their own decisions based on substance not sound bites.
In around two weeks now, Republicans across Virginia will go to convention sites to vote for the three statewide candidates for the ticket. This year and one of those candidates is of course for governor who is very controversial that is Amanda Chase. A lot of people consider her to be a anchor on candidates like yourself in Northern Virginia. And my question for you is would you endorse Amanda chase her governor, if she becomes the GOP candidate at convention in two weeks?
No I’m not endorsing any candidate at this point I will support the nominee. And so we’re looking very carefully, there’s a lot of strong candidates, right now, and so that’s my official response.
One final question for you then Tim, what would be the first bill that you would propose as delegate, if you are elected?
I would look into education, and protecting parent choice. I want parents to know that their kids are being protected in schools, even in bathrooms and locker rooms, there’s a lot of conversation right now that kids need to be, do not have freedom to choose which bathroom or locker room they can be in that they need to be paired with other kids of the opposite sex. So that’s something I think we need to look at and protect our children in schools. I also want to protect the most vulnerable in our society, we need to make sure that people with disabilities are protected. We also need to protect the unborn and that’s another major philosophical difference between the Republican and Democrat parties. We see human life as precious and sacred in the womb.
And so we need to protect the unborn here in Virginia. The current administration has just been monstrous towards the unborn, and even after born, the current governor said to the effect that infanticide is justifiable as long as you keep the infant and the baby comfortable outside the womb. Those are monsters policies. They are against life. And that attitude and that mindset has a trickle down effect to how you view humans throughout life, not just not just unborn individuals not just people with disabilities that reflects your view of people in general, and you know with blackface and all the other issues that the current governor has had, we just really need to change that perspective on the sanctity and dignity of human life.
