Congressman Ben Cline attended a meet-and-greet in Troutville on April 6. Those in attendance had an opportunity to speak with him one on one. He then discussed what’s going on in Congress and his current focus points.
Amy White, a candidate for the Buchanan District Supervisor’s seat in the upcoming election, introduced herself. She’s a farmer, an educator, and a life-long resident of Buchanan. She was appointed to the Board to fill the unexpired term held by Ray Sloan, who recently resigned.
Also in attendance were representatives of three candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Virginia’s governor and two candidates for the attorney general position.
Sergio De La Pena’s daughter, Sophia, spoke passionately about her father’s life and why he is the person Virginia needs to elect as governor. She emphasized that “as a child, he legally immigrated to the U.S. from a socialist country. He spent 30 years in the Army, retiring as a Colonel. He campaigned for Trump, after which the administration appointed him Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense where he helped run the Western Hemisphere.” She said the election hinges on Northern Virginia voters and said, “there are a lot of Latinos there.”
Colonel Sergio De La Pena says, “I’ve seen firsthand the horrors of Socialism and understand we must stop the far Left from turning Virginia Socialist.”
He wants to end the “cancel culture and stands for fully funding the police, ending taxpayer benefits for illegal immigrants, supports the second amendment and term limits.” He “is a political outsider who’s never run for office and supports term limits to get rid of career politicians in both parties. He is a Christian, husband, and father of five who is strongly pro-life.”
Charles Ferry spoke on behalf of Glenn Youngkin’s gubernatorial campaign, pointing out that Youngkin is a “proven businessman and job creator, not a career politician. He is committed to putting Virginians and our values first and will fight for a better future for our commonwealth.”
Youngkin plans to “take on Big Tech’s censorship of free speech” and rebuild our economy. He says, “Under Democrat control, Virginia’s economy has stalled . . . career politicians keep making the same bad decisions that have driven the cost of living higher. In response to the pandemic, we can and must re-open safely to restore our economy.” He says as governor he “will stand up for the rights enshrined to each of us, including the right to religious freedom, the second amendment and the right to life.” He and his wife Suzanne have four children.
Tina Freitas, represented gubernatorial candidate Pete Snyder stated that he wants to “open our schools immediately, eliminate the massive Northam and McAuliffe tax hikes, and defend the pro-jobs and pro-America policies of President Trump.”
Snyder also wants to “crackdown on election fraud and improve voting procedures, enforce the law and arrest criminal illegal immigrants, and term limit politicians in the General Assembly.”
Snyder believes in defending second amendment rights, taking on the radical pro-abortion lobby, and fighting Northam’s “barbaric infanticide proposals.”
Leslie Haley, a candidate for attorney general, introduced herself. She currently serves as the Chair on the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors. She has a “proven track record of reducing government, supporting law enforcement, and providing steady conservative leadership.” She is a “respected attorney who has spent 14 years in public service with the Virginia State Bar as senior assistant ethics counsel and has served as the greater Richmond Bar Foundation president.”
Haley was a small business owner who “understands the vital role that small businesses play in the community’s continued success. She currently serves as the Chair of the Greater Richmond Partnership, a collaboration of public and private sectors that works to attract new economic development opportunities in central Virginia.”
Jason Miyares, who currently serves as a delegate in Virginia’s House of Representatives will also seek the position of attorney general. His mother “fled communist Cuba in 1965 and legally immigrated to the U.S.” Miyares says his mother “instilled in him a passionate love of the freedom and democracy of America.”
Miyares served as a Virginia Beach prosecutor and was recognized by the Safe Hours Project for his work combating human trafficking and was the 2018 Family Foundation Legislator of the Year. He has an “A” rating from the NRA and says he plans to keep Virginia safe and secure by “fighting for election integrity; restoring law and order and standing with the police; defending our second amendment rights and punishing criminals and protecting victims.” Miyares is married and has three daughters. He passed out his business cards with his cell phone number and encouraged those with questions or concerns to telephone him.
John Massoud, Chairman of the 6th District Republican Committee, says, “I have no idea who will win on May 8. But what I do know is this. We must turn around the ship of state and get this state back on the right track, or else Virginia, the cradle of liberty in the Western Hemisphere, will be a socialist’s paradise.”
