Excited voters crowded into the Henrico Theatre outside Richmond on Oct. 19 to hear Pete Buttigieg stump for three Virginia Democratic congressional candidates hoping to flip their districts in two weeks.
Buttigieg was in Virginia to support Shannon Taylor, the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District; Elaine Luria, the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District; and Tom Perriello, the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.
Buttigieg, a former presidential candidate who served as the US secretary of transportation in the Biden administration, said Republicans in Congress are “lining their pockets” and “laughing all the way to the bank.” He said Republicans don’t want to run on their records because “they’re not even bothering to try to convince you that the results are good or that the policies are right.”
Instead, they would rather flood voters with dark money, gerrymander congressional maps, cultivate doubts about the integrity of voting systems, and make it harder for people to vote, Buttigieg said.
“But we don’t have to put up with it anymore because we have the right kind of leaders to carry us forward, and you just saw them on this stage,” Buttigieg said in reference to Perriello, Taylor, and Luria.
Buttigieg’s stop in Virginia comes two weeks before elections that will determine which party controls Congress.
If Republicans can hold on to their majorities in the US Senate and House of Representatives, President Donald Trump will remain free to pursue his agenda in his last two years in office.
But if Democrats can take control of the House, as political forecasters predict, or the Senate, which is more of a toss-up, they can increase oversight of the Trump administration and act as a check on policies that have angered many Americans.
What issues are motivating voters?
Leanne Currie-McGhee drove from Norfolk to attend the Henrico rally for two reasons: She’s a volunteer for Luria and, being originally from South Bend, Indiana, she’s a big supporter of Buttigieg, the city’s former mayor. Currie-McGhee, a Navy veteran who lives in Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District, said a top issue for her is the war in Iran.
”I’m very upset with how it was decided to enter that, our lack of goals, poor execution,” Currie-McGhee said in an interview while waiting in line outside of the event. “Of course, all of us, no one wants Iran to have nuclear weapons, but this was absolutely not the way to go about it, and I think has put us in a weaker position globally and certainly has also affected us economically.”
On stage, Luria attacked her opponent, Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans, for going along with the Trump administration’s war in Iran. Both Luria and Kiggans are Navy veterans, and Luria took Kiggans to task for not doing more for veterans in the 2nd District.
“ She’s a Navy veteran who voted to cut veterans’ benefits by 22%,” Luria said as the crowd booed in response. “We have the highest concentration of veterans in the country in Hampton Roads and the most undermanned VA hospital in Hampton in the entire country.”
When Taylor was onstage, she attacked the longtime Republican she’s looking to unseat, Rep. Rob Wittman, for the growth of his wealth while in office as he supported cuts to federal healthcare programs. She said the “culture of corruption” in Washington is hurting Virginians.
“His votes hurt the rest of us while he’s getting richer,” Taylor said.
Standing in line before the event, Debbie Freid said human rights and the economy are top of mind for her this election year. She voted early for Taylor because she believes Taylor will “help bring back humanity to our government.”
“It’s just outrageously expensive for everything,” said Freid, who recently retired. “And I don’t think the government today is in tune with what needs to be done to turn that around and to help the average American.”
