WOODBRIDGE — President Donald Trump isn’t on the ballot June 17, but he certainly was a key factor in a televised debate held Thursday night.
All six candidates for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor squared off at the Prince William County government’s Ferlazzo Building in a forum hosted by Washington’s WJLA TV-7 and the Northern Virginia Democratic Black Caucus.
As perhaps could have been expected, the hopefuls largely agreed on the issues raised by moderator Kellye Lynn, a WJLA reporter and anchor, including the importance of being able to stand up to Trump’s Republican administration.
For example, said state Sen. Aaron Rouse of Virginia Beach: “I grew up fighting my entire life, and, as your next lieutenant governor, I will be fighting back against Donald Trump and Elon Musk.”
Rouse, who’s been endorsed by Stafford County Supervisor Pamela Yeung, faces Alex Bastani, a former economist and union leader at the Department of Labor; state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, who represents parts of Richmond and Chesterfield County; Dr. Babur Lateef, chairman of the Prince William School Board; Victor Salgado, a former Department of Justice prosecutor; and former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney in a primary June 17.
The winner will then go up against Richmond talk radio host John Reid, the Republican lieutenant governor nominee.
But Reid’s name wasn’t mentioned on Thursday in the event shown live on WJLA. Instead, it was Trump’s that came up over and over.
Lateef said that two months ago, Trump sent a letter to the Prince William school division, saying that if it didn’t eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion program, he would cut federal funding for education in the county.
“I said we would proceed as usual, and if he decides to push and cut our federal funds, I will see him in court,” Lateef said. “And, Mr. President, I will win, so let’s go.”
Salgado said Trump is trying to use code words — such as DEI — to divide Americans.
“So we have to call it what it is,” he said.
The candidates also criticized GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Lynn said some people are concerned that Black history, from slavery to Jim Crow to the civil rights movement, is being left out of social studies classes in Virginia public schools. She asked how, if elected, the candidates would address this matter.
Hashmi, who chairs the Senate Education and Health Committee, said students should be educated broadly, and that the state’s Standards of Learning curricula for history were revised about four years ago.
“We were in a good place to tell the full story of Virginia, the full story of America,” she said. “Sadly, when Glenn Youngkin came into office, his administration, his Department of Education, took those standards, that curricula that had been prepared, and really radically changed it. They stripped out so much of our comprehensive and critical American history.”
Bastani agreed with this assessment, saying, “Obviously, we cannot let the Republicans rewrite history.”
Though a lot of their positions were similar, the candidates did try to differentiate themselves when possible Thursday. They had differing opinions, for instance, on gambling initiatives, specifically, a proposal to put a casino in Tysons Corner and the notion of allowing slot machines across the state.
Salgado, who lives in Arlington County, said he opposes the casino plan, as does Lateef, who said he opposes slots and video poker machines, as well.
Rouse said he supported legislation giving localities the option to hold a referendum to decide whether they wanted casinos, and Stoney and Bastani said that, though they didn’t agree with the Tysons Corner location, they were open to gaming operations elsewhere, if local residents want them.
Stoney, who earned an endorsement from Fredericksburg-area businessman and former state Senate candidate Joel Griffin, also tried to stake out separate ground by saying he was the only hopeful in the race who’s held a government executive job.
He spoke more about that idea in an interview after the hourlong debate, too. He said executive experience is important in a job such as lieutenant governor, where you’re a “heartbeat away” from having to serve as chief executive of the Old Dominion.
Having to make “consequential” decisions about the day-to-day lives of constituents is different than just drafting bills, as lawmakers do, Stoney said.
“And whether it was in public safety, public education or in human services, that was my day job, my full-time job, for eight years,” he said.
Lateef made similar comments after the debate about his work as school board chairman.
Also following the event, Yeung, who was one of approximately 10 Fredericksburg-area residents in Thursday’s audience, said she thought Lynn asked too many questions about education, which favored Lateef.
She said Rouse’s positions align with what she thinks government needs to do, including placing an importance on economic development.
Yeung added that she’s impressed with Rouse’s record in the Senate and “what he can do, in the future, for Virginia.”
