It’s a shame that republicans in the Virginia General Assembly perpetually put politics before people. They demonstrated this again yesterday. Because I am a retired full-colonel with 30 years of active and reserve military experience and training, two active duty tours in Iraq, and two years as a Department of Defense civilian in Afghanistan, Governor Northam appointed me to serve on his Military Advisory Council in September 2018. The governor’s appointments have to be approved by Virginia State Senate during the General Assembly. Generally, approval of these appointments are a simple formality. Not this year. The republicans, being the majority party in the Virginia Senate, decided to strip me of this appointment with no rhyme or reason other than politics. Please see article by Patrick Wilson, Richmond Times Dispatch.
I have served my country in uniform for most of my adult life. I looked forward to continuing to serve my fellow service members - active duty, reservists, national guardsmen, and veterans - as a member of the Military Advisory Council. I am disappointed this will not be the case due to petty politics. Nonetheless, I will continue to advocate for veterans and military service members as I always have.
I am a candidate for Virginia’s 3rd Senatorial District. Tommy Norment currently occupies this seat, and is also the senate majority leader. He has been in the General Assembly for 30 years and has more than a million dollars in his campaign chest. I am stepping into the ring with Goliath. I am confident that we will win this race. Apparently, Tommy seems to think this as well or he would not have stripped my appointment. I can’t do this alone. It will take time and money to win on November 5, 2019. The Daily Kos community can retire Tommy Norment once and for all. I am asking every member of the Daily Kos community to invest $10 per month in this effort from now through December 2019. This will enable us to hire staff, create a presence across the district, get our message out, make phone calls and knock on doors. The Herb Jones for Virginia campaign will not take donations from corporate PACs, Dominion Power or any entity that doesn’t reflect progressive, American values. Let Tommy Norment know that it is time to put People First.