Last night around six o’clock I received a phone call. “Mr. Cole, congratulations,” spoke the chair of the district’s nominating caucus. “You are officially the Democratic Nominee for the 28th [House] District!”
The gravity of my situation took a moment to register. Never in the 229-year history of the Commonwealth of Virginia had an African-American received the Democratic nomination in the 28th District. As well as being the first black nominee, I am the youngest person to be nominated as a candidate for the 28th District. By all accounts, I am not a traditional candidate. However, I knew my community needed a voice and I realized the duty fell upon me to provide its citizen with one in the General Assembly.
I took my first steps into the world of politics in 2005. With great honor, I was appointed a page by Speaker William J. Howell (VA-28). Through this appointment, I served as Governor Mark R. Warner’s page. Quite literally, I found myself in the middle of the legislative process. Last year, I was selected to serve as a Staff Assistant in the Senate of Virginia. I attentively watched the legislative processes unfold. In this system, I witnessed greed and hypocrisy. The Assembly placed corporate interests above the health and wellbeing of their constituents. My community needed a representative who puts the people first. Yet no candidate challenged Speaker Howell, I accepted that I needed to take a stand.
On January 9, 2017, I officially announced my intent to run as a Democrat against Speaker Howell. Two months later, he announced his retirement. Perhaps Speaker Howell realized change was inevitable.
Our lives are too precious to be thrown to some game in Richmond. I am proud to be one of the sixty candidates running this year who vowed not to accept funds from Dominion Energy. I believe in the freedom of religion and the separation of Church and State. As a pastor, I do not want the government to force me to practice my faith in a particular way. Logically, I believe the inverse applies as well. I am steadfast in my support of equality for all our citizens. The protection of women’s health rights, LGBTQ Plus rights, and criminal justice reform all have one major aspect in common: they are human rights issues. As a delegate, I will ensure that no citizen has their rights stolen. The state of education and transportation in the 28th District must be improved. We need to ensure we fund a brighter future for ourselves and our children.
These issues are difficult to resolve, however, if we never set out to make a change then change will never come. As a community, we have the power to make a difference, but all groups need a leader and I volunteer my services to shepherd progress in Virginia. Now is the time for a fresh direction in government and a transparent leader to represent the people of Fredericksburg and Stafford.
The movement that started on January 9, 2017, has always been larger than me and the fight only grows larger. I hope that you will join our team because together we can ensure the General Assembly puts people first come next year.
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