The overwhelming percentage of Republican voters are undecided about the GOP Lieutenant Governor candidates. A recent Christopher Newport/Wason Center Poll found eight percent of voter support was enough to earn Delegate Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach) the top spot (pictured right). Tim Hugo (pictured left) ranked second at four percent. But the Republican Party of Virginia nomination convention is just over two months away, and the five candidates for the nomination are working to build the biggest list of delegates to the convention.
Puneet Ahluwalia
Ahluwalia has been touring the state meeting with local Republican committees. He’s been using his social media to develop a pro-economy, pro-gun image, but he’s also vocally opposing a plan to remove merit-based admission at Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County.
“I’m running for Lt. Governor with reforming education as a top priority. A magnet school like Thomas Jefferson HS should be able to establish high admissions standards, free of racial quotas, where merit, skill level, and proven performances determine whether or not a student is enrolled,” Ahluwalia states on his campaign site.
Lance Allen
Allen has also been campaigning across Virginia, calling for schools to reopen. In February, he wrote an op-ed about freedom of speech that appeared in The Daily Caller, where he warned that calls for big-tech censorship extend beyond right-wing radical voices.
“That is why I’m calling on all Americans – inside government and out, in their professional and personal lives – to demonstrate civility in discourse, counter negative ideas with more positive speech and persuade others that they are wrong rather than seeking to silence them,” he wrote.
Allen also wrote an op-ed entitled “Virginia Is Headed in the Wrong Direction on Abortion,” published on Townhall.com. He warned about legislative efforts to expand abortion rights, and called for a Human Rights Protection Act that would ban abortions after a heartbeat is detected.
“The road ahead to make Virginia safer for the unborn may be long and difficult, but that only means we must strengthen our efforts to protect the most vulnerable. The time to take on that challenge is now,” he wrote.
Delegate Glenn Davis
In addition to campaigning, Davis spent the 2021 General Assembly session publishing updates on the legislature. He’s been critical of Democratic legislators for repealing the death penalty, called for schools to reopen, and advocated for gun rights.
He also criticized several delegates who are also Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor, saying their support of right-to-work repeal shows they will be bad for Virginia business. He and Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (D-Woodbridge), who is running for the Democratic nomination, engaged in a Twitter back-and-forth about legislative issues including school policy, leading to a debate on the future of education that will be held March 6.
Davis introduced several bills into the House, including a bill that would exempt concealed handgun permit holders from local gun bans. He also introduced a bill that would create political party affiliation registration in Virginia. However, of legislation he introduced, the House only passed a resolution:
“RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus and the Teenage Republican Federation of Virginia hereby be commended for their efforts to advocate for bipartisan legislation promoting civic engagement among young people in the Commonwealth,” the resolution states.
Davis touts a list of endorsements featuring local officials and state legislators, including Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach.)
Tim Hugo
Former Delegate Hugo also boasts endorsements from local officials, state legislators, Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA-06), Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09), and from former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.
“With our nation’s founding principles under attack daily at the federal and state levels, we need Republican candidates who can fight back and win. I know Tim is the candidate best equipped to defeat the Democrats this November and I am proud to support his campaign for Lieutenant Governor,” Cuccinelli said in his endorsement Thursday.
Hugo has also been speaking with local GOP units across the state. He has criticized big-tech censorship, touted his record on gun rights, and criticized providing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. He said in a recent update, “Let me be clear – this is unacceptable and WRONG. While I fully support legal immigration and am proud to call many first generation Americans friends, we must stand up against these efforts to normalize illegal immigration. It is an assault on the rule of law.”
Winsome Sears
In addition to campaigning across the Commonwealth, Sears has also made multiple appearances on the Newsmax National Report. Sears has announced a five-point plan to improve ballot box integrity, citing distrust in elections.
“These high levels of distrust in election results are not healthy or safe for our Democracy. Consequently, Winsome Sears’ first piece of legislation will be to ensure the integrity of the ballot box,” her release states.
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Glenn Davis” by Glenn Davis and “Tim Hugo” is by Tim Hugo.
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