Air Force veteran and Faquier County resident Lance Allen has decided to forgo his salary if he is elected Lieutenant Governor. Allen is running for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor in 2021 Republican Party of Virginia unassembled convention.
In a interview with The Virginia Star Thursday, Allen said:
As your next Lieutenant Governor, I refuse to accept the taxpayer-funded salary to do the work required for this office. Virginians deserve a Lieutenant Governor who puts fiscal stewardship ahead of personal wealth. I see it as my patriotic duty to execute the responsibilities of the office of Lieutenant Governor.
I try to do everything authentically and try to be as open and honest as I can. Honestly, if taking one more step, to show that I am invested in the families and the future of Virginia, that’s worth everything to me. I would rather have the trust of my fellow Virginians than a taxpayer-funded salary.
Allen continued by giving his biography, which centers around the south Georgia town he grew up in. When he was young, his family life was devastated by addiction, domestic violence, and a broken home. Allen was six when his dad was murdered, his mom was a domestic violence victim, and his entire childhood was plagued by a broken foster-care system. His grandfather kept watch over the young boy as he was shuttled in and out of foster-care. At age fourteen, Allen was adopted by a childhood friend’s parents.
After he graduated from high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving as an Intelligence Operator. The young airman served at the NSA (while concurrently serving with the US Air Force) doing counter narcotics intelligence across the western hemisphere, and eventually transferred to homeland defense to work stateside. Allen was discharged as a Staff Sargent after ten years of service.
Now a defense contractor, the LG hopeful serves as CACI’s Director of Strategic Engagement and heads one of their innovative technology centers. The focus of his role there is to provide the technology to provide homeland security agencies the apparatus to protect Americans.
Allen’s campaign pledge comes on the heels of gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin’s statment that he will not accept a salary if elected Governor. In contrast, the former Carlyle Group CEO has a considerable wealth to draw upon, while Allen will continue to work in the private sector if elected.
The Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor will be determined at the 2021 Republican Party of Virginia unassembled convention. The convention is being held on Saturday, May 8th, from 9-4pm, at more than 30 polling locations across the Commonwealth.
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Matt Colt Hall is a reporter for The Virginia Star and the Star News Network. Follow Matt on Twitter at @MattColtHall on Twitter. Send tips to [email protected].
