‘Our Message Is Working’: Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears On School Choice, Republican Landslides, And Achieving The American Dream

Virginia Republicans shocked the nation final November after they flipped their state — which Biden gained in 2020 with an eight-point margin — firmly to the GOP.

Republican Glenn Youngkin comfortably defeated Democratic contender Terry McAuliffe for the governorship, and Republicans clinched a majority within the Virginia Home of Delegates.

Many tales emerged within the Virginia elections that may outline nationwide races in 2022 and past — most significantly, the central function of training and different “kitchen-table points” that matter to American households. Nevertheless, the elections had been additionally marked by the emergence of a brand new conservative hero. A gun-toting, ex-Marine, Jamaican-American, business-owning, mother-of-three named Winsome Sears gained the lieutenant governorship — changing into the primary black lady in Virginia to achieve statewide workplace within the course of.

In an interview with The Every day Wire, Sears detailed her rise to stardom, her coverage priorities, and the way her victory might be replicated throughout the nation.

‘The American Dream’

In her personal phrases, Sears “took the onerous street” to public workplace.

Her father left Jamaica for america with solely $1.75 in his pocket on the top of the civil rights motion — 17 days earlier than Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his landmark “I Have A Dream” speech. Regardless of the challenges nonetheless confronted by black individuals, Sears’ father took any job he might discover, put himself by college, and introduced his younger daughter to America. At this time, he’s “comfortably retired as a result of he achieved the American dream.”

“So this isn’t my nation essentially, not my tradition,” Sears defined. “And but I’m second in command right here in Virginia.”

Sears gained her first election in 2001 by defeating a 20-year Democratic incumbent for a seat within the Home of Delegates. She has since served on the U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs’ Advisory Committee on Girls Veterans and the Virginia Board of Training. Earlier than working for workplace, nevertheless, Sears led a males’s jail ministry and a girls’s shelter, aiding with “long-term transition to assist them get again on their ft.”

‘We Are The New Messengers’

Youngkin is the primary Republican to carry the Virginia governor’s workplace since 2013, and Democrats managed the Home of Delegates, Senate, and governorship in each 2020 and 2021. Sears noticed that when Democrats have “that sort of management,” they only “run with it” — but in addition observed that they “went a bridge too far.”

“Once you’ve acquired women being in the identical bogs as boys, after which rapes occur, then that’s an issue. And if you’re not attempting to repair it — if you’re mendacity to the dad and mom about these items — that’s an issue,” Sears mentioned, referring to Loudoun County Public Colleges showing to hide a sexual assault towards a ninth-grade lady by a boy sporting a skirt, as solely revealed by The Every day Wire.

“Once you’re attempting to pit the races towards one another, then that’s one other drawback. When the kids aren’t studying something, interval, that’s one other drawback,” she continued. “When you could have the masks on at school, and it’s actually affecting kids inordinately… that’s one other drawback that the Democrats had.”

“These had been issues that had been increase for the Democrats, they usually weren’t listening,” Sears mentioned. “We’re the brand new messengers. We introduced the brand new message that the individuals needed.”

Sears hopes that the Virginia Senate — which remains to be managed by the Democrats — will “get on board” alongside Republicans as they ahead the pursuits of the citizens. In any case: “They’re three years previous with their message. Ours is the newer message that the individuals need.”

“There are particular issues that I’m about. I’m not going to be giving these away,” she mentioned. “However you understand, on sure issues, you need to have a give and take as a way to get accomplished what you need.”

Though Sears affirms that she “could be congenial” and can “select to say ‘No’ the nicer manner till you present me that that’s not going to work,” she has earned a penchant for her blunt communication model. Past the viral marketing campaign photo wherein she brandished a big rifle, Sears just lately drew nationwide consideration for utilizing her high-heeled patent leather-based pump to deliver the Virginia Senate to order after a prankster stole her gavel.

On the identical time, she acknowledges that her celebration will seemingly be unable to “get the entire shebang” whereas the Senate stays hostile. “Democrats, as I mentioned earlier than, after they get the ship, they run. And now we’re having to attempt to eliminate a number of the issues that they’ve put ahead. We are able to’t get the votes for it, as a result of the votes simply aren’t there. So I might hope that the parents give us some grace and perceive that till we will change issues, we get what we get and we’ll come again subsequent 12 months.”

‘Your Youngster, Your Alternative’

Throughout their first days in workplace, Virginia Republicans started to undo components of the progressive agenda established by their predecessors. Youngkin cleaned home within the state’s variety workplace, signed an government order nixing the usage of Vital Race Principle in authorities colleges, and started investigating Loudoun County Public Colleges, amongst different actions.

When requested concerning the points plaguing authorities colleges, Sears affirmed that she desires dad and mom “to have college alternative.”

“If the dad and mom need to proceed to ship their kids to public colleges, that’s high quality. Your baby, your alternative. If you wish to ship them to constitution colleges, which is a public college, that’s high quality. Your baby, your alternative,” she declared. “You need non-public college, you need parochial colleges, you need homeschool, no matter it’s… let the dad and mom make that alternative for his or her kids.”

“Competitors is wholesome,” Sears famous. “I imply, what are they afraid of? What are the academics’ unions afraid of? Should you’re doing job, that’s fantastic. But when not, and oldsters determine that they’re going to ship their kids elsewhere, then who’re you to face within the door and block that dad or mum from selecting that for his or her baby?”

Sears observed that critics of college alternative are inconsistent of their arguments about state financing. “The pushback is, ‘Properly, they don’t need public cash going in direction of non-public entities.’ However wait a minute, let’s look at that. You’ve SNAP meals advantages. Now isn’t that public cash going in direction of non-public grocery shops? The federal government doesn’t have a grocery retailer that it tells the individuals, ‘You may solely use your meals voucher on the authorities grocery retailer.’ Relating to Part 8 — we all know that that’s public cash going to non-public landlords… You see? So there’s a drawback there. And none of it makes any sense.”

‘We Want To Come Collectively’

In a latest interview with the Richmond Free Press, Sears lamented that she is “uninterested in preventing individuals who appear like me.” Equally, when a black Republican within the Home of Delegates was barred from becoming a member of the black caucus, Sears had a number of pithy ideas for brand spanking new coalitions — such because the “You’re Not Black Sufficient Caucus” and the “Watch the Trolls Come Out Caucus.”

When requested to elaborate on her sentiment, she once more mourned that “the individuals typically who come towards me probably the most are the individuals who appear like me.”

“I’m preventing for everyone. I’m preventing for black individuals, white individuals, Asians, Latinos, I’m preventing for everyone. I need everyone to have a good shake,” Sears mentioned. “We all know that in math, for instance, by the point kids in Virginia attain the eighth grade, 35% of Asian kids can’t do math. 45% of white kids, 70% of Latino kids, and 84% of black kids can’t do math by the point they’re within the eighth grade.”

“So the issue that folk have isn’t that I’m a black Republican — the issue they’ve is that our youngsters aren’t studying. That’s what we have to struggle. We have to come collectively and struggle for our youngsters to get one of the best training attainable.”

The necessity for academic excellence is heightened by the rising hegemony of Russia and China. “We’ve acquired to determine it out, come collectively, be taught to get alongside, be taught to like one another in order that we will stay the primary superpower on this planet.”

‘Our Message Is Working’

Sears believes that her celebration’s success in Virginia is indicative of what’s coming for the remainder of the nation as a result of “dad and mom are at all times going to struggle for his or her kids.”

“Folks from throughout the nation are saying, ‘We now know that we can also obtain the identical outcomes that you just had.’ Take a look at what occurred in San Francisco. San Francisco recalled three individuals from their college board, and the mayor — who’s a Democrat, and who’s black — was agreeing to that, led the hassle to do this. That was a shocker.”

“Once you’re seeing bastions of Democrat management who’re sounding increasingly more Republican — then you understand our message is working,” she noticed. “Actually, when President Biden gave his State of the Union speech, I might have sworn to you… I believed he was a Republican governor, or no less than a Republican candidate for governor.”

“You realize, individuals are understanding that widespread sense left the constructing, they usually’re going to vote her again in. And that occurs with voting Republicans again in.”

The views expressed on this opinion piece are the creator’s personal and don’t essentially characterize these of The Every day Wire.