CORTEZ: Trump transitions greatly affect Virginia gubernatorial race
Meanwhile, the irrational embrace of transgenderism in the face of all the evidence and polls, writes Cortez, is going to hurt Virginia Democrats badly in 2025.
by Daniel P. Cortez
Voters — particularly veterans and Hispanics — continue to witness demonstrative administrative actions from President Donald J. Trump affecting Virginia.
As emphasized during his recent State of the Union Address, Trump’s executive orders changing former President Joe Biden’s policies on immigration, tariffs, energy, military lethality, and particularly transgender ideology create intense debates on issues impacting Virginia’s next gubernatorial election.
Yet Virginia’s expected Democrat gubernatorial candidate — former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger — sharply criticized Trump’s 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada as well as those on China, calling them “reckless, and it’s bad for Virginia.”
Jay Timmons, CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers suggests tariffs would upend U.S. manufacturing globally.
Former Virginia Governor George Allen, whose administration set impressive records for job creation eliminating burdensome regulations, addressed taxes verses tariffs on sales and consumption taxes while citing prosperous and growing states like Texas, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and Arizona.
The federal government and Virginia can aspire to achieve the balance of successful, prospering North Carolina and Arizona utilizing competitively and comparatively lower income taxes and reasonably average sales, consumption and tariff rates.
Allen ought to know, but Trump may not be sharing all his The Art of the Deal hand.
Trump’s executive orders recognizing males and females as the only two sexes in the military while outright banning transgender individuals from women and girls’ sports was met with contention as a federal judge temporarily blocked presidential executive orders.
Expect an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court as commonsense individuals applaud actions preventing confusion by adolescents whose responsibly is to learn how to think not what to think, quoting a successful campaign slogan of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.
And to this Vietnam combat veteran, the military’s mission must remain uncompromised by lifestyles.
Ask Virginia’s ten term 1st District Congressman Rob Wittman, the Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee serving as the Chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces and Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.
Wittman has long expressed gender dysphoria concerns as negatively affecting military lethality, cohesion, and transexuals ability to deploy.
Combined with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s removal of senior general officers viewed as too focused on forced social change rather than the military’s combat mission — stand by for more cuts to the DEI regime.
Expect transexual military service, educational standards, right to work legislation and immigration, as campaign issues between former Marine Corporal, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears — the expected Republican candidate — and Spanberger in November.
Former Republican Loudoun County Delegate Dave LaRock or the contentious bomb thrower and former Virginia State Senator Amanda Chase remain interested in the Republican nomination, but are more than longshots with Virginia’s governor rallying behind Earle-Sears.
The veterans vote will be key as those traumatized through training must remain effective or responsibly transition after discharge as sexuality, social mores and religion evolve.
But sadly, not all faiths or communities view gender dysphoria as troubling as the configuration of today’s nuclear family has changed for large voting Christian communities.
Those more attuned to my particular Catholic faith, suggest sexual conduct once thought unacceptable, has evolved interpretively due to the political currents of the last decade.
Yet despite numerous religious doctrines nevertheless, at core our values impose upon us a duty to be welcoming to all to the faith — loving the sinner yet hating (or at least, working on) the sin.
Will this factor affect Virginia’s future gubernatorial slate with large numbers of voting Christians supporting Trump or Youngkin who in turn refuse to vote for candidates because of lifestyle issues — or more broadly, their support of transgenderism and men in women’s sports?
Don’t be so sure that Republicans won’t take it too far. Remember the actions of former Congressman Denver Riggleman ousted by Republican Bob Good was criticized for preforming a gay wedding comes to mind.
There are other examples indeed.
Yet we can all agree and insist upon one fact. In today’s society no consenting adult should be persecuted because of lifestyle. Concurrently, ranking politicos mustn’t denigrate voter’s religious beliefs or views of morality advancing traditional nuclear family candidates seeking to protect women and children from sexual predators.
Yet while fulfilling campaign promises, expect continuing outrage and the protesting of Trump and Youngkin appointees.
Fortunately, there remain seasoned officials and loyal surrogates who could serve Trump or the DOGE Commission like Allen or Timmons advising as businessmen and former elected officials of stature.
For Virginia, issues may boil down again to parental rights on transgender concerns when voters see Democratic commonwealth attorneys like Steve Descano of Fairfax refusing to prosecute individuals such as 58-year-old Richard Cox, a transgender sex offender exposing himself in a Planet Fitness women’s bathroom and in two high schools.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has demanded Descano transfer the case to his office for resolution as Sears posted “This predator should be sitting in a cell unable to hurt anymore innocent young women.”
Spanberger meanwhile refuses to comment. Nor do Miyares’ possible challengers in former Delegate Jay Jones or Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor. If they do disagree with Descano’s extreme views, they are being awfully quiet about whether sex offenders belong in girls locker rooms.
This one issue alone combined with a law and order approach — along with tackling violent criminals present in the country illegally, defending women’s sports, and keeping transgendered men out of girls locker rooms — may assure a lopsided victory for Miyares in November.
The alternative simply isn’t safe, and as Virginia Democrats continue to defend a hopeless position the electoral cost is going to have an impact at the top of the ticket. In fact, recent polling suggests it already is.
Concurrently, ignoring early left leaning polls, the issue affecting Fredericksburg regional voters regarding who is most worthy to be elected governor?
Will it be an African American woman and a Marine veteran prepared to lay down her life for her country who has actually started her own business like Sears who is out there reinforcing and supporting Trump’s successes? Or a woman who has lived the majority of her life as a government functionary like Spanberger who has gone out of her way to embrace Biden’s failures?
For independents and conservates the choice is becoming easy.
DANIEL P. CORTEZ of Stafford County is a presidential and gubernatorial appointee, political writer and broadcaster who can be reached at dpcortez1969@yahoo.com