House of Delegates Candidate William Quarles Questions Opponent’s ’13 Legislative Accomplishments

( – promoted by lowkell)

The Virginia House of Delegates campaign of William Quarles, Jr. in the 65th district (Powhatan, Chesterfield, Goochland, Fluvanna) has responded to a mass email sent out earlier last week by his opponent. In a written overview of the 2013 House of Delegates session, Del. Lee Ware outlines a series of his own legislative accomplishments.

However, according to Quarles, a closer reading of the email makes it clear that his opponent isn’t telling the whole story.

“This is another example of what I’ve been saying since I started running: Ware is not a bad guy. He’s a good guy with bad ideas.” Quarles said. “He never once mentions his abysmal record on women’s healthcare, he ignores his constituents’ call for a Sunday hunting bill, and he grossly misrepresents the Affordable Care Act. Constituents deserve better.”

Indeed, Ware’s voting history shows little that indicates he has made women’s healthcare a priority. This past session, he made no public move to condemn the three extremist anti-contraception bills that were introduced by Del. Bob Marshall. And although these bills died in committee, Ware’s history of voting for medically-unnecessary ultrasounds and personhood amendments in 2012 give us a clue as to how he would have voted in 2013.

Ware’s email also draws a false distinction between the Affordable Care Act and rising government debt. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has reported that in fact, the ACA will reduce the national deficit by billions over the next ten years. Ware cites the CBO’s estimate of rising government debt, but these numbers are unrelated to the healthcare reform law he continues to attack.

Lastly, the incumbent makes no mention in his email of his refusal to support a bill that legalizes hunting on Sunday. The most recent poll from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries clearly shows that a majority of hunters support the measure, and other organizations have reported similar findings, yet Ware remains opposed to any of the changes his constituents are calling for.

“From top to bottom, Ware’s email is misleading.” Quarles said. “Quite frankly, he’s acting less like a public servant and more like a career politician.”