Ever since I ran as a Democrat for the 5th District Congressional seat once held by fellow Charlottesville native, Tom Perriello, I have been eager to get behind a great candidate for Virginia’s next governor. But I am not endorsing Perriello. Instead, I am fully endorsing our current Lt. Gov., Dr. Ralph Northam in the upcoming primary. Here is why.
It starts with relationships. Over the years, I have gotten to know and admire Dr. Northam on a personal level. Ralph traveled across the state on several occasions to support my 2014 Congressional run, and he has made close to 200 similar trips for candidates, even those running low budget, long shot campaigns.
I know Ralph will make sacrifices for the things he says he believes in. He served in the military, and he is giving up an important career as a medical doctor to serve for the next four years as our governor.
Also, Ralph has never been a big money political candidate by virtue. If he has outraised opponents, he has done so with smaller dollar, local contributions and grassroots support with no strings attached.
With Ralph, not only do you get consistent experience serving the people of Virginia, but you get a leader who has a strong sense of empathy. This ability to feel for people is a rare quality in politics that Ralph brings over from his medical work. Ralph knows and understands the struggles of ordinary working people and knows that they are also the driving force of our economy.
So, based on my experience and my intuitive response to the two candidates running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Ralph gets my vote and support, because he has proven to me that he means what he says, he stands up for what he believes in, and he cares about real people.
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