Progress Virginia: Failure to Disclose Vaccination Status Should Disqualify Winsome Sears From Becoming Lieutenant Governor

From Progress VA:

Failure to Disclose Vaccination Status Should Disqualify Winsome Sears From Becoming Lieutenant Governor

Richmond, Virginia—Candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Winsome Sears, won’t disclose her vaccination status. Getting vaccinated is not only safe, but the most basic thing we can do to protect our community and those who cannot get vaccinated themselves, like all children under the age of 12. Failure to get vaccinated or to disclose your vaccination status should disqualify someone from running for public office. 

“If Winsome Sears won’t get vaccinated, she should not be Lieutenant Governor, full stop. Right now, Sears is a leader of not only the GOP in Virginia, but the Black community in Virginia. The Black community is still faced with vaccine hesitancy and her failure to disclose her vaccination status adds fuel to the fire. Whether or not she is elected, she has a position of power where she does not only influence public health policy, but now has a microphone to spread misinformation and conspiracy theories. When Winsome Sears chose to run for Lieutenant Governor, she gave up the right to ‘hold close’ matters of public health.  The people of the Commonwealth deserve to know her vaccination status,” LaTwyla Mathias, Executive Director at Progress Virginia, said. “We need a Lieutenant Governor who will be a leader to all Virginians and will help us end the COVID-19 by getting vaccinated, sharing her vaccine status, wearing masks, and supporting policies that will help working families come out the other side safely. Winsome Sears has proven she is not that person, and we will be working to elect her opponent to ensure that she can’t put all of us in danger as Lieutenant Governor.”

Background: 

• When asked about her vaccination status, Sears said she “want[ed] to hold certain things close” and refused to answer the question. 
• Republicans on the statewide ticket have a complicated history with COVID-19 safety. Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate for Governor, has said repeatedly that he will not support mask mandates or vaccine requirements as governor. 
  • Public health officials have said that vaccine mandates may be the only thing to end this pandemic and get us all back to normal.