Last night, VA Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax City) and his Democratic primary opponent, Saddam Salim, participated in a Falls Church Chamber of Commerce-run debate. See below for live tweets of the debate by Falls Church Democratic Committee Chair – and Blue Virginia contributor – Cindy Cunningham. Also, see below for an audio clip and statement from Saddam Salim’s campaign, regarding an exchange over whether or not the candidates support repealing so-called “Right-to-Work” laws (or as Leslie Byrne once called them, “Right-to-Be-Poor” laws) in Virginia. As you can see, there are significant differences between the two candidates on this issue.
First, here’s the statement and video clip from the Salim campaign – which I will definitely be supporting, for a bunch of reasons I’ll explain when I write up a full endorsement post in coming days – followed by the live tweets from Cindy Cunningham.
“Last night, my opponent and I were both asked about Virginia’s ‘Right to Work’ status. I think it’s important that a candidate seeking the Democratic nomination support working families and that means repealing ‘Right to Work’. What Chap is saying about ‘R2W’ forcing people to join unions is also just false – it is illegal to require someone to join a union anywhere in the US. Chap knows that, but this is a scaremongering tactic aimed at Republican votes. Do we really want a State Senator who uses Republican voters to win the Democratic nomination? Join me to stand up to this kind of tactic and take back the 37th for the people. Learn more at salimforsenate.com“