See below for video and short excerpts (but definitely watch the whole thing!) from yesterday’s “Friday Power Lunch,” featuring both Democratic Attorney General candidates (Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor) and four of the six Democratic Lt. Governor candidates (Alex Bastani, Ghazala Hashmi, Babur Lateef, Aaron Rouse). For previous forums, see Video, Highlights From Nelson County Dems’ 2025 Virginia Lt. Governor, Attorney General Forum (both AG candidates participating; all LG candidates participating other than Aaron Rouse); Rep. Gerry Connolly’s St. Patrick’s Day Event (All candidates in attendance); Mt. Vernon Dems’ Mardi Gras Party (All candidates other than Jay Jones in attendance); Prince William County Democrats forum (All candidates in attendance); and “Red Wine and Blue” Democratic Lt. Governor forum in Roanoke (All candidates in attendance except for Alex Bastani).
Jay Jones: “The question I want to get asked is what does the attorney general’s office actually do – because so many people have no idea what the AG can do for you in this moment. And I will just say it’s a civil litigation office, it is an office that is supposed to work for people, to go after the price gougers, the corporate landlords, the corporate polluters, the big pharmaceutical companies, to protect civil rights and civil liberties and including a woman’s right to an abortion. And that’s what we’re poised to do, that’s what we can do. For the last three years, we’ve gotten nothing out of Jason Miyares; he’d rather pursue a partisan political agenda that he takes from Fox News, that he takes from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He’s had time and time again over the last 100 days to demonstrate that he’s going to work for us and he doesn’t. But I’ve done this work, I’ve been an assistant attorney general…I do this stuff in the private sector. And so all of those things I think lend itself to doing the job. For the last three years, we’ve had a no-show and we deserve better. And so hopefully people will understand that there’s really not a lot of criminal stuff that goes into this job, it’s really about protecting people in the civil aspect, and that’s where I’ve made my bones, that’s where I’ve made my my career. And so I’m excited to get to work, to do the job that this guy clearly doesn’t feel like doing.”
Shannon Taylor: “What we know right now is that whether it is Elon Musk and Donald Trump, whether it’s the DOGE antics or it’s the executive orders that are coming out of the White House, every action is directly impacting certainly the nation but definitely Virginia. And we have an attorney general who is doing absolutely nothing to keep these actions in check, because Jason Miyares is either sitting on the sideline and not looking at the constitutionality or the legality of these actions – or worse, he doubles down with vitriol and threatens organizations and institutions if they don’t follow the executive orders. And when we talk about what Elon Musk and his DOGE crew are doing in the name of government efficiency, I’m a prosecutor, I know fraud, this is not the way that you handle business. And so we need to have an attorney general who knows what they’re doing on day one…so what we know is we want that experience because that is what counts not a not a professional politician but a learned lawyer who’s going to guide the biggest law firm in this state to protect Virginians….One of the big things that I want to do not only about bringing in the good work that Mark Herring had done and actually using the environmental protection group, actually doing the consumer protection, not just holding up things for PSAs and making glossy TV ads, actually going in there and doing the work and the enforcement of regulation…”
Aaron Rouse: “I am running for Lieutenant Governor because we need a fighter, we need someone who can fight back against Donald Trump and Elon Musk and what they’re trying to do to erode our democracy as well as take away rights of citizens not only in Virginia but throughout our nation. As you all know, I am battle tested…I’m running for lieutenant governor not only to fight back against Donald Trump and Elon Musk, but to make sure every single Virginia has an opportunity to thrive. I’m the only candidate with local and state experience and an effective record of getting things done… That is why I’m supported by Senator Louise Lucas, chairman of our Senate, as well as Senator Mamie Locke and our former majority leader Dick Saslaw and over 12 mayors throughout our commonwealth. And I am just uh excited about getting on with this fight…”
Babur Lateef: “I’m the current chairman of the Prince William County School Board and have been so for the last seven years. I am a practicing opthalmologist, eye surgeon as well for the last 25 years here in Prince William County…As chairman of the school board in Prince William County we’ve given teachers a 61% raise, the largest in the nation; in the same time period, we’ve improved student performance across across all demographic groups…Things that I’m not for – casinos in Tyson’s Corner, slot machines in 7-Elevens…I think the General Assembly has done a good job of passing the three constitutional amendments…on protecting reproductive freedoms, on restoring restoration of rights and on protecting marriage equality. Those have to get passed one more time…so I think that’s absolutely critical…on top of that I would add that any bills and all bills that continue to support school funding…
Ghazala Hashmi: “Over the past six years now I’ve had the privilege of representing a really diverse region including Richmond and the surrounding localities. I’ve been working every day to champion the issues that matter the most to all Virginiaians, primarily focusing on improving our public schools, expanding access to affordable health care and protecting abortion rights and broader reproductive freedom, also ensuring economic opportunity for every community…I’m running now for Lieutenant Governor because I do believe Virginia and the entire country is at a crossroads; we need leadership that listens and that lifts up people. And given the crisis that we’re seeing in DC, our state leadership is more important now than ever…we are possibly facing devastation to our entire health care system because of the cuts to Medicaid and I have been focusing very strenuously on that issue as chair of education and health we have to put in uh state level protections for Medicaid so that we don’t reach the brink of crisis that we are currently facing…”
Alex Bastani: “I’m running on what I like to call the Virginia Workers Freedom Act. We need universal health care for every Virginian, because women’s reproductive rights isn’t simply limited to the right to abortion, but testing and screening…I’m also supporting a $20 an hour minimum wage…Third, student debt relief…And fourth and my favorite is we’ve got to repeal the ‘right-to-work’ law… I know this might be a little off-kilter but I honestly believe that the union movement is the greatest form of DEI that you can ever have – it’s an inclusive program, they’ve even done studies that white men who are in unions tend to be less sexist, less racist, less homophobic. So it’s unions that create a community and that’s what we need more than anything in this state.”
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