This evening at the Arlington Democrats monthly meeting, there were four candidate announcements for U.S. House in the new VA07 (assuming the new districts are allowed by the VA Supreme Court to take effect) and the new VA08. The candidates are Joe Schiarizzi, Dorothy McAuliffe and Elizabeth Guzman in VA07; Jason Knapp in VA08. See below for video of these announcements (in speaking order), plus a few highlights, and see here for last month’s announcements – by VA State Senator Saddam Salim, former federal prosecutor and Jack Smith deputy JP Cooney, Del. Adele McClure and Dave Kennedy.
First, Joe Schiarizzi: “My family almost lost our home in the 2008 financial crisis because bankers were very greedy and our housing policy has just gone downhill since then. We need to take this crisis seriously…We need to declare a national housing emergency”; “The other fight of our generation is climate…we we we have to take we have to take climate seriously and we’re not doing enough…We have to stop the Trump administration from sabotaging wind projects in Virginia and make sure that every new data center is powered by green energy.”; “my final pillar is government accountability…We have to get serious about corruption in this administration and across our government”; “Arlington and Virginia needs a fighter who’s not afraid to choose a side on hard issues.”
Second, Dorothy McAuliffe: “…we’re terrified that we’re losing our country to a demagogue and to a fascist to be honest. The most dangerous and damaging presidents that this country has ever seen and he is taking our country our democracy backwards in ways that were previously truly unimaginable”; “Trump is pulling ICE into our streets meant to act like his own secret police; he’s ripping children apart from their parents, targeting lawabiding immigrants, and actually killing innocent Americans”; “We need to take back Congress and reclaim its power as a separate but co-equal branch of our government – and for me, that’s why I am running for Congress”; “I’m not in this for my own personal ambition. I am not at the beginning of my career path. If you send me to Congress, I’ll never stop fighting to make sure every person, oh, sorry, in this district has a voice, an ally, a chance, and a future worth believing in.”
Third, Jason Knapp: “I’ll answer the the talking about the elephant in the room. I am running against Don Beyer. I’m running against an incumbent. Listen, I respect Don Beyer. I respect his service, the work he’s done for the last 37 years since he first appeared on the ballot. But I’m not going to spend tonight just talking and saying that we can be silent about it. Being silent is not what this moment requires. Listen, I spent 21 years in the Navy. I was flying F-18s off of carriers that going Navy combat…something that the Navy taught me that I believe that the congressional institutions had forgotten. In the Navy…a combatant commander before in charge of running our wars; they serve for 3 years…They end up moving on because turnover is how readiness is maintained….how capabilities are ensured…So, new ideas, new voices, new energy. The institution stays sharp because nobody, no matter how good, should get to stay forever…You do your work. You develop the folks behind you and you hand it off better than you found. And then you step aside. Congress doesn’t work that way… Our world in this country has changed. And we need a Democratic party built for the future, not for the past or even the present. And here’s what I’ve committed to. No corporate PAC money; 4-term, 8-year limit. When my time is up, I’m whether the law says so or not…That is the basis of the campaign. I’m not running against the institution. I’m running because I fought for it and I love it and I want it better. We have to demand more this seat at this moment. It doesn’t make us bad Democrats. It makes us serious ones.”
Finally, Elizabeth Guzman: “I’m a mother of four children. I’m a social worker. I’m an immigrant. I’m a union member. But most importantly, I’m a fighter for working families and marginalized communities. And I’m proud to say that with the help of multiple Arlington Democrats, I was elected as the first Latina immigrant ever elected to the General Assembly…today I have two master’s degrees..And listen Trump, I’m a proud public sector worker…I have introduced over 100 pieces of legislation in the general assembly. I’ve been recognized for my job in Richmond…why I’m running, it’s because as a social worker, I have seen hundreds of people dying for not having access to health insurance. And that is why I am running, to ensure that we pass in this country for once Medicare for All, because healthcare is a human right and it is not a privilege…The only thing that ICE is doing well is to instill fear on our communities. And it’s time that we abolish ICE…I’m proud to say that I am not taking any money and have not taken when I run for Congress money from corporate PACs, AIPAC or crypto…I live in the heart of data centers and…I’m the candidate who’s calling for a data center moratorum because enough is enough…And I’m proud to say loud and clear that what happened in Gaza is a genocide. What happened in Iran is a genocide. And there’s no other name going…If you believe that it is time that we elect the first Latina to represent Washington DC, I will ask you to join team Guzman.”
