LTE: Sen. Northam Has Fought For Northern Virginia

Virginia State Sen. Ralph Northam puts Virginia first. Sounds like a typical campaign slogan, right? After all, it’s campaign season and politicians from time to time have been known to say anything to win an election.

In Virginia, politicians of all stripes like to reference the Virginia constitution and point out that we’re a Commonwealth, working with one another for the collective good of the whole, rather than just adding up the sum of our parts. But if we watch closely as our representatives take vote after vote in the General Assembly, we can easily see who walks the walk and who just comes up with a fancy slogan.

Sen. Northam walks the walk. He has a voting record that indicates he understands the needs of Northern Virginia, despite the fact he’s never personally represented our area.

As state Senators Mark Herring and Janet Howell led the charge to bring funding back to Northern Virginia to extend Rail to Dulles, Sen. Northam fought alongside his Northern Virginia colleagues, understanding that for Virginia’s economy to flourish we need to stop wasting hours in our cars.

As some Republicans in Loudoun County and Richmond fought tooth and nail to stop mass transit from reaching Dulles International Airport, Sen. Northam could have taken the easy way out. He could have ducked and covered. After all, Sen. Northam’s constituents would never directly benefit from helping to unclog our roads.

But Sen. Northam knows that Virginia’s economy is dependent on an efficient transportation network and that all residents of the Commonwealth stand to gain.

It’s not a typical fancy political slogan. One look at Sen. Northam’s record tells us that as our next lieutenant governor, he will put Virginia first.

Charlie Jackson
10th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chairman