The political campaigns now underway in Virginia have brought to light an urgent need for party leaders to examine and correct the standards of conduct that have come to define modern politics.

Though much of the public’s attention has centered on the elections for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General, what concerns me most is not any single race, but the decline of political decorum itself.

The recent revelations regarding Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for Attorney General, if true, are disgusting. They reveal the depth of the moral challenges facing our politics today. Likewise, the performance of Winsome Sears, the Republican candidate for Governor, during the recent debate was deplorable. She disregarded not only the established rules of debate but also the basic principles of civility and respect that should govern any serious discussion about the future of our Commonwealth.

Equally troubling is the silence from our current Governor, who has yet to publicly support his party’s nominee for Lieutenant Governor. Leadership requires more than occupying a position; it requires accountability, conviction, and clarity of purpose. The people of Virginia deserve to know where their leaders stand.

I am reminded of a different era in Virginia politics.  The “good ole boys” of yesteryear were inequitable, and their leadership was often exclusionary, but they did not equivocate. They made their intentions known and bore the consequences of their choices. Today, by contrast, too many of our political figures seek refuge in ambiguity, saying little and meaning even less. They do not articulate what THEY have done, nor specifics of what they will do. 

As lamentable as much of that past leadership was, it did not waffle on conviction. What we see now is a vacuum, a lack of moral clarity, a lack of courage, and a lack of true leadership.

So, the question arises: Who really speaks for the parties? More importantly, who truly speaks for the people? That question is not rhetorical. It is inexorable and of lasting consequence.

The people of Virginia have the right to hear directly from those who seek to lead them, not from crafted press releases, not from the filtered advice of campaign advisers, but from the candidates themselves. The people want truth, not talking points. 

Elections are not about convenience or calculation. They are about trust. They are about whether those who aspire to lead will do so with honesty, humility, and courage.

In this moment, Virginians must demand better for the future of our Commonwealth. The measure of leadership is not in how one avoids controversy, but in how one confronts it. The people are watching. And they are yearning for leaders who will finally speak, not for themselves, not for their handlers, but for all Virginians. 

Stay tuned. 

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