CVILLE RIGHT NOW: GOP Lt. Gov. nominee John Reid to make Albemarle County appearance Tuesday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) John Reid said former Virginia governor Douglas Wilder gave him a piece of advice back when Reid was mulling a run for lieutenant governor, advice that has become the centerpiece of his campaign strategy.

“He said, ‘People want to be heard and they wanna know that you’re willing to put in the work personally to go meet with them,’” Reid told Cville Right Now on Monday. “His advice to me was to get in the car and go talk to people, and that’s what I’m doing.”

Tuesday, those travels will bring Reid, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, to Charlottesville.

He will be the first member of the GOP’s statewide ticket to make an in-person campaign appearance in Albemarle County when he meets with perspective voters Tuesday at an area coffee shop.

“This is my opportunity to actually meet with residents and you know it’s an intimate setting so it’s not me showing up speaking to 400 people in an auditorium which is what is more likely to happen these days,” Reid said “It’s a chance for me to go from table to table and talk to people and for them to share what they’re thinking and that’s helpful.”

Reid, who is running against Democratic nominee Sen. Ghazala Hashmi is scheduled to spend two hours at First Free Coffee Bar on Towncenter Lane from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Supervisor candidate Scott Smith will also be in attendance. The event is free and open to the public, with doors opening at 4:30 p.m.

“John’s message is clearly resonating with voters,” said Albemarle County Republican Party interim chairperson Nancy Muir in a statement. “And hopefully, the undecided and fence-sitters will come to meet and learn more about who could become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor.”

Monday, Reid was scheduled to meet with a group of teachers, principals and school board members in the Richmond area, he said.

While Albemarle County and Charlottesville have leaned toward the Democrats in recent elections, Reid said getting out and meeting voters on both sides of the aisle is an important part of his campaign strategy.

In one week this month, he estimated he drove 1,600 miles as he attempts to make those connections.

“I am glad that I am not an insider at the state capital in Richmond,” Reid said. “I didn’t serve in the in the House of Delegates are in the Senate. “I think that fresh set of eyes is going to be really good and important in the coming four years, but that means I’ve gotta work extra hard to talk to real people, not just the lobbyists, not just the wealthy folks who want to influence legislation, but the average person who would come to a coffee shop and say, ‘Let me tell you what happened in my life. Is there a way that the government can either help or get out of the way make and life easier for me?’ That’s what I wanna hear.”

What Reid expects to hear from the Albemarle County crowd is concerns about education, taxes and proposed data centers. Reid said he understands that winning in Albemarle and Charlottesville appears to be an uphill battle, but it’s one he believes he can win. He also hopes to talk about his new childcare plan, designed to strip some of what he believes are cumbersome state regulations that make childcare difficult to come by and afford.

“You’ve got some folks who are very liberal and might not normally vote Republican, who I think are contemplating doing so, at least in the lieutenant governor’s race this year,” Reid said. “Because the agenda that Senator Hashmi has been pushing is so far to the left.”

Reid said he expects GOP gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears and incumbent attorney general Jason Miyares to make campaign stops in the Albemarle area, at some point, as well, and downplayed their lack of presence there to date.

“I’m sure they’re gonna be and we’ve still got three months left,” Reid said. “I’m sure they will be out on the road and doing that. One of the reasons that we’re doing separate events is it’s 8 1/2 million Virginians and it’s a huge state. We’re unified on the issues and we’ve got to get out there and divide and conquer and meet with as many people as possible.”

Read & Share the Full Article HERE