Attorney General Election
Jason S. Miyares
Jason S. Miyares is currently the Republican representative from the 82nd District in the Virginia House of Delegates, and he will be on the ballot for the office of attorney general of Virginia on Nov. 2.
According to his campaign website, Miyares is a first-generation American. In 1965, his mother escaped communist Cuba, hoping to give her family a better life in the United States. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1976 and raised in Virginia Beach, Miyares has made a career in Virginia as a lawyer and most recently as a politician.
Before his election to the House of Delegates in 2015, Miyares had already made a name for himself in the Commonwealth. According to Ballotpedia, Miyares graduated from James Madison University in 1998 and continued on to receive his J.D. from the law school at the College of William and Mary in 2005. From there, he went on to work as a prosecutor, private attorney and serve in the office of Congressman Scott Rigel.
When elected as a delegate, he won by the largest margin that any candidate ever had in his district. Additionally, he was the first Cuban-American elected to the Virginia General Assembly, according to his campaign website.
As a delegate, Ballotpedia recorded Miyares has served on several committees in the Virginia General Assembly. Namely, Miyares was assigned to the committees of House Courts of Justice, General Laws and House Transportation.
BillTrack50 reported he sponsored legislation aimed at stopping voter fraud and keeping boards of election accountable, among many other bills. Additionally, he sponsored legislation that expressed support for law enforcement in the House of Delegates.
Throughout his campaign for attorney general, Miyares has run on a law-and-order platform promoting the safety of Virginians from violent crime.
Miyares has a wife, Paige, and three daughters.
Question and Answer:
1. As attorney general, what position would you take on social issues where public policies go against dearly held religious beliefs, specifically concerning abortion and religious liberty?
I am pro-life, which is in stark contrast to my opponent Mark Herring, who supports abortion anytime, anywhere, up until the moment of birth paid for by taxpayers. This is a radical position by every extreme measure. I do support exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. As a believer in Christ and a Christian, I’m passionate about religious liberty and freedom of conscience. And as the child of a Cuban immigrant, I’ve heard the horror stories from my mother about living under a government that targeted and persecuted people for their faith. Religious liberty is a constitutional liberty and one that I will protect from day one. My job as attorney general will be to protect your constitutional rights and make sure that no law violates them.
2. Human trafficking is emerging as a serious public safety threat across the nation, and the Human Trafficking Institute ranked Virginia 6th in the nation in 2018 for active human trafficking cases. If elected as attorney general, how do you plan to work with prosecutors and law enforcement to combat human trafficking in the Commonwealth?
As a former prosecutor, it is a personal passion of mine to stop the hideous crime of human trafficking. I view this as a “multi-generational crime” in that the trauma on the victims can impact multiple generations within a family. I’ve been recognized by the Safe House Project for my work in the General Assembly to combat this heinous crime. One of the reasons it’s so dangerous is because people assume it can’t happen in their communities, when in reality we are in an interconnected world and internet predators are often the doorway to those being targeted and “groomed” into the human trafficking trade. Too many in Virginia are unaware of the warning signs. As attorney general, I’ll work with local activist groups to help raise awareness for human trafficking, and I am an advocate for increased penalties and mandatory minimums for those that prey on the vulnerable. As attorney general, I propose that we pass legislation that seizes assets and property from human traffickers, turn them over and give the money for women’s shelters and educational opportunities for the victims of human trafficking.
3. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others sparked large riots and calls to defund the police. How do you plan to support police officers and ensure law and order in Virginia?
I believe in funding the police – NOT defunding them — and giving them the resources necessary to do their jobs. We must recognize that the men and women in law enforcement have one of the most difficult jobs in America, one that requires them to put on a bulletproof vest just to go to work in the morning! I worked alongside law enforcement every day as a prosecutor and look forward to doing so as the Virginia attorney general. Our law enforcement officers are heroes and risk their lives for us every day–so as attorney general, I’ll have their back. That’s why the Fraternal Order of Police, the Virginia Police Benevolent Association, and dozens of Sheriffs across the Commonwealth have endorsed me for attorney general. The murder rate in Virginia is the highest it has been in over two decades. The majority of violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders. As attorney general, I will work with law enforcement to make sure that they have the resources they need to go after the violent repeat offenders and make our communities safer.
4. Virginia made history this summer as the first southern state to legalize the possession, growth and consumption of marijuana. How do you see this new law affecting those incarcerated prior to its enactment?
I voted against this bill in the General Assembly because it was totally unworkable and unenforceable. The way the law is written, it is legal to have marijuana in your possession but not legal to purchase it, which in my opinion, makes the law impossible to enforce. It also gives priority to those with prior marijuana convictions to receive a permit to sell marijuana over those without convictions, when that becomes legal in 2024. But as attorney general, it will be my job to enforce Virginia law and not supersede the General Assembly, so I would defend the bill in court.
5. Why should a Liberty student vote for you?
Liberty students should vote for me because right now, Virginia is in the middle of a crime explosion. Our murder rate is at the highest it has been since the turn of the decade–since before most of you were born. Our parole board has released violent criminals with life sentences–without notifying the victims. And our current attorney general has done nothing. He has put his political agenda ahead of public safety. As attorney general, making Virginia safe and secure will be my mission. Right now, we have a one-party, left-liberal monopoly controlling all powers of government in Richmond. It is clear we desperately need a check and balance, and I will serve as that check and balance as attorney general.
Finally, I recognize that as a Cuban-American we have an opportunity to make history in Virginia. If elected, I would be the first child of an immigrant elected as attorney general in our Commonwealth. So, if you or your family came to this amazing country seeking hope and opportunity, there is a good chance your family is like the Miyares Family, and it would be the biggest honor of my life to be an attorney general that defends our Constitution, defends our liberties and understands that America is indeed, as Lincoln noted, the “Last Best Hope on Earth.”
Mark R. Herring
Mark R. Herring is a Democrat currently serving as the 47th attorney general of the Commonwealth of Virginia and is up for reelection on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
Born in 1961 in Johnson City, Tennessee, Herring has accumulated a resume through political experience, education and civic involvement.
When Herring was sworn in as attorney general in 2014, it was not his first time holding public office in Virginia. According to his campaign website, Herring obtained his juris doctor degree from the University of Richmond Law school. Afterwards he began to practice law and soon became the town attorney for Lovettsville, Virginia. He then served as a member of the Leesburg District, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors before his unsuccessful state Senate run in 2003, according to Loudoun Now.
According to the Daily Progress, in 2006, because of a special election, Herring was elected to represent Virginia’s 33rd district in the state senate where he served until 2014. According to Ballotpedia, during his time there, Herring served on several committees including Commerce and Labor, General Laws and Technology, Rehabilitation and Social Services and Local Government.
Ballotpedia also recorded that in July of 2012, Herring announced that he would run as a Democratic candidate for attorney general. In 2013, he defeated his Democratic opponent in the primary election. Herring then faced Republican Mark Obenshain in the general election. In a very close race, Herring came out on top and became the attorney general of Virginia in 2014.
When Herring ran for reelection for attorney general in 2017, he defeated his opponent Republican John Adams.
The Washington Post reported that in one of his first actions as attorney general, Herring opposed the Virginia Marriage Amendment. This amendment would have changed the Constitution of Virginia to define marriage as solely between a natural-born man and natural-born woman.
More recently, according to The New York Times, Herring joined a coalition of attorneys to defend the Affordable Care Act before the U.S. Supreme Court after the ACA’s individual mandate was ruled unconstitutional by a lower court.
Herring and his wife, Laura, have been married for over 30 years and have two children, a daughter named Peyton and a son named Tim.
Mark Herring did not respond to requests for answers to our interview questions.