(Rithvik Hari / Fourth Estate)
Virginia’s Republican candidates hosted their final campaign event of the 2025 election cycle just 12 hours before polling began
BY RITHVIK HARI, STAFF WRITER
With music playing and lights flashing red, white and blue, Virginia’s Republican candidates held their final campaign rally of the election cycle on Nov. 3 at the Salisbury Center in Manassas, Va.
The venue, known for hosting MMA fights and weekly comedy shows, was filled with supporters wearing “Make America Great Again” and “Winsome for Governor” hats and holding campaign signs. Before the event began, staffers from the Winsome Earle-Sears campaign tossed T-shirts and other merchandise into the crowd.
The evening opened with a prayer from Rev. Alan Perdue, followed by Carol Fox, president of the Bull Run Republican Women’s Club, who led the Pledge of Allegiance.
State Delegate Ian Lovejoy of the 22nd Legislative District was the first to speak, highlighting his public service career and the city’s deep history.
“This election is a battle. A battle for common sense,” Lovejoy said.
He criticized the record of his Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Guzman, and concluded: “When we vote we win. Through this election, we will restore common sense.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters followed, thanking Gov. Glenn Youngkin for his work during the last term and stressing election integrity.
“We must do everything we can to protect the vote,” Gruters said.
Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate John Reid then addressed the crowd, drawing cheers when he mentioned organizing an AI debate after his opponent declined to participate.
“Stand up for what you believe in,” Reid said.
He added that he supports public schools and law enforcement, promising, “I will not accept violence in the commonwealth of Virginia. I will do everything I can for every citizen.”
Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is running for reelection, reminded attendees of the condition of the state before the 2021 election.
“Virginia was dying in 2021. We were 48th in reopening our schools after COVID-19. But we were saved after the 2021 election,” he said.
Miyares highlighted initiatives like Operation Bold Blue Line and Operation Ceasefire, aimed at reducing violent crime and gang activity. He said he would continue targeting fentanyl dealers “putting Virginia communities at risk,” and criticized his opponent, saying, “Jay Jones advocates for violence.”
Gov. Youngkin energized the crowd, saying a “revival” was happening in Virginia. “Elections have consequences, and so we have to win,” he said.
Youngkin argued that if Republicans had not won in 2021, “Virginia would have moved so far left we would have gone past California and toward Hawaii.”
He credited Miyares with helping “save Virginia” and encouraged attendees to bring 10 friends to vote.
Lt. Gov. and gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears closed the night with remarks focused on policy and party unity.
“Winning the election starts with you,” she told the crowd. “Abigail Spanberger has failed Virginia.”
(Rithvik Hari / Fourth Estate)
Earle-Sears criticized Democratic clean energy initiatives, calling them harmful to Virginians. She pledged to eliminate the car tax if elected and said her policies would “work for Democrats, Republicans, independents and everyone in between.”
She noted that 81 of 123 sheriffs across the commonwealth have endorsed her and said she would maintain qualified immunity for law enforcement officers.
Earle-Sears also addressed former President Joe Biden’s health during his presidential term, saying, “Abigail should have done something about his decline. Abigail is for Abigail. Abigail is not for Virginia.”
She closed by criticizing former Gov. Ralph Northam’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “COVID didn’t close our schools. Ralph Northam did. COVID didn’t close our stores. Ralph Northam did,” she said. “It truly matters who the governor is.”
“I’m voting Republican this year because of basic common sense, law and order and my faith,” said Olivia Maxwell, a spectator at the event. Maxwell added that she believes it is immoral and cruel for men to participate in women’s sports.
In an interview with the Fourth Estate, she said Democrats “have lost their mind and are the wimpiest party of my lifetime.” She also said, “Democrats are fascists.”
As Election Day approaches, candidates across Virginia are making their final appeals to voters. The Manassas event marked one of the last major campaign stops before Virginians head to the polls in the 2025 election.
