My Fellow Young Democrats-

It is no question that we are at a crossroads here in Virginia. Much like 2009, we have weathered the years of a Republican administration in the White House and finally elected another Democrat to take its place. But now we have to look at where we go from here.

As some may know, in 2009, Democrats lost enthusiasm here in Virginia and we ended up electing Bob McDonnell as a Governor. Following that, we lost ground in the US House and US Senate in 2010 and 2014. What we cannot do at this point is become complacent. Complacency will be one of our biggest enemies this election year.

In Arlington for the first time in a while, there are 100% contested races up and down the ballot. From Governor to School Board, every one of our Democratic nominees has an opponent, which is something many people have not encountered during their time here in Arlington. Meanwhile, outside of Arlington, our Democratic majority in the House of Delegates and control of the Governor’s mansion remain in the balance. We cannot afford to become complacent.

Much more than that, our opponent in the Gubernatorial election, Glenn Youngkin, has shown us EXACTLY what he will do when in power. All of the regressive policies that we have witnessed in places like Texas, Alabama, Florida, or other Republican held states, whether they be social, economic, racial, or democratic issues, will show up here in Virginia. Every single thing we have fought for and won will be rolled back immediately.

From Youngkin’s own statements, what is the most at stake are reproductive rights.

In a video that was secretly recorded, Glenn Youngkin stated that he was “staunchly, unabashedly pro-life” and that after the election, he would walk back the policies of “where this crazy governor and the governor before him have taken Virginia so out of bounds.” In the video, he stated that the only reason he can’t say anything in public is because he “will lose independent votes.”

So let’s be perfectly clear.

In order to win, Glenn Youngkin doesn’t publish his policy platform because he wants to lie to Virginians through his teeth. He doesn’t want you to know that he would gut every reproductive protection Democrats have worked so hard to put in place. He would rather Virginia severely limit people’s rights to their own bodies. For someone who is against Big Government, he weirdly feels comfortable with the state regulating what people should do with their own bodies.

Abortion is healthcare. Plan and simple. It is not always an easy choice that one wants to make but in some cases, it is a medically necessary and often times very emotional choice. And it is clear, with Glenn Youngkin in the Governor’s mansion, that the regressive and dangerous laws we see in Texas and throughout Republican held sates will come here. With the conservative leading Supreme Court looking to hear cases on Abortion and Reproductive Rights very soon, we cannot afford that.

So it is up to us, my fellow Young Democrats, to let Youngkin know that he may hide behind vague words and limited public stances but Virginians will know the truth about his radical Right-Wing, regressive stances by November. We can not afford anything else. We have to continue to work as hard as we can to come together and elect Democrats up and down the ballot in every race here in Arlington and throughout Virginia.

I hope that you will join me in supporting and voting our Democratic candidates here in Arlington: Terry McAuliffe for Governor, Hala Ayala for Lt. Governor, Mark Herring for Attorney General, Patrick Hope for Delegate, Alfonso for Delegate, Rip Sullivan for Delegate, Elizabeth Bennett-Parker for Delegate, Takis Karantonis for County Board, and Mary Kadera for School Board.

If you have not already, please RSVP for our yearly Membership BBQ on July 24. If you are so inclined, send us a donation so we can continue our work here in Arlington.

If you want to come and meet our Arlington Ticket, join us on July 27 to meet our candidates featuring appearances by Delegate Hala Ayala, Delegate Patrick Hope, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Alexandria Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, County Board Member Takis Karantonis, and Mary Kadera!

Press forward for we cannot go backward.

Democratically yours,

Matt Royer