State of Virginia secondary Archives: on Government Reform


Dave Brat: Moneyed interests have corrupted our democratic system

I am a strong proponent of term limits for members of Congress. Career politicians and special moneyed interests have corrupted our democratic system. I pledge to support and submit legislation that enforces term limits. Ideally, Congressional term limits would be for 12 years total, across both The House and The Senate. Thus, I pledge to term limit myself to 12 years in Congress.
Source: 2014 VA -7 House campaign website, DaveBratForCongress.com Jun 15, 2014

George Allen: Curb spending by passing a line-item veto

Radtke railed against Allen's time in Washington from 2001 to 2007 and blaming him for deficit spending. "We cannot return a politician like George Allen who voted for trillions of dollars in spending and spent our children's money," Radtke said. "We need someone who is going to focus on cutting spending in these serious times."

Allen didn't respond to any of his opponents attacks personally. Instead, he defended his term by pointing out proposals to curb spending by supporting a line-item veto, and introducing a balanced budget amendment. He said the economy was out of control "because of the overspending, over-regulating big government policies of President Obama, Tim Kaine and the Washington liberals."

Source: Hampton Roads Daily Press on 2012 VA Senate debate May 11, 2012

George Allen: Supports line-item veto & balanced budget amendment

Radtke railed against Allen's time in Washington from 2001 to 2007 and blaming him for deficit spending. "We cannot return a politician like George Allen who voted for trillions of dollars in spending and spent our children's money," Radtke said. "We need someone who is going to focus on cutting spending in these serious times."

Allen didn't respond to any of his opponents attacks personally. Instead, he defended his term by pointing out proposals to curb spending by supporting a line-item veto, and introducing a balanced budget amendment. He said the economy was out of control "because of the overspending, over-regulating . big government policies of President Obama, Tim Kaine and the Washington liberals."

Source: Hampton Roads Daily Press on 2012 VA Senate debate May 11, 2012

Glenn Youngkin: Update voter rolls monthly; verify mail-in ballots

Glenn's five-point election integrity plan consists of straightforward & commonsense actions:
  1. Establish a politically independent and transparent Virginia Department of Elections
  2. Update voter rolls monthly to provide accurate voter information
  3. Strengthen voter rolls monthly to provide accurate voter information
  4. Verify all mall-in applications and ballots are legitimate and timely
  5. Ensure ballot counting integrity by requiring observer presence and the audit of voting machines
Source: 2021 VA Governor campaign website YoungkinForGovernor.com Feb 15, 2021

Harris Miller: Supports public funding for political TV advertisements

WEBB: Harris, there have been a lot of reports in the paper about your career as a lobbyist. I'm just wondering how you would fix the problem with, we now have 33,000 lobbyists in Washington, double the number at the beginning of this administration.

MILLER: We need to get rid of several things. 1) We need to get rid of the special interest projects, the so-called pork barrel. I would vote against every one of them. I would make an alliance with Republicans to do that, people like John McCain. 2) I would prohibit any gifts to Congressmen or Senators. George Allen makes $165,000 a year. He doesn't need someone to buy him lunch. 3) I would try to get public funding for TV campaigns. Jim and I are out raising money all the time so we can pay for TV time, I think that's one part of politics we don't like. I think all other countries allow their candidates some free TV air time to get their views out there. We need to bring that to this country too.

Source: VA 2006 Democratic Senate Primary debate [X-ref Webb] Jun 9, 2006

Lee Carter: End Electoral College; more early and absentee voting

Lee supports efforts to make it easier to vote. He's proud of the efforts taken in 2020 to allow more early and absentee voting and wants to build on that success with automatic voter registration and opening more voting precincts to reduce wait times. He'll fight to end the electoral college for presidential elections, and to bring ranked choice voting to all other elections in Virginia.
Source: 2021 VA Governor campaign website CarterForVirginia.com Aug 5, 2021

Lee Carter: Establishing a system of publicly financed elections

Lee refuses to accept campaign contributions from all for-profit entities and industry interest groups. He supports banning corporate contributions and establishing a system of publicly financed elections. Lee supports capping individual contributions, robust enforcement of campaign finance and ethics laws, closing the loopholes in Virginia's Freedom of Information Act, banning former elected officials from lobbying, and modernizing Virginia's campaign finance and ethics reporting systems.
Source: 2021 VA Governor campaign website CarterForVirginia.com Aug 5, 2021

Ralph Northam: Mid-decade redistricting bill is borderline corruption

Dr. Ralph Northam, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, delivered more than 14,000 petitions gathered by his campaign to Governor Bob McDonnell, to urge the Governor to veto the mid-decade redistricting bill, should it end up on his desk.

"This power-grab puts 46% of Virginians in a new district and is nothing more than an effort to pass a radical agenda that the majority of Virginians do not want," said Northam. "The Senate should be the place where both parties come together to find solutions--not the place where one side will stop at nothing to mandate things like a medically unnecessary ultrasound for Virginia's women. It's borderline corruption, and I urge the Governor to listen to his constituents and veto the bill, if it ends up on his desk."

Source: 2016-17 VA gubernatorial campaign website NorthamForLG.com Nov 1, 2013

Tom Perriello: Lobbyists and corporate PACs have broken Washington

Washington is broken. When private interests give money to public officials for personal and private gain, that is corruption. Tom has refused all contributions from lobbyists and corporate PACs. His record of public service in Africa and Afghanistan has brought him face to face with corrupt regimes and he has a long record of standing up for the rights of the public, not special interests. It is the working families of the Fifth District Tom will work for, not corporate interests
Source: 2008 VA House campaign website PerrielloForCongress.com Nov 1, 2008

  • The above quotations are from Commonwealth of Virginia Politicians: secondary Archives.
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2016 Presidential contenders on Government Reform:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI)
Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023