Virginia's Attorney General-Elect Jason Miyares' win is historic in so many ways, including in those that one would think would endear him to the mainstream media. And yet Miyares' victory, and that of Lieutenant Governor-Elect Winsome Sears, who has made history in her own right, has not been given the attention it deserves. Townhall spoke to Miyares about his win, and the affable public figure shared some mind-blowing facts about that win.
Miyares, who is currently a delegate in the General Assembly representing Virginia's 82nd District, is the first Latino elected statewide, not just as attorney general, but to any office in Virginia. He's also the first candidate in Virginia elected as attorney general who is the son of immigrants. His mother fled Cuba in October 1965. Miyares has made her story a focal point of his campaign events, including how she cast her first vote in the United States to elect her son in his race for delegate.
The commonwealth's first Latino statewide office holder also revealed to Townhall he was informed on Election Night by someone on his political team that Miyares' opponent, Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring is the first attorney general to be defeated in his re-election bid since 1885.
That being said, Miyares confirmed he has not gotten the amount of attention one might expect him to get for his win. He emphasized it is "amazing" and "amusing" how "some of these far-left news outlets... completely ignore that Virginia just elected the most diverse ticket in Virginia history." Miyares also emphasized that this is because it doesn't fit the left's narrative.
He told Townhall that he has "received zero requests from MSNBC, CNBC, or CNN, or The New York Times, zero." He did say that this did not surprise him. Miyares did give credit to the Washington Post for their multiple feature pieces highlighting his campaign and historic win. He has also interviewed with Univision and with local news.
When it comes to national television news, however, Miyares pointed out that "it doesn't fit their narrative and, as you know, if it doesn't fit their narrative, they simply pretend like it doesn't exist." That not only pertains to Miyares not being offered interviews, but when it comes to the historic nature of his win not being recognized.
Lieutenant Governor-Elect Winsome Sears is the first woman and the first Black woman elected to the position in the commonwealth. She is also a Marine and was born in Jamaica. On Wednesday, I highlighted how the left instead focused on a "white supremacy" narrative.
In response to comments from those on the far-Left, like MSNBC's Joy Reid and Atlantic's Jemele Hill that Virginians elected Republican candidates based on "white supremacy," Sears has asked to be on Reid's show and her staff's Twitter account responded to Hill's claim.
USA Today has particularly come under fire for initially failing to include Miyares and Sears in its report highlighting "candidates of color," though it ultimately added them after reporting from Fox News highlighted backlash.
Miyares was quite forthcoming with Townhall that he welcomes the opportunity to appear on these networks. He shared that "I think the best way to fight bad ideas is with good ideas" and that "as conservatives, we should never be afraid of the marketplace of ideas. Speaking as how he is a conservative because conservatives have the best ideas, he welcomes that marketplace, which he says "is building a thriving democracy." However, "the loud, angry voices on the Left" do not want that marketplace of ideas, and try to shut it down. He offered it's easier for the Left to ignore and pretend it doesn't exist.
Additionally, Miyares touched upon the idea that Virginia is very much still a purple state, or, as he calls it "independent minded," "commonsense" and "suburban" state, and one where voters prefer "checks and balance." Voters were not happy with what was going on with Democratically-controlled Richmond or Washington, Miyares offered.
When it comes to claims that Virginia is now a blue state, Miyares said he was "always incredulous" to hear that.
He also referred to the General Assembly as "the most liberal and progressive General Assembly in the history of Virginia," as he highlighted that going into Election Day, Democrats had control with 55-45 seats, and Republicans will now control the body by 52-48 seats. He offered that the General Assembly "pushed a far left agenda that alienated so many voters across Virginia."
Miyares would also share later in the interview that independents broke for the Republican ticket, and that even some Democrats were fed-up with their party, because they "didn't sign up for this" when it comes to a socialist kind of agenda.
You can read more about Miyares' comments about the General Assembly in my article on AOC's views on the Virginia elections in this article.
Miyares also mentioned how he plans to investigate the Loudoun County School Board for rape incidents that a boy wearing a skirt and entering the woman's bathroom has committed. The boy has been found guilty of an incident from May 28 in one school and his court date for a separate incident at another school is upcoming.
Earlier on Thursday, the attorney general-elect held a press conference in Richmond, where he further discussed the need for an investigation. He later emphasized to Townhall he is a big believer in "accountability and transparency in government." Miyares raised concern with "systematic failures on all levels" and wants to know what the school board knew and when they knew it.
Exit polls revealed that education was one of the top issues for voters in the gubernatorial race. Among those who said it was a top issue in a Fox News exit poll, 70 percent of them voted for Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin, also a Republican. Miyares shared that that "in governor races, where Republicans win, there's usually something that captures the imagination with the public," as he listed examples such as Jim Gilmore's no car tax and Bob McDonnell with jobs.
For Youngkin, thanks to Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe's shocking claims during the second debate that "I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach," Miyares explained, it became "Parents Matter." He also highlighted the "Parents for Youngkin." When it comes to how school boards and state governments were dismissive of parents, Miyares noted that the lesson to learn there is "be dismissive of parents at your own peril."
Miyares, Sears, and Youngkin, will be inaugurated on January 15, 2022. Youngkin also met with Ralph Northam (D-VA), the current governor of Virginia, to discuss the transition.