Virginia Lt. Gov Winsome Sears, who is running to succeed current Gov. Glenn Youngkin, said Saturday on Newsmax that she is seeking office to continue the successes that the state has been seeing while they have been in office.
"We know how to create jobs," Sears, a Republican, told Newsmax's "America Right Now." "We know how to create an environment that the job creators want to come to."
Youngkin and Sears this week announced a record $100 billion in private investment during Youngkin's term in office.
She told Newsmax Saturday that the state has also ended more than 50,000 regulations, resulting in $1.2 billion in savings.
"We're competing with other states when it comes to attracting talent and attracting businesses, [and] we are the number one, best-rated state, according to CNBC, in which to do business," said Sears.
"We have so many different metrics that other businesses are saying, 'what are they doing down there in Virginia? Let's go see. And by the way, let's stay,'" she added. "So I want them to know that we're going to continue the successes of our administration. With my election, there will be stability. They will be able to expand. They will be able to grow their business here."
Sears is expected to face off in the race against former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, with one of the big issues in the race appearing to be worker freedom.
Youngkin cannot seek reelection in the upcoming election as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits the state's governors from serving consecutive terms.
Sears said at this point, she has no party opposition, but potential candidates have until April 2 to file.
"They've got to get 10,000 names," she said. "It's kind of difficult, I know that to be a fact, but I've delivered 20,000 names of folks who want to continue what we're doing here."
As for the issue of worker freedom, Sears said that Spanberger "would force you to join a union again. That's money coming out of your pocket. We don't have anything against unions. What I am is simply pro-worker and it is not freedom if you're forced to use your money to do something you don't want to do with it. We already have taxes. That should be enough."
Sears also spoke out in favor of President Donald Trump's moves to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
"The state should have always been in total control of its education," she said. "This state existed before the federal government existed, and we are prepared for that in Virginia. That's what leaders do. And in fact, we have been doing the work of being prepared."
She noted that when she and Youngkin came into office, children in the state lost "another two years" in school because of former Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, having "shut our schools down" during the COVID pandemic.
"We brought the schools because when we came into office, as you know, because of the loss experience during COVID, we had to do something that we've never really done before, which is to put inordinate amounts of money toward to bring the kids back up to some level of instruction so that they could be moving forward."
She added that their administration tried to bring in charter schools, but "the Democrats have stopped us."
"We want the parents to be able to decide where to send their children to school, no matter what," Sears said.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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