ROANOKE, Va. – Attorney General Mark Herring has prided himself in being an attorney general for the people of Virginia for nearly a decade now.
“I brought a whole new vision for the job to the office, one that was built around protecting the rights of all Virginians to fight for justice, equality and opportunity wherever we could,” Herring said.
One of his proudest accomplishments for the people of Southwest Virginia is addressing and prosecuting companies contributing to the opioid crisis.
“This is a crisis that has been years in the making and we have to sound the alarm but just not just the alarm, but also to help inform Virginians about how dangerous these drugs are,” Herring said.
But back in 2019, following the release of a yearbook picture claiming to be Governor Ralph Northam using blackface in college, herring also took to social media and admitted to doing the same during his time at the University of Virginia.
Herring says his administration has made strides for racial justice in the commonwealth throughout his term.
“After George Floyd’s murder and there was really a wider commitment across not just Virginia but across the country that we needed to continue to do that work and to do it urgently,” Herring said.
Looking ahead, Herring plans on taking time to catch his breath before beginning his next chapter.
He also shared words of inspiration for his successor, Jason Miyares.
“I’ve certainly approached the job in a way that I tried to use the law as a tool to help as many Virginians as I possibly can and so to the extent I would have any advice to my successor it would be to look at the job in that way,” Herring said.
Miyares will be sworn in Saturday, Jan. 15 at noon.