ROANOKE, Va. – No matter who wins, history will be made as either Hala Ayala or Winsome Sears will become the first woman to serve as Virginia’s lieutenant governor.
“We’ve gotta get past this Black people, as minorities, this party, this party, this party. No! What are your policies? What are you about? Show me what you’ve done. And then I will decide to vote for you,” said Sears, the Republican candidate.
She was born in Jamaica and served as the first Black woman Republican in the Virginia House of Delegates.
“I’ve worked across the aisles. My legislation has had bipartisan support. This is just an indicator of my work that I listen to all Virginians,” explained Ayala, the Democratic candidate.
She currently represents Prince William County in the House of Delegates, is a chief deputy WHIP and is a cyber security specialist.
Both candidates share a passion for education and health care, while they’re split on other topics, like reproductive rights.
“Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land. It was passed, and I won’t tell you my age, but the year I was born, and this is to prevent some of the tragic stories we heard prior to Roe V. Wade,” said Ayala.
She is adamant about the issue of gun violence, has she lost her father to it at age 2.
Sears, a small business owner, wants to protect the right-to-work law.
Both women want change.
“Like Rodney King said, ‘Can’t we all just get along?’ Can’t we do that?” said Sears.
“It matters. It very much matters which woman wins this election,” said Ayala.
Ayala says she is laser-focused on addressing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Sears said she wants to address the food and gas tax, as well as funding law enforcement.