The Millennial Advocacy Council (MAC-PAC) and NextGen GOP, two Virginia-based conservative political organizations, hosted a debate for Republican statewide office candidates Saturday afternoon. The debate was part of MAC-PAC’s Inaugural Phoenix Summit, a weekend-long conference at the Paramount Theater.
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore gave the keynote speech and talked about the future of the Republican Party of Virginia following the election of President Donald Trump in November.
“We now have an opportunity for change that we never would have had today had Hillary Clinton been elected,” Gilmore said. “Donald Trump promised change, and that’s how he got those votes.”
Democrats currently hold the positions of Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Virginia. Gilmore said it is time for a change, but millennials must put in the work.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Gilmore said. “And we need millennials to do it.”
Debate moderator John Whitbeck, chair of the Republican Party of Virginia, introduced John Adams, Republican candidate for Attorney General, who spoke about former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, whom Trump fired after she refused to defend his immigration executive order.
“Blatant disregard [for the law] is exactly why I’m running for Attorney General,” Adams said. “The Attorney General is to be a faithful servant to the people, and I will ensure that you will have the opportunity to govern yourself the way you see fit.”
Whitbeck asked the candidates what they would do to reduce millennial political skepticism. Chuck Smith, a candidate for Attorney General, said he wants to help millennials who have lost faith in the government.
“What will make me a more attractive Attorney General is making our system more fair,” Smith said. “Millennials believe our system is corrupt, and as Attorney General, I want to make sure our courts are enforcing the Constitution and that people coming out feel as though they've had justice.”
Whitbeck then asked Lieutenant Governor candidates Del. Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach) and Sen. Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) about college tuition hikes. Sen. Jill Vogel (R-Winchester), a candidate for Lieutenant Governor, was not present at the debate.
“Millennials didn’t cause budget and tuition problems, and that’s what we have to fix for you,” Davis said. “It’s about time that we freeze tuition costs.”
When asked what the candidates would do to make Virginia a more appealing work force universally as millennials flock to urban areas, Reeves said a smaller government would help with urban economic development.
“Economic development is huge in cities, [and] you all [are] the leaders for the next generation, [so] the best thing I can do is to get government out of your way,” Reeves said. “[Ronald] Reagan said we have the opportunity to stand for freedom, fairness and liberty, and that’s what I’ve been working for my whole life.”
All four Republican gubernatorial candidates were present at the debate — former National Republican Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie, distillery owner and former NSA contractor Denver Riggleman, State Sen. Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach) and Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.
Whitbeck asked the gubernatorial candidates about how they would alleviate college costs and tuition for students and their families. Gillespie said there should be more opportunity for higher education.
“We have to make college more affordable, [and] the governor has a lot to do and say about that, because they appoint boards of visitors, [whose] sole mission should be to answer to the students, parents and taxpayers,” Gillespie said.
Wagner said Virginia public universities should prioritize Virginia residents and operate with budgets.
“Each [Virginia] citizen owns the colleges, and they should have first priority,” Wagner said. “We capped tuitions, and universities still maintained their ratings — you have to live within your budget every day, and once you have capped tuition, universities can live within their budgets.”
When Whitbeck asked candidates about their visions for healthcare, Stewart said he thinks the best option would be capping federal healthcare spending.
“How many of you think you’ll benefit from Social Security and Medicaid?” Stewart asked. “By the time millennials come of age, there will be nothing left, [and] the only way to [save] this, is to work with the Trump administration to cap Medicaid spending at 20 percent.”
Second-year College student Adam Kimelman, College Republicans Vice Chair of Campaigns, attended the debate and said two ways candidates can reach out to millennials are by speaking to University students and focusing on issues like student debt.
“On the Republican side, like in the 2016 election, we didn’t really hear that much about student debt, and how that was a problem and how we were going to fix it,” Kimmelman said. “The candidates talked about that [today], but that needs to be a top priority if you want to win millennials.”
The Republican primary will take place June 13.
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