Back when Mark Warner was running for Governor of Virginia I joined his campaign team of volunteers. At the time, I was working for a dom...
Back when Mark Warner was running for Governor of Virginia I joined his campaign team of volunteers. At the time, I was working for a domestic violence resource center as an advocate.
The previous governor, a Republican, had cut non-profit and other funding for social programs. My hours were cut until my director could piece together another grant to bring me back to full-time. I was grateful, but it also meant more duties on top of my other challenges to keep women and children safe. AND I was a single mom of a toddler.
In that season I realized it was not enough to vote on election day. It was not enough to do work that had significant meaning to me and others. I had to get even more active and involved. I needed to be informed about local elections because clearly, it had a direct impact on my everyday life.
I called the Mark Warner campaign and was put to work right away. When I met Mark Warner he seemed to be someone who understood hardship and challenges. Even more, he is a leader who listens. To this day, he remains an ally to women I serve including women with disabilities and women dealing with toxic situations. Mark Warner is now a US Senator and his name frequently comes up in these circles as a vital ally.
When we say "vote for people who you can count on", this is what we mean. Political leaders are as imperfect as the rest of us, but it is important to vote for leaders who believe in listening and taking action to make things better for the people. All of the people.
A reader sent me this from his newsletter this week.
From Mark Warner: In Farmville, I toured and dropped off $949,000 for Madeline’s House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. This funding will allow this critical facility to reopen and will ensure that women and families across six counties – Amelia, Buckingham, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway, and Prince Edward – finally have a place to go during times of crisis.Women will no longer have to uproot their entire lives while fleeing from an abusive partner. Instead, they can stay close to their own communities, schools, work, and families, while having a safe and secure place to stay.
The problem is that getting these across the finish line depends on us passing full spending bills… not just wasteful temporary ones. Unfortunately, House Republicans insist on proposing extreme appropriations bills that have no chance of becoming law, forcing Congress to pass wasteful stopgap bills while negotiations drag on. Congress just passed one yesterday that will avoid a costly government shutdown, but these short-term bills never include any of these community projects.
It's time for us to move forward on these important priorities all over Virginia by passing real, full-year spending bills. I’m going to keep fighting to make it happen. If you want to reach out to me about government funding or another issue that is important to you, I encourage you to email me through my Senate website. You can also follow me on Facebook , Instagram , Threads , or Twitter . I look forward to hearing from you.
Vote
Vote for people most likely to listen to the voices of women. All of them; including women of different racial, faith, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. Voting for caring, compassionate, and empathetic leaders is critical.