In the hot and humid upstairs hall of Vienna, Virginia’s Volunteer Fire Department, the Virginia GOP ticket took to the stage on Tuesday evening following opening remarks from Governor Glenn Youngkin. 

“The last two sessions, they started calling me ‘Veto Corleone’… Four hundred and thirty-seven bills I’ve vetoed over the last two sessions.” Addressing the packed crowd, Governor Youngkin praised Miyares for his work as Attorney General, while also lambasting Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger for being a ‘part of the cabal that enabled the Biden/Harris administration,” stating that she “reminds [him] very much of our mayoral candidate in New York.”

Governor Youngkin also rallied behind Lieutenant Governor nominee John Reid, insisting that Reid “has to be elected”. Youngkin’s public endorsement indicates that this past April’s dust-up, in which Youngkin called on Reid to rescind his candidacy after his opponent in the Republican primary dropped out due to health concerns, has been resolved in favor of a ticket with a now-publicly facing vote of confidence from the incumbent Governor.  

While Youngkin and Miyares both commented favorably on Reid’s experience and candidacy, Sears did not mention Reid by name once, nor did she credit her ticketmate’s presence on campaign literature or signage at the event. 

Joining the GOP ticket were House Republican Whip Michael Webert, as well as Delegates Scott, Wiley, Earley, Oates, and Higgins. Delegate Phil Scott was confident about the odds of this year’s election working out in favor of the Republicans. He suggested that they could win more than 51 seats, even as many as 55. 

Sears took to the stage and praised Governor Youngkin and Attorney General Miyares’ track record before reflecting on her prior experience in the State House– “When I was in the House, and Republicans had control, I tell you, we gave everybody an opportunity. We respected everybody’s witnesses who came to speak before or against the bill. We reached across the aisle. We never did some of the things I’ve seen.” Sears then rallied against Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger for policies that are “socialist in nature,” and that “[Spanberger] is for nonsense and I am for common sense.”

Sears also discussed issues ranging from right-to-work to school vouchers, sanctuary cities to the minimum wage, EV mandates to qualified immunity.