Candidates for statewide office divided on healthcare

Northam

The candidates for statewide office in Virginia present a stark contrast in how they would deal with healthcare and the economy.

Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor outlined their positions at a forum Oct. 2 in Tysons hosted by the Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce.

Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, the Democratic candidate for governor spoke about the importance of healthcare. “No individual and no family should be one medical emergency away from financial disaster,” he said, noting that repealing the Affordable Care Act without a viable option would put 30 million Americans at risk of losing health insurance.

As a pediatric neurologist and former Army doctor who treated wounded veterans, Northam said, “It’s important to have people at the table who understand healthcare.”

The General Assembly’s failure to expand Medicaid is not only harming working people who can’t afford healthcare, he said; it’s leaving $6 million a day on the table, and that money is going to other states.

Northam, spoke about the need to support policies that respect the country’s diversity.

He called the travel ban issued by President Trump “totally unacceptable,” as it means “turning our backs on people who make this country great.” He said Trump’s plan to terminate DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is shortsighted, as it will “disrupt families and also disrupt the economy.”

He faulted Trump for failing “to call out the Neo-Nazis and KKK members who marched in Charlottesville spewing hatred, bigotry, and violence. It’s time for all of us to stand up and say enough is enough. We don’t need to accept what we’re seeing as the new normal.”

Northam also talked about the need to curb gun violence. As a physician, he’s seen what happens when toddlers pick up firearms and when domestic violence gets out of control.

Under the leadership of Gov. Terry McAuliffe, more than 215,000 new jobs were created in Virginia, Northam said, and the state’s unemployment rate declined from 5.4 percent to 3.8 percent.

Gillespie

Ed Gillespie, the Republican candidate for governor, painted a darker picture of Virginia’s economy, pointing to dismal statistics in job and wage growth.

For Gillespie, the keys to economic growth are tax cuts, deregulation, and making higher education more affordable. He would cut the individual income tax rate by 10 percent over three years,

Gillespie, a lobbyist, former counselor to President George W. Bush, and former chair of the Republican Party of Virginia, told the audience his father immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland as a child. His parents owned a small grocery store, and his own career started as a parking attendant for members of Congress.

“We’re losing that kind of economic opportunity and upward mobility,” he said. “Making it easier to open a business and expand an existing one is the key to economic vitality.”

Gillespie said there has been too much emphasis in Virginia on “whale hunting,” which he described as getting a Fortune 500 company to move its headquarters to the state. Instead, he called for reducing regulations and changing the tax structure to support more start-ups and scale-ups.

Gillepsie touted greater collaboration between government, the private sector, nonprofits and faith-based institutions – which he called the “collective impact model” – for dealing with issues like education and drug abuse.

The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Sen. Jill Vogel (27th District), also spoke out in favor of deregulating businesses.

Vogel

To be competitive, Virginia needs to cut taxes, she said, noting, “other states are leaving us in the dust.”

Vogel opposes expanding Medicare in Virginia because the state is already spending too much on healthcare.

Instead, she called for increased competition as a way to drive down prices. She blamed the high cost of health for causing businesses and residents to leave the state.

For Justin Fairfax, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, expanding Medicaid is a top priority, as it would provide health insurance to more than 400,000 working Virginians and create 30,000 new jobs.

Citing Virginia’s economic gains under the leadership of Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Fairfax said, “We are on the right track,”

“I’m proud of the direction the Commonwealth of Virginia is moving in,” said Fairfax, a former federal prosecutor who lives in Annandale.

Fairfax vowed to prioritize economic growth, inclusiveness, and opportunities for minorities, so that “no matter where somebody starts, they have a chance to rise to the American dream.”

Fairfax

Neither Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat who is running for re-election, nor his Republican opponent, John Adams, were able to attend the forum.

Del. Alfonso Lopez (49th District) spoke on behalf of Herring, calling him a pro-business candidate who wants to ensure Virginia is a “safe and welcoming place for everyone who wants to live, work, learn, and raise a family here.”

Herring has “argued for common-sense immigration reform,” Lopez said, and “has been out in front to fight Trump’s Muslim ban.”

Lopez cited some of Herring’s accomplishments: He won more than $100 million for veterans targeted by shady businesses, established a Medicaid fraud unit, improved the state’s response to sexual and domestic violence, and fought for clean air and water.

Adams, a former federal prosecutor who had never held an elected position before, was represented at the forum by Puneet Ahluwalia, a lobbyist with the Livingston Group of Washington, D.C.

Ahluwalia said Adams will fight for the rights of small businesses, cut red tape, will focus on family issues, and will work with the faith-based community, as well as government to find solutions.

The candidates didn’t have an opportunity to challenge one another there and there were no questions from the audience.