Pro-Youngkin candidate wants to represent Annandale in the VA Senate
Mark Vafiades says he’s running for the Virginia Senate because he wants to promote Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s agenda.
Vafiades is running for Senate District 35 in the November election. The 35th district includes most of Annandale and large parts of Springfield and Fairfax.
The incumbent, Sen. Dave Marsden, was first elected in 2009. Heidi Drauschak is challenging him in the Democratic Primary on June 20.
At a Republican event last week at Glory Days in Barcroft Plaza, Vafiades told Annandale Today the three main issues he is focusing on are the high cost of living, parents’ rights in education, and crime.
Related story: VA Senate candidate Heidi Drauschak focuses on campaign finance reform
He blames the high cost of living on increased energy costs. He opposes legislation approved in Virginia in 2020 requiring Dominion Energy to move to green energy and close fossil-fuel power plants. He is also against any bill that would “mandate electric cars.”
Regarding education, Vafiades says public schools “are getting more into social engineering” and are “pushing a political agenda instead of the basics.”
When asked to explain, he said schools are promoting a climate change agenda and teachers “are not allowed to bring up scientific opposing views on climate change.”
Vafiades says he is “appalled by the defund the police movement” and other efforts “to demonize the police.”
Related story: School board candidates outline their priorities at a Republican event
He worked for Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles creating electronic medical record systems while serving as a reserve patrol deputy for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Vafiades moved to Virginia in 2017 to work for the Trump Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services. He currently works as a contractor for the Customs and Border Protection agency in the Department of Homeland Security. Vafiades lives in the Brook Hill neighborhood in Annandale.
I’d be curious of a specific scientific opposing view of climate change. I am certainly no expert on the topic but there seems to be an awful lot of data and visual evidence of it happening. Perhaps I am wrong, but i’m guessing he’s just lumping it into his goal of lowering energy bills which means focusing on fossil fuels. I doubt we get any further clarification from him.
Are you looking for credible views? If so, there aren’t any. If you’re looking for crackpot pseudoscience with no basis in reality, it’s everywhere.
If want teachers to “both sides” climate change, they might as well be entertaining flat earthers and reptilian hominoids too.
I doubt we will either. Since I am a teacher in the public schools I focused on his education platform. I found his platform to be composite of buzzwords and the same old same old (“CRT! Racist curriculum! indoctrination!”) So how are these things happening and what SPECIFICALLY is his plan for fixing the problems he perceives?
If he is a federal government civil servant, isn’t running in a partisan political race for elected office while retaining his government job a potential violation of the Hatch Act?
Holding a partisan political office is, not running.
Actually he is participating in very partisan election events. However, he is apparently currently a contractor and they are not subject to the Hatch Act restrictions on federal employees.
Ah, yes the Fox “News” talking points. In other words, lies. From a former Republic to a Never Trumper, now just a Never Republican. I know who I will be voting against.
Good luck Mark!
The face of fascism disguised as a goofy Youngkin fanboy. Can’t wait to cast my vote against someone that is not this guy.
Given his retrograde and policy stances, this guy has no chance of winning a Senate seat for District 35 and that’s a good thing. By the way, how is a guy who such an obvious political partisan holding down a civil service job?
The article was corrected. He is a contractor, not a government employee.
Oh, you sweet summer child….
He’s probably another Trump lover and supported the insurrection.
He worked for Trump’s HHS during the Pandemic? Automatically disqualifies him. Also if he wants to help Youngkin he wants to kill women and mothers. He is trying to put women back in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant. In addition the drug he wants banned is used for Cushing disease and others. Men need these too.
You have a rabid leftist hatred coarsing through your body. Maybe get that checked out
He can dream, but he’s not going to be representing us. We do not support the delusional and that’s become the defining characteristic of GOP politicians.
Actually SEA LEVEL hasn’t change more that one centimeter in 100 years and it is still measured in Cornwall England. That is less than 1/5 inch. As best that can be determined. And by the way they still use a ruler. Answer this question before anything when discussing SEA LEVEL, How can you measure SEA LEVEL ON A BALL.