Reply to Should Chap Peterson be worried?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]A lot of younger voters don’t like him because of his involvement with the tow truck lobby and close involvement with Advance Towing. This has been discussed quite often on NoVa Reddit whenever Petersen’s name comes up.[/quote]

Not just young voters. So many people are mad about him [b]related to LGBTQ+ issues[/b], gun violence prevention etc.[/quote]

What are his positions on LGBTQ+ issues that some (I assume very progressive) people don't like?[/quote]

He voted for the Marshall-Newman amendment that banned same-sex marriage. You don't have to be a progressive to call that out.[/quote]

To be fair, that was in 2005 - almost 20 years ago - when very few politicians were in favor of same-sex marriage.  I suspect his current position is more favorable from your perspective.  He voted to repeal the SSM prohibition in 2021:  [url]https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+vot+SV0230HJ0582+HJ0582[/url][/quote]

Great point. Chap is a savvy moderate Democrat who can adapt to the current climate making him an effective representative for his constituents like Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.  Yet, Fairfax Dems continue to support Kaine and Warner.  [/quote]

Kaine and Warner represent all of Virginia, which is not nearly as Democratic as Fairfax County.[/quote]

During Chap's time in the Senate, his district has changed and his voting behavior reflects who he represents. His last district included conservative areas of Fair Oaks, Burke, and Fairfax City.  His opponent wants to win by comparing Chap to Trump and that isn't true.  Based on his recent debates, Chap is promising to be a wall against Youngkin politics while supporting democratic values.[/quote]

We can be thankful for what Chap has done 20 years ago. But this is 2023 and Chap still acts like it's the early 2000s. We need a real Democratic senator. When Chap sues Ralph Northam over COVID mandates and compares them to segregation. That doesn't represent the views of Fairfax County today. When he rejects an assault weapons ban, that's out of step with the views of people in Fairfax.[/quote]

"A real democratic senator"? If you think Chap's opponent is a real democratic senator, you are misled. [b]Chap's opponent lacks political experience in [u]any[/u] elected office[/b] and instead of showing how he would lead as the next State Senator, [b] he engages in negative campaigning against Chap[/b]. Chap's opponent hands out "chapped sticks", creates slanderous websites, and divides voters by party. Chap's opponent is looking for "real Democrats" to vote for him, implying that only certain voters are eligible to vote in this primary. https://twitter.com/SalimVASenate/status/1661860354664681472?s=20

That's not true. Our state has an open primary system that protects voters' privacy by not assigning them to a party. Voters are not only democrats or republicans, but real people with opinions along the political spectrum. In Virginia, voters can vote in the primary that best fits their political beliefs.  I don't want a state senator who only sees his constituents as one party.

Chap has created a website to "set the record straight" against the attacks from his opponent.  
https://straight-record.com/ 
[b]Chap is publicly committing to be part of the blue wall and has been endorsed by every member of the Democratic Caucus.[/b] He will be "a real democratic senator" we need for the next four years.  
[/quote]

You simply can't claim to be part of the "blue wall" (progressive movement) and also vote against gun reform and against a child marriage ban (like seriously wtf). And I'm fine with Ds going against Gov. Northam in pushing for schools to reopen, but Chap did it in the most caustic and anti-teacher, anti-science way possible. Someone aligned with Democratic values could have used the opportunity to push for more resources for public schools, to upgrade infrastructure and add support staff. Instead, it was trotting out a random general practitioner to say "just go back to school like normal, it'll be fine, masks are unconstitutional." Chap needs to flip parties or retire.[/quote]

In 2022, Chap got an 89% rating from the Virginia Education Association, so apparently they thought he was doing OK. [url]https://issuu.com/veanea/docs/2022_vea_legislator_report_card?fr=sN2NkNDU0MDY3Njc[/url]

He got a "B" from the Sierra Club.  [url]https://vasierra.club/Scorecard_2022_V5.pdf[/url]

Even super-progressive Blue Virginia, which is supporting Chap's opponent, says that there is lots to like about Chap's legislative record:

[quote]First off, let me just start by saying that there *are* good things about Sen. Petersen, which is part of why I used to really like him. For instance, he’s pushed to restrict campaign contributions from Dominion Energy; he’s also pushed for clean energy for many years (e.g., the “Clean Energy Future Act” back in 2008); he’s gotten 100% ratings on women’s reproductive freedom in recent years, as well as a 100% rating from Equality Virginia in 2021; etc.  So Sen. Petersen is not – repeat, NOT – all bad, by any means. He’s also a very personable guy who works hard, knocks a lot of doors, etc. All good stuff.[/quote]

[url]https://bluevirginia.us/2023/04/endorsement-saddam-salim-for-va-senate-in-the-newly-drawn-deep-blue-sd37-fairfax-falls-church[/url]

So while he's obviously not the most progressive Democrat, to say he should flip parties is just not supported by his voting record.
[/quote]

Why did he not get a 100% on the VEA scorecard? Most Democratic legislators did. My former senator (Saslaw) and current delegate both got 100% scores. Sure, Chap is better than a Republican but he’s not a true Democrat.

Also, Virginia is an open primary state and I support it remaining one, but when someone like Chap has to openly court Republican voters to support him in a Democratic primary, that shows that his policies are right-wing. I’ll be voting for Saddam.[/quote]

What does a "true" democrat mean to you? How are your democratic values better than someone else who sides with Chap and still considers themselves a Democrat? To me, being a "true" democrat should not be about blindly following a set of beliefs, but rather embracing diversity of thought and working towards common goals. It is important to consider a candidate's qualifications and experience, as well as their willingness to work collaboratively with others and listen to opposing viewpoints.

You continue to ignore the larger issue: you are siding with someone who has no political experience and who continues to use bullying tactics instead of illustrating how he will lead.  Saddam has never held a seat on the school board or an advisory board beyond the local Democratic Party ecosphere. What does he know about working with all types of people? It is important to consider a candidate's qualifications and experience before voting for them. A lack of political experience is a red flag, especially if the candidate has not worked with diverse groups of people or has a tendency to bully those who do not share their beliefs. [/quote]

Saddam can be an effective Senator because he already has relationships with most of his potential colleagues in the State Senate and House. That's why he's been endorsed by former Speaker Filler-corn, the first woman and first Jew Speaker in the 400 years history of the legislature.

There are a lot of people who run for state senate and have no experience (Heidi Drauschak for example, or this guy running against Barbara Favola). Saddam is not one of them. He has worked for my current Senator Dick Saslaw. He has been involved with several Muslim organizations and leading their lobbying efforts in Richmond. He knows what he's doing and given his background working for the federal government, he knows how government operates. What I'm much more concerned about is how he will vote on legislation, which is why I can't trust Chap.

Also, I am not someone who usually sides against incumbents. I supported Dick Saslaw in 2019. I support Stacey Kincaid and Jeff McKay now. I support Dave Marsden, Barbara Favola, Creigh Deeds (though don't live in those districts). I believe for someone to primary an incumbent, they must prove (1) why that incumbent is problematic, and (2) how they are a better option. For Dick Saslaw in 2019, Yasmine had #1 down, and Dick didn't vote the way I wanted on some key votes, but she failed the test of #2. For Dave, Heidi has #1 going for her, and several of Dave's votes against paid sick leave and on the environment are problematic, but she hasn't given any reason why she would do a better job (and she hasn't lived in the community or done anything there). But with Chap, he is not only problematic on many of his votes, he also has a challenger who has lived in this community and been involved in many civic organizations, the Democratic Party, and can clearly and efficiently articulate how he will differ from Chap Petersen.[/quote]

Someone tell this Salim supporter that using "Jew" as an adjective is pejorative.[/quote]

We tried but it seemed not to register.  [/quote]

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