Kellen Squire
Kellen Squire (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Virginia House of Delegates to represent District 55. Squire lost in the Democratic primary on June 20, 2023.
Squire was a 2017 Democratic candidate for District 58 of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Biography
Squire earned an associate degree in nursing from Virginia Western Community College in 2008 and a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Virginia in 2011. His professional experience includes working as a nurse.[1][2]
Elections
2023
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2023
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 55
Amy Laufer defeated Steve Harvey in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 55 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Amy Laufer (D) | 61.4 | 22,183 |
 | Steve Harvey (R)  | 38.5 | 13,915 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 45 | ||
| Total votes: 36,143 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Reid Wernig (R)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 55
Amy Laufer defeated Kellen Squire in the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 55 on June 20, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Amy Laufer | 69.7 | 8,340 |
 | Kellen Squire | 30.3 | 3,624 | |
| Total votes: 11,964 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Reid Wernig advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 55.
Endorsements
Squire received the following endorsements.
2021
See also: Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2021
Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021 (June 8 Democratic primary)
Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2021 (May 8 Republican convention)
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
Winsome Earle-Sears defeated Hala Ayala in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Winsome Earle-Sears (R) | 50.7 | 1,658,767 |
 | Hala Ayala (D) | 49.2 | 1,608,691 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 3,808 | ||
| Total votes: 3,271,266 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Bobby Junes (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Hala Ayala | 37.6 | 181,168 |
 | Sam Rasoul | 24.3 | 116,816 | |
 | Mark Levine | 11.2 | 53,735 | |
 | Andria McClellan | 10.6 | 51,015 | |
 | Sean Perryman | 8.1 | 38,925 | |
 | Xavier Warren | 4.1 | 19,903 | |
 | Elizabeth Guzman (Unofficially withdrew) | 4.1 | 19,803 | |
| Total votes: 481,365 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kellen Squire (D)
- Paul Goldman (D)
Republican convention
Republican Convention for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Winsome Earle-Sears in round 5 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
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Total votes: 12,555 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Campaign finance
2017
General election
Elections for the Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2017. All 100 house seats were up for election. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for primary election candidates was March 30, 2017. The filing deadline for non-party candidates and candidates nominated by methods other than a primary was June 13, 2017.[3] Incumbent Rob Bell (R) defeated Kellen Squire (D) in the Virginia House of Delegates District 58 general election.[4]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 58 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Rob Bell Incumbent |
61.26% | 18,652 | |
| Democratic | Kellen Squire | 38.74% | 11,797 | |
| Total Votes | 30,449 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
Democratic primary election
Kellen Squire ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 58 Democratic primary.[5]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 58 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Kellen Squire | ||
Republican primary election
Incumbent Rob Bell ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 58 Republican primary.[6]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 58 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Rob Bell Incumbent | ||
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kellen Squire did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Kellen Squire did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
To be an unapologetic fighter for working Virginia families; to 'make politics boring again' and prepare the Commonwealth for the challenges it will face in the coming decades. To prove that holding statewide office isn't restricted to political insiders, and that hard work can prevail over connections and corporate donors. Is there anything you would like to add? Nurses get a front row seat for every failure of our government to act- and too often are the ones who are asked to pick up the pieces afterwards. If there's any single reason I decided to run, it's probably this- you can only 'fish people out of the river' for so long. Eventually, you need to head upstream to see who's been pushing them in in the first place. And that's what I intend to do.[7] |
” |
| —Kellen Squire[2] | ||
2017
Ballotpedia candidate survey
Squire participated in a survey created by Ballotpedia. The survey was designed to let our readers know more about the candidates and feel confident that they are voting for the best person to represent them. The survey questions appear bolded, and Squire's responses follow below.
| “ | I'm running to represent the 58th District, which is all or parts of Rockingham, Greene, Albemarle, and Fluvanna counties. It's a largely rural, diverse, and vibrant district that runs from the suburbs of Harrisonburg to the James River lowlands. McGaheysville, Penn Laird, Elkton, Ruckersville, Stanardsville, Earlysville, Keswick, Charlottesville, Scottsville, Troy, and Palmyra are just some of the communities that make it up.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | Being a responsive and accountable leader in Richmond for the folks in your district.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | I think the cliche answer here is "everyone", but I'm serious about it. Nobody has a monopoly on ideas, and that's the very strength of our country. We were built on that "melting pot" of people, ideas, and cultures. It works on a micro- level just as much on a macro-level. And you build those relationships by going in and honestly seeking their counsel. By listening to their concerns and addressing them. You can never make everyone happy, do everything for everyone, but you at least need to take their concerns to heart.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | A good mix. Tom Perriello, Tom Petri, Barack Obama, Evan McMullin, Jon Tester, and Bernie Sanders all come to mind as examples of putting people before party, of how sincerity and honesty can reach across party lines. And about how important listening is! Not just hearing, but really listening.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | For leadership, probably "Running Into the Wind", which is about leadership strategies. But for political philosophy, I'm not sure... Probably "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearn Goodwin. If there was one that was closest, it'd be that one.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | My "general" philosophy? More and better paying jobs, growth is good, and I want everyone to make more money. And I have so many "specific" ideas related to these I could pontificate endlessly on 'em.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | My benchmark for success as a leader has always been if I can train someone to be better than I am at a critical task or skill. I hate sheparding knowledge as a job security measure. Beyond not becoming the sort-of politician I've always railed against, I would like my legacy to be that I was able to coach, mentor, and provide an example for leaders across the Commonwealth- not just in government, but everywhere.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | Collegiate. He's not your boss, the people of your district are, but you're all working for a common goal- making things better for Virginia- and your relationship should emphasize that. I think at least, say if the governor is of the opposite party of you, it has to be like that old Looney Tunes cartoon, with Ralph Wolff and Sam Sheepdog. We can go at it once we punch in, we're not always going to agree, but we have to have that rapport and respect for one another, and know when to knock it off. We just have to. And that's not just true of the governor, but anyone who's on the other side of the aisle. We're all Virginians first. We're not enemies. The other side isn't subhuman. They are evil. They're men and women, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, who wake up every day and want to make things better for the people in their district, even if you disagree vociferously on how they want to get that done.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | Ideally, I would have liked to see the general assembly use the Affordable Care Act's provisions to make our own system in a way that worked for Virginia the best. I know, I know- that would've been incumbent on majority party legislators who care more about doing work than getting re-elected. I didn't mind the ACA at all, particularly not the fact it was a conservative answer to the healthcare crisis. Give it to the Heritage foundation, they did a good job with it, and I'm old enough to remember when "Romneycare" was a cutting edge idea that was going to save the Republican party. And it traded some known inefficiencies for having a market-based solution with a "no free riders" provision that ensured everyone was held to the standard of personal responsibility. And then Obama had to like it... sigh. And you see the result now. unfortunately, I think the only real answer now is some sort-of single payer program. The benefit of that is, of course, we can power people's success by giving them a foundation to let them build off of. How many times have you heard people say, oh, I'd quit my job and start my own business, or stay home with my kids, or go back to school... but I don't dare lose my health insurance, because one catastrophe will break us for life! I've heard it too many times. Single payer would fix that- you want to run an auto shop? Fix cars instead of picking health insurance plans. Etc, etc. And it's more fiscally conservative even in total cost than Romneycare/Obamacare was/is. And as an ER nurse, I see too many people hurting because a group of legislators wanted to play politics with this issue with not a single care to the real hurt they were causing with it. They're not evil, they're just so sold on a partisan narrative, stuck in an echo chamber, they can't see the results of what they advocate for. So let's take it out of their hands and let folks pursue their own success on a stable platform.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | Universal pre-K is probably one of the best ways we can fill the achievement gap. I know firsthand. When I started at the University of Virginia School of Nursing, I had to tote my then-eight month old daughter from class to class because I couldn't afford daycare. I was lucky I was in the nursing school, because (and meaning no offense here) I don't imagine the Commerce School or Engineering School professors would've bounced her on their knee while I took a test. Heh. But when I finally did get her into a high-quality daycare, it literally ended up costing me more than my UVA tuition. That's not a joke or exxageration. But she's now almost 10 years old, and I see the positive impact that's played in her life. She has read at or above- and a lot above!- grade level every single year she's been in school. She loves to learn. She loves going to school. Why should parents in the Commonwealth of Virginia have to rely on the enormous luck I did (and it was a sucession of lucky events in a row!) to enable their kids to have that opportunity? And not only do these kids have better education outcomes in school, but they have better job outcomes in life. Make more money. Have better HEALTH outcomes! The school districts pay less for remedial and "catch up" programs on these kids. Etc, etc. It's building a foundation, again, to enable these kids to have better outcomes across their lifespan and help power their success.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | We need to be smart on crime. "Tough" on crime is a crutch used by legislators who don't actually care about fixing the problems related to crime and incarceration in our Commonwealth. Way too many non-violent crimes, particularly routine drug crimes, have been classified as felony offenses. Even Justice Antonin Scalia thought that we were locking up too many non-violent offenders for too long. And listen, if even Justice Scalia thought you were on the wrong side of morality, you better rethink your position. I'm also glad we're finally taking positive steps on civil asset forefeiture and restoring voting rights to former offenders. Virginians who have served their time and repaid their debt to society should be able to exercise their Constitutional rights. There shouldn't be two classes of citizen; do we need to keep punishing you? If so, why are you out of jail? If not, done- constitutional rights restored. But we still have a LOT more work to do. We need to make sure that judges can use their experience, discretion, and common sense rather than having their hands tied by mandatory minimum sentences and zero-tolerance laws. Judges should also have the power to enroll offenders in alternative sentencing programs that emphasize community service, treatment for addiction, and other approaches to rehabilitation. Texas and other states have implemented similar reforms without compromising public safety— and if Texas can do it, so can Virginia.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | I read a lot of local news, because I've found that (tends) to be less biased and more hard-hitting. I like to explore a plethora of news because the thought of being caught in an echo chamber, or self-selecting news that only agrees with me and my world view, scares the crap out of me. Running for public office has certainly changed how I view the media, though. There was a couple national outlets who wanted to interview me when it came to pass I was an ER Nurse who'd been on-shift in Charlottesville all day on the day of the attack, but when they found out I wouldn't violate HIPAA if I was to talk to them, they weren't interested any longer. One reason I like local news, because they do it for the passion. We got one guy on our local beat that tweets out council meetings and committees like they're the Super Bowl, and some folks roll their eyes but he's doing a heck of a service for our community! Wouldn't see that on a national news network.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | Campaign finance reform needs to happen. There's effectively no campaign finance laws in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and it makes our legislators far less accountable and responsive to the people they're supposed[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | Gerrymandering. We need to fix partisan gerrymandering. And before anyone sneers "Both sides do it!", I want to say, yes- you're absolutely right. Democrats and Republicans both do it. But pointing to someone else's poor behavior as an excuse to your own? Tell me: would you let your kids get away with that? You get called to come to school, and your kid is in the prinicpal's office, and you'd be a-okay if their excuse for whatever they did was "Well, but I saw Johnny do it the other day!" No. You'd be furious, rightly so, and anyone who's not a partisan hack, I think, can agree with me on this issue. It sucks because no less illustrious figures like Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry gave our general assembly the privlege of drawing those lines... and the GA abused it. And not just abused it, but destroyed it. Made it a weapon instead of a tool. Made it work to shirk accountability instead of ensuring it. So they've lost their privleges; we need to ground them. Send them to their room. Humiliating analogy, I know, but that's exactly what I mean. That's how totally they've failed the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. They've lost the right. Give it back to the people. We can argue about how; computers, commissions, etc. But it needs to be done. I think it's at the root of all that ails our Commonwealth and Republic. Fix it, and we fix so many other issues it's not even funny.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | Poorly. And nobody has been serious enough about tackling these issues- half measures aren't going to cut it. There's no easy answer, either, it's gonna be HARD to get this done because of how ingratiated opiates have become in our society. It is insidious and has happened over decades, so we can't fix it overnight. But we HAVE to fix it.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | I think if you are really concerned about reducing the abortion rate in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the absolute best way to do that is ensuring access to care, particularly with women's health services. With high-quality prenatal and pediatric care. With education. With access to birth control. Etc, etc. This is why I rail against the Republican Party's position on this vociferously, because their entire schtick on abortion is "make it illegal and shame women". Not only that, but it's clear that the party flacks in the Republican Party don't ever actually want to do anything about reducing the abortion rate in Virginia, because they never want to advocate for policies that'd ensure that. And I love how they broach their supposed "small-government conservatism" when it comes to issues like this. Oh, the government can't do ANYTHING right, and needs to be so small you can drown it in a bathtub, as Grover Norquist would say... EXCEPT when it comes to mandating transvaginal ultrasounds. Then Big Brother is a-okay, right? No. Listen, I'm an ER Nurse. I see the real hurt these people cause with the BS policies they push on this. For instance, long-acting contraceptives like IUDs have HUGE- and I mean HUGE- bipartisan support in polling, as does access to them. North of 80% in some of the polling I've seen. Because Virginians aren't stupid, they get it- they get access to that birth control gives power back to women on when and if to get pregnant, are safe and effective, and gasp... reduce the abortion rate! And again, the party flacks in the Republican Party know that very well, too. But if they didn't have a wedge issue to manipulate people with by misrepresenting the realities behind the issues, they might not have as much power. TL;DR, governments should stay out of vaginas.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | Oh my flipping gosh, no. No. I'm a nurse. I don't give a single dang what bathroom you use, as long as you WASH YOUR HANDS. Seriously, wash your hands, people! It's not that hard! C. Diff is a real thing, and whatever you do, don't Google Image Search that term, unless you have a strong stomach. Just trust me- care more about people washing their hands than what bathroom they use.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | I think very highly of it, all of my kids are or will go to public school, and I used to be an elementary school nurse. There's lots of important issues, like the achievement gap, school funding problems, making sure teachers are paid appropriately, ending this trend where the TEACHERS are the ones being blamed as the PROBLEM instead of the SOLUTION, things like... hmm, Well, for example, my opponent tried to arrange for the the State Board of Education the power to authorize charter schools by fiat. This is BAD, because the State Board of Education is appointed, not elected.. Why even have local school boards, if you're going to strip all of their power and remove the control from local voters and taxpayers? That's an example of the sort-of thing I would like to fix when I go to Richmond. Make sure we can't kneecap public schools by backdoor fiat.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | I oppose them on a number of grounds, but the biggest is emineny domain. End of story right there, it's one of the things I'm vehemently against almost across the board, along with things like civil asset forefeiture.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | I expounded on it previously, and while I can't tell you what the best changes to the system would be- computer drafted lines, bipartisan committees, etc- it needs to get done. We need to force legislators to be responsive and accountable to us, because it's clear left to their own devices, they're not going to be.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | I think we need to be prepared, because with rising sea levels and erosions, the Tidewater could easily become the next Houston... only worse. There's no protection for the Tidewater communities like there was for Houston, where they could divert into floodplains that unfortunately had been turned into residential zones. This is a huge deal. We need to absolutely be prepared, now- not later.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | The rural/urban split is simultanouesly cavernous and way less than people think. Specific issues differ a great deal, but the general focus and drive of Virginians remains the same, and we are all in this together. Virginia is Virginia without both, and we need to recognize that. This is one reason I advocate for a less-strict interpretation of the Dillion Rule, to empower just that.[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
| “ | I think the Dillion rule needs to be a guideline, not a suicide pact. If we really believe that local governments are the incubators of democracy, we need to prove it. My benchmark on this is letting localities do more of what they want to do- finding a Scottsville, Ruckersville, or Elkton solution for a Scottsville, Ruckersville, or Elkton problem. You can't tell me Richmond can come up with an idea that works equally in Hampton, Tazewell, Charlottesville, Warrenton, and Quantico. My biggest caveat on this is if the state has to bail them out, because I don't want the GA to have to bail out any localities that get a goofy idea and it doesn't work. But I want to empower local communities, not trip them up. And if Scottsville has a great idea, then people'll move there. Other communities can emulate it! So forth and so on. When localities, boards of supervisors, etc, come to us, it needs to be with an open mind and looking at how to make their ideas and suggestions work, instead of clamping your hands over your ears and going "DILLION RULE, CAN'T HELP YOU!"[7] | ” |
| —Kellen Squire | ||
Candidate website
Squire’s campaign website highlighted the following issues:[8]
| “ |
Energy Independence Green energy is the industry of the future. If we get smart about the transition from fossil fuels, we have a chance to create new, good-paying jobs right here in the 58th District. Let's be clear: I'm not suggesting that we shut down coal-powered plants today and limp along with brownouts and blackouts until solar and wind sources are totally online. That makes no sense. But we do need to start moving in that direction. And we have a solid foundation here in the district. For instance, there's a natural-gas plant in Scottsville. As long as you take care not to release methane during the extraction process, natural gas is significantly cleaner than coal. We can use it to bridge our energy needs on the way to reaching the goal of 100% renewable sources. This isn't just an economic issue. It's also a public health issue. Cleaning up the air we breathe will reduce the incidence of respiratory illnesses like asthma. And it's a national security issue. Energy independence means that we're less exposed to the instability of global markets and the whims of hostile foreign producers. Do we want to see the industries of the future end up in China, Europe, and Canada? Or in Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, and Rockingham? I'll do everything in my power to help us lead an energy revolution right here in central Virginia. Education is the cornerstone of freedom I am proud to send my children to public schools, right here in our community, both now and in the future. I've worked in some of those schools myself, as a school nurse, and I've seen firsthand the dedication, hard work, and commitment of our talented teachers and staff. They go out of their way to ensure that every single child has a chance to succeed. And they do it without compromising the ability of any student to pursue excellence. There's a quote (possibly apocryphal) attributed to Thomas Jefferson: "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people." Whether he uttered those words or not, they express an inarguable principle: democracy depends on access to knowledge for all our people. And our economy does too. So we need to sustain excellence in our public schools. We can do that by supporting the teachers and staff who already do such great work. Rather than burdening them with endless assessments and arbitrary requirements, we need to help them to deliver a truly well-rounded education. That means the humanities and social sciences as well as STEAM programs. It also means physical education, art, music, and foreign language. Cutting corners and teaching to the test is no way to prepare our children for the challenges of a complex democracy or a high-tech economy. Virginia is also blessed to have some of the very best public universities in the country. These institutions create jobs and other opportunities for many people in the 58th District. We need to protect that proud legacy. But we also need to do a better job of keeping tuition costs under control. Right now, attending many public universities in the Commonwealth — including my alma mater — is financially out-of-reach for middle-class families. No one should have to go into lifelong debt to get a college degree- and not everyone needs a four year degree! We need to make sure we're making trade, apprenticeship, and community college options available to folks who want them. Criminal Justice We've been fortunate here in central Virginia: we've avoided a lot of the strain between communities and law enforcement agencies that you hear about on the news. A big reason for that is that our local law enforcement agencies do an outstanding job at building rapport through outreach and training programs, like Albemarle County's Citizen's Academy. When police officers establish a respectful, long-term relationship with the communities they serve, it sets up a recipe for success. In my opinion, we have a model here that could and should be emulated across the nation. We're also fortunate that Virginia has been a national leader in reducing recidivism. The Commonwealth has generally done a good job at ensuring the worst offenders remain in prison for as long as necessary to prevent them from committing crimes again. But far too many non-violent crimes — particularly routine drug crimes — have been classified as felony offenses. Even Justice Antonin Scalia thought that we were locking up too many non-violent offenders for too long. I am glad that we're finally taking steps to restore voting rights to former offenders. Virginians who have served their time and repaid their debt to society should be able to exercise their Constitutional rights. But there is still more work to do. We need to make sure that judges can use their experience, discretion, and common sense rather than having their hands tied by mandatory minimum sentences and zero-tolerance laws. Judges should also have the power to enroll offenders in alternative sentencing programs that emphasize community service, treatment for addiction, and other approaches to rehabilitation. Texas and other states have implemented similar reforms without compromising public safety — and if Texas can do it, so can Virginia. Politicians love to brag that they are "tough on crime." To really protect the people of the 58th District, though, we need to be smart about crime. Economic Opportunity We have a big problem with economic opportunity in this country. Real wages for average Americans have stayed almost flat since 1980, even though our economy as a whole is producing more wealth than ever before. The problem is that nearly all of those gains have gone to the richest 1% of American families. Most of us are working just as hard as our parents and grandparents — or maybe even harder — but that hard work isn't benefitting our pocketbooks the way it ought to. There's no one explanation for why working folks are getting squeezed. Free trade agreements are certainly part of the problem: if you doubt that NAFTA took a real toll on Virginian workers, join me on a tour of Southside or the Shenandoah Valley, and I'd be happy to educate you. A low minimum wage doesn't help, either- but just raising the minimum wage isn't an answer that will fix what ails our economy. Free trade and minimum wage are just two examples of a larger problem. Somewhere along the way, the government stopped enabling Virginians to power their own success. Politicians today are too quick to tilt the playing field in favor of lobbyists, special interests, and the wealthy. If you're a college basketball fan, you might think of this as the "Carolina Ref" phenomenon: referees putting their thumbs on the scale for certain blue-blooded Atlantic Coast Conference teams. And this habit of favoring people with privilege isn't restricted to one party or another. It is endemic to our political system. Here's the thing: I've yet to meet a Virginian who wants special treatment or "makeup calls" of their own. We just want a fair fight— a game where everyone plays by the same rules. That's why everyone loves those "Cinderella stories" during March Madness. Given the same opportunities as anyone else, even the biggest underdog can come out ahead if they work hard enough. I truly believe that ideal is the backbone of our country. And it's an ideal I'm committed to making a reality every single day I'm in office. I want to get rid of special treatment in all its forms, from tax loopholes to corporate welfare to gerrymandering. I want to improve access to affordable, high-quality childcare so that every parent who wants to work has the opportunity to do so. And I want to make sure that banks, insurance companies, hospitals, and other powerful interests play fair and square with ordinary people. Family values are Virginia values Family values are Virginia values. Who could argue with that? The problem with the language of "pro-life" and "pro-choice," though, is that we've turned a very important issue into a political hot potato. If I were a more cynical man, I'd say the politicians in charge of the General Assembly like it that way, since any real change on this issue might lose 'em a reliable voting bloc. Seems like they'd much rather grab attention with a "Day of Tears" than actually work to fix things! But pointless grandstanding isn't being "pro-life." Neither is declaring an IUD to be "abortion," or forcing women to get unnecessary and invasive medical procedures, like "transvaginal ultrasounds." The government should never be allowed to invade the space between medical professionals and their patients on any issue. And making abortion illegal? Out of the question. Making abortion illegal only makes safe abortion illegal. But imagine what we could do, as a society, if we really wanted to reduce abortions instead of just shaming women: We could work to ensure we can provide every family in the Commonwealth with the resources they needed: maternal care, reproductive care, prenatal care, health care, pediatric care, all the while making sure it's affordable care. And how about maternity leave, where America is practically alone in the developed nations of the world in providing NO guarantee of parental leave? And how about equal pay for equal work, to support and reward the labor of women on the job? And efforts to make that pay good pay— a livable income, higher minimum wage? Those are family values. Values that respect all life. Bottom line is, if you want to vote for someone who wants to accomplish things that are actually pro-family and reduce abortions by reducing reasons that people seek them—then I'm the only candidate in our race that will actually work to accomplish that goal.[7] |
” |
Endorsements
2017
In 2017, Squire’s endorsements included the following:
- Run for Something[9]
See also
2023 Elections
External links
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Candidate Virginia House of Delegates District 55 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ squireforyou.com, "About Kellen," accessed August 22, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on September 4, 2019
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Democratic Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Republican Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20 7.21 7.22 7.23 7.24 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ squireforyou.com, "Issues," accessed August 22, 2017
- ↑ Washington Post, "Democratic group endorses seven candidates under age 35 in Virginia delegate races," June 27, 2017
