Rev. Linwood Blizzard’s (STH’17,’19) Statement on 99th District Delegate Campaign
Statement courtesy of Rev. Linwood Blizzard.
Friends,
Eight months ago, I announced my intention to run for the House of Delegates here in the 99th district. I didn’t seek public office to advance my career, or to fulfill a personal agenda. I ran because I believed in a simple declaration, the opening words in our nation’s constitution: We The People.
I’ve spent the past eight months centering my campaign around those words. I championed issues that touch all of our lives here in the Northern Neck – jobs, education, infrastructure, and access to high-speed broadband. These are not partisan issues, or frivolous topics that pit red versus blue. My campaign was about people, not politics, and I’m extraordinarily proud of what we accomplished.
Tonight, we came up short, and I want to congratulate Delegate Margaret Ransone on her re-election. I pray for her success and hope that she listens to the voices of those who’ve been left out of the political process for too long.
While this campaign may have concluded, I’m proud that we’ve brought countless Northern Neck residents into the democratic process for the first time. We built this movement by knocking doors, by constantly showing up in forgotten communities, and by focusing on real issues.
Rural Virginia has been ignored for too long. To build an economy and a democracy that works for everyone, we must invest in areas that my party has often looked down upon, or outright ridiculed. To bring real change to my community and others like mine, we must move past a politics that incentivizes hatred and fear of the other side. I ran to bring people together, and I intend to continue that mission in whatever capacity my future holds. Whether my name is on the ballot or not, I will fight for this region, and We The People will continue to strive for real change.
To those who supported my campaign, and especially to my wife and three children, I cannot express what your work and patience has meant to me. To those who did not support me in this election, know that I will continue to pray for and with you and fight for your interests with all that I have.
With immense gratitude,
