Jones: Why I Will Write In Chris Peace

As promised, and serving as the motivation behind the story, this is a letter from one of the folks who have started The 97th HOD Republican Citizens Write-In Revolution of 2019.

I have watched the events unfold over the past month concerning the nomination efforts for the 97th delegate.  Not being one that usually gets involved in the local politics, it has amazed and astonished me the lengths the local Republican committees have gone to, to try and smear the name of our current delegate Chris Peace.

Imagine your own party, treating you as if you committed a terrible crime. The only crime Chris committed was voting with integrity and compassion on bills that affected the lives of people in the 97th and across the state.

For over 12 years, Chris Peace has served the 97th with dignity, integrity, and compassion for his fellow man and woman, and has always been available to discuss the bills, and his reasoning for voting as he does. He is not one to give you the “make me feel good” answer; he goes through each bill and carefully weighs the pros and cons, always with the people in mind.

The Republican committees in the 97th have pulled out all the stops to make him look like the bad guy who voted on bills that would just ruin the state. They have labeled him a democrat, or a liberal, both of which are untrue.  They have responded to me with words like traitor, democrat, liberal, fool, stupid, to name a few, simply because I disagree with the candidate they selected, and my choice to vote for who I choose.

Virginia, my home, born and raised here, the first state with representative government, and state I love, and my family goes back generations — now has a party that if you don’t agree with them 100 percent you are some kind of evil. Where this began I don’t know, but suspect it has been going on for quite a while. It is a party that once said they were inclusive of all people, but now is exclusive to only those they can manipulate.

I am not one of those people. When I choose to vote for a candidate I do the research and decide, not a committee. Chris has always been the right person for me, for our district and for our state. His dedication to all people is beyond reproach, and his concern and compassion are what make him the best candidate.

We are now at a crossroads in Virginia, and a very dangerous one. If the Democrats win this fall, it will be the end of the Republican Party in this state for years to come, so much so, that by the time they regain the state house the damage will be done. I cannot vote for an unknown, like the candidate supposedly selected by a canceled party convention.

I will write in Chris Peace. He understands the ins and outs of how Virginia government works, he sits on committees extremely important for the Republican Party to maintain, and can help provide us the way into the future. I hope all people will see we need the experience of Chris, and not an unknown who will be of no help in such a critical election.

Join me and many others in November by writing in Chris Peace on your ballot. I believe you will be glad you did.

Bruce Jones