In a Democratic sweep, Virginians elected Ralph Northam to be their next Governor. But they also chose a new Lieutenant Governor, Justin Fairfax. Fairfax is just the second African-American to be elected to statewide office in Virginia, almost three decades after Doug Wilder.
Justin Fairfax is 38, a lawyer in Northern Virginia, and he’s never held elected office before. But come January he’ll be Virginia’s next Lieutenant Governor.
He was raised in D.C. by his mother. She worked to put him and all three of his siblings through college. Speaking on WAMU this week, he said his goal as a politician is to expand the access to education and opportunity that made his life possible.
“And that’s really my passion in life. I want that for everyone. We got spiritual wealth, we now have a spiritual debt to repay to make that story possible for more people,” said Fairfax on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi show.
Fairfax graduated from Duke and Columbia, worked in a Senate office in D.C. and served as a federal prosecutor. He won almost 53-percent of the vote Tuesday.
“People are saying enough,” Fairfax said. “Make us rise to the better angels of our nature, talk about how our families can rise economically, can get health care, get into our community colleges, apprenticeship programs, take the middle skill jobs.”
While the post of Lieutenant Governor is low visibility, it’s often seen as the stepping stone to the more high profile role of Governor.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.