This week’s updates from around the district:
Visit the 11th District’s website at 11cdgop.org for all information updates.
NEWSLETTER ANNOUNCEMENT REMINDER: If you’d like to have an announcement in the newsletter, please email Mike Ginsberg at mikeforscc@gmail.com. The 11CD Newsletter goes out on Tuesday mornings, so please try to have your announcement requests in by Monday at 12 noon.
Former 11CD Chairman Mike Ginsberg had an op-ed in last week’s Fairfax Times asking what Abigail Spanberger will do to combat entrenched, dangerous antisemitism on Virginia’s college campuses–including Fairfax County’s GMU.
In the op-ed, Mike said that Virginia voters should demand Spanberger answer four very specific questions:
•Will you support and cooperate with federal efforts to cancel student visas and deport foreign students who are creating a hostile learning environment on campus for Jewish students?
•Will you aggressively investigate the sources of funding for radical campus organizations such as SJP and American Muslims for Palestine?
•Will law enforcement and Commonwealth Attorney’s offices vigorously enforce time, place, and manner restrictions on protests to ensure Jewish students can move about campuses, take classes, and study in campus facilities without being threatened?
•Will you use the governor’s bully pulpit to demand that universities not host speakers with demonstrated ties to terror organizations?
The op-ed appeared a week after the DC murders of two Israeli diplomats by a progressive lunatic shrieking the usual “Free Palestine” with the requisite keffiyeh scarf. Not 48 hours after the Fairfax Times published the op-ed, another lunatic shouting the the same Free Palestine lunacy attacked a peaceful gathering in Boulder, CO with Molotov cocktails and a flamethrower.
Virginia Republicans have been leaders on this issue, establishing a Commission to Combat Antisemitism, adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and incorporating Jewish history into Virginia’s standards of learning (SOLs). Attorney General Jason Miyares has led efforts to investigate the funding of campus radical groups and enforce civil rights laws on campuses.
Meanwhile Spanberger had no problem caucusing with Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, AOC, and the rest of the Squad, whose unhinged and libelous rhetoric have aided and abetted progressive antisemitic violence. The same people who had the temerity to lecture Republicans about “stochastic terrorism”–the idea that rhetoric is responsible for violence, and blaming the people whose rhetoric is deemed “provocative”–suddenly have lost interest in the topic. No prizes for guessing why. It was always a transparent attempt by Democrats to tie political opponents to someone else’s actions to shut down debate.
Now people are being attacked after 19 months of progressive Democrats screaming false and libelous attacks against Israel about “genocide”, “apartheid”, 14,000 babies dying in 48 hours, and all the rest of the garbage that is categorically false and frankly implausible–well, now the Squad and the rest of the progressive Democrats have nothing to say. What a surprise.
These attacks won’t stop with Jewish Americans. It’s clear from the pro-Palestinian rhetoric that the movement is, at its heart, anti-American and anti-Western. Progressives have latched onto bashing Israel and Jewish Americans because Hamas’s war in Gaza has has given them cover, but make no mistake, this is just a beachhead for broader attacks on America and Western civilization. The same anti-American, anti-Western protesters that lit up American cities in the summer of 2020 are at the heart of this movement.
Let us be clear: Abby Spanberger was part of the same caucus as the Squad, never disowned them, and silently stood by as universities across America, including in Virginia, became cesspools of radicalism, violence, antisemitism, anti-Americanism, and anti-Westernism. She is a coward afraid to cross her progressive base, and if she can’t answer the questions in Mike’s op-ed, she’s unfit for any elected office in Virginia.
Mike Ginsberg
former 11th District Chairman
Earlier this morning, Governor Youngkin set September 9 as the date of the special election for Congress to replace Gerry Connolly, who passed away on May 21.
Republicans have the best chance in almost two decades of flipping the seat. In a special meeting last Thursday, May 29, the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee decided to nominate the GOP candidate for Congress by canvass. A canvass is like a firehouse primary and allows the greatest amount of participation by voters. Voters will come to the polling site, vote for their candidate of choice, and leave. The GOP canvass winner will challenge the Democrat nominee, also yet to be chosen, in the special election. The 11th District Committee is currently working on the date and venue for the canvass, so watch this space for more information.
So far, four Republican candidates have stepped forward and announced their intention to compete for the Republican nomination: Mike Van Meter, Karina Lipsman, Nathan Headrick and Lucas Rand. We’ll keep you posted on opportunities to meet and hear from the candidates in the coming days.
Short bios of the four candidates:
Nathan Headrick: Nathan Headrick is a proud American entrepreneur and investment fund executive with deep roots in service and leadership. Raised in North Carolina, Nathan went on to earn his master’s degree from Harvard University and his law degree from Georgetown, driven by a belief in hard work, faith, and the promise of the American Dream.
Karina Lipsman: Karina Lipsman was born in the former Soviet Union, coming to the U.S. as a child refugee and becoming a U.S. citizen at 18. She had a successful career in U.S. national security, advising top U.S. leaders and major defense contractors, and now works for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. She also was appointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin to the Office of New Americans Advisory Board.
Lucas Rand: Lucas Rand had a distinguished 20-year military career that began in 2003 with basic training at Fort Jackson, SC, and advanced air traffic control training at Fort Rucker, AL. At Fort Bragg with the 82nd Airborne Division, he earned Jumpmaster wings and led as a Platoon Leader and Company Commander. Deploying to Afghanistan twice for a total of 27 months, he earned the Combat Action Badge, two Bronze Stars, three Meritorious Service Medals, and two Army Commendation Medals. Lucas retired from the Army in 2023 and entered the healthcare field, now serving as a hospital administrator.
Mike Van Meter (http://vanmeterforvirginia.com/): Mike Van Meter has been a resident of Burke, VA since 2010. Mike has served as an officer in the United States Navy for eight years as a helicopter pilot; with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC; with the FBI in the Dallas, Washington DC, and Quantico. After retiring from the FBI after 20 years of dedicated service, Mike got a Master’s degree in addiction counseling and is currently an addiction counselor at a hospital in Northern Virginia.
If additional candidates declare, we will be sure to provide their bios to you.
Come support Winsome Sears for Governor at a fundraiser this Thursday, June 5, 6:00pm: At the home of Lee & Brandon Dunn,519 S. Lee St., Alexandria. Tickets are $500 and sponsorships are available. RSVP to Gretchen Moss at gretchen@gretchenmoss.com.
The Board of Supervisors will hold a Public Hearing on June 24 at the Fairfax County Government Center, beginning at 9:30 AM, regarding the establishment of Unified Sanitation Districts for Fairfax County.
More details about the Trash issue are available in Supervisor Pat Herrity’s newsletter here.
Supervisor Pat Herrity will be hosting a Town Hall TONIGHT, Tuesday, June 3 to discuss the issue on Facebook Live and Channel 16. He will give an initial presentation and then provide the community an opportunity to ask questions or make comments about the proposal. To ask questions you can call in during the live broadcast at 703-324-1114 or you can email questions in advance to springfieldbos@fairfaxcounty.gov.
We will post the link to sign up and speak at the Public Hearing, as soon as it’s available.
Door know this weekend on Super Saturday AND Sunday with Jason Miyares for Attorney General this Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8. Here are the details:
Afternoon shift: 1:00pm
Meet at the Fairfax GOP headquarters, 4246 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax 22030.
Come help Ed McGovern kick off his campaign for delegate in HD18 this Saturday, June 7, from 4:00-5:30pm at Hunan Taste Restaurant, 8088 Rolling Road, Springfield. It’s a great way to meet Ed, hear what he’ll do as delegate, and find out how you can help. RSVP to Ed@mcgovernfordelegate.com.
Join Mike Van Meter for the kickoff event for his campaign for Congress in the 11CDE on Saturday, June 14, from 6:00-8:00pm at Ned Devine’s, 2465 Centreville Road, Herndon 20171. Register online here. You can also visit Mike’s website here.
The next Colonial Mt. Vernon Republican Women’s Club Meeting will be held on Thursday, June 12, at 6:00pm at Servicemaster, 7551 Fordson Road, in Alexandria. The meeting will also feature the club’s Scholarship Reception.
Are you running for office this year? Thinking of running for office in the future? Or thinking about being a campaign manager or staffer? If so, please sign up for the Republican Party of Virginia’s Candidate Training School in Fairfax County on Thursday, June 26 from 6-9 PM. The location has not been finalized, but is expected to be in the Tysons area.
Please register using the following link: https://virginia.gop/candidate-training-school/
The Candidate Training School will include messaging, data, volunteer recruitment and retention, strategic planning, fundraising, social media, and a number of other topics. There will also be a focus on the basics of running a successful Get Out The Vote program. And it is free!
So whether you are a candidate for office this year or plan to run at some point in the future, please join RPV for the Candidate Training School on June 26!
This July 4, join the Leadership Institute for the 52nd National Fourth of July Conservative Soirée! Enjoy BBQ, patriotic speeches, and fun for the whole family! From live music performances to exciting games and activities, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Bring your picnic blankets and lawn chairs, and get ready to enjoy this FREE event! Register here for the Soiree.
Don’t miss out on this unforgettable community gathering as we come together to honor our nation’s independence!
Location: Occoquan Regional Park, 9751 Ox Road, Lorton 22079.