Congressman Gerry Connolly has spent the past eleven years representing the people of Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, and now he’s running for reelection to serve his sixth term in the House of Representatives. The PW Perspective had the opportunity to speak with Congressman Connolly about his career in Congress and what he hopes to achieve next.

In the past few weeks, we have seen the official proclamations of embracing Pride Month and Black Lives Matter, and yesterday in Prince William marked the decision not to renew the county’s contract with ICE, effectively ending the 287(g) policy. Your platform has been one of inclusion and justice, what will you do as a Congressman to ensure that policies protecting minorities are enacted?

Connolly: “I’ve always made inclusion and social justice a centerpiece of my public life. Two particular pieces of legislation I hope to see enacted in 2021 are an updated Voting Rights Act and  the Justice in Policing Act. Protecting minorities begins with ending the Republican War on Voting Rights, and making sure that every American, regardless of race, has equal access to the ballot box. I’ve cosponsored and voted for legislation to end racist voter roll purges, and fought back against voter disenfranchisement my entire career. For too long, America has ignored the crisis of police brutality, and the Justice in Policing Act will finally hold police accountable. As a public servant, the most important thing I can do to be an ally is to be present in the community. I’ve always made it a priority to attend Black churches, Spanish-language Catholic services, Korean Presbyterian churches, mosques, Sikh temples, and other houses of worship. I’m omni-present in our community at schools, fairs and festivals, and other events. I’ve hosted town halls with dozens of minority groups, which allows me to hear first-hand the concerns from the community and address them in Congress.”

Education is a topic that is at the center of the current national discussion. What can be done to provide educational equality for both students and teachers?

Connolly: “Race and income shouldn’t be a barrier to getting a good education in America but sadly, they are. The federal government has to make investments in education to level the playing field, such as fully-funding universal pre-K so that all students have access to early childhood education, expanding federal investments in poor communities to improve internet access and allow them to invest in their schools, and incentivize minority hiring of teachers so that students have teachers that reflect the diversity of the community. I also believe the federal government must make community college tuition free.”

During this pandemic we have seen a disproportionate number of under reported cases of COVID-19 cases in black and brown communities. What will you do to provide better healthcare to those who need it?

Connolly: “COVID-19 has shone a light on the vast inequities of America, and especially in our health system. The proudest vote of my career was in 2010 when I voted for the Affordable Care Act. Prior to President Trump coming into office, the Affordable Care Act was working: tens of millions of Americans finally had access to health insurance, and costs were coming down. When Democrats win in November, we can stop Republican attacks on the Affordable Care Act, and work on improving it. I supported a public option in 2010, which sadly was removed by the Senate before the ACA became law, and I still believe we need a public option for health insurance to compete with private insurance. I also hope we can incentivize more states to expand Medicaid, which Virginia finally did in 2018, giving 400,000 Virginians health insurance. Finally, we must reform prescription drug policies to bring down costs.”

What should proper policing look like?

Connolly: “We need to change the culture of police forces from a culture of impunity, to a culture of accountability. The job of the police is supposed to be to maintain order and when they see a situation, de-escalate the tension, not escalate it. That ethos has been lost in too many police departments around the country. We need federal standards and a Justice Department that holds local police to them. Those standards should include: a ban on chokeholds, changing standards of force to make it easier to charge police misconduct, ending qualified immunity for police officers, incentivizing states to create independent investigations for police misconduct, and creating a national database of police misconduct to prevent fired police officers from simply moving to a new jurisdiction. I’m an original co-sponsor of the Justice in Policing Act, which would do all of that.” 

How can government gain the trust of young people after the damage that has been done in recent years?

Connolly: “I think all of us have lost trust in government these past four years, and rightfully so. Democracy is supposed to rest on the voice of the people. Instead, we have a President who lost the popular vote, and a Senate where a small minority representing 25% of the people can block legislation and install judges for life. Young people, who face the brunt of GOP voter suppression, see their voices diminished even further. My hope is that when we decisively defeat Donald Trump in November, we will see a surge in interest in public service especially among young people. Donald Trump has left the federal workforce completely gutted, and now is the time for young people to come work for the government. I believe the youth are our future, and have been heartened by the levels of civic engagement from young people, from activism on gun control, to the Black Lives Matter movement. Turning that engagement into public service is critical to restoring the trust of young people in their government.”

What are your greatest accomplishments in your career?

Connolly: “There are three things I’m particularly proud of from my time in public life. First, was forcing Dominion to pay for the cleanup after their coal ash polluted the Quantico Creek. Second, last year we finally succeeded in guaranteeing 12 weeks of paid family leave for federal employees. Finally, I was able to save an entire federal agency from being destroyed by the Trump administration when they wanted to close the Office of Personnel and Management and I blocked it.”

The PW Perspective would like to thank Congressman Gerry Connolly for his time and participation in this interview. For those who want to learn more about him before tomorrow’s primary election, you can visit his website here.