On Friday, as early voting started in Virginia, gubernatorial candidate Jennifer Carroll Foy visited familiar territory in Prince William County as she spoke at the Dr. A.J. Ferlazzo Building in Woodbridge, and discussed on the importance of diversity while she seeks to become the first Black woman to serve as Governor of Virginia.

“We will build the most diverse coalition of voters that Virginia has ever seen,” said Foy to the enthusiastic crowd of supporters in attendance, from county supervisors to labor union leaders. “This is our historic moment to have. It is up for the taking, and we will take it.”

One of the county supervisors who spoke in support of Foy was Woodbridge Supervisor Margaret Franklin. “I’m voting for Jennifer because she’s the truth,” Franklin said to the audience. “When I talk to her, we’re not talking about strategy. She’s saying, we need to stick to our principles. We need to make sure that we are serious when we talk about economic justice, reforming the criminal justice system. We finally have a candidate who is talking about the issues that we face.”

“What better to have a person for Governor who talks about Black and Brown issues than a person who is Black or Brown?”

Afterwards, we spoke with Foy on what it meant to be recently endorsed by Emily’s List, the non-profit organization that focuses on placing women into political office. “Emily’s List is an amazing force to have with us in the campaign, they are with us in a way that the organizations here in Virginia has been with us for a very long time. To have IBW and the carpenters and so many of the grassroots organizations be a part of this movement is phenomenal.”

She highlighted the significance of starting the kickoff of early voting in Prince William County, where she served as the 2nd House District Delegate. “It means everything is coming full circle. I’m excited to be here with my people in Prince William County doing our kickoff for early voting. We’re knocking on doors, sending out text messages and reaching people not only here but across the Commonwealth.”

Recently, Foy has been the target of Republican advertisements, and she addressed that as well. “It says that they known what we’ve known for a long time, that we will win in November, and we will win on June 8. The Republicans are scared, and they should be. We have a winning record, we have a wonderful message, and we are here for the people. The message is resonating across Virginia, and that’s exactly how we’re going to win.”

What message does she have for those who are still undecided? “So if you want paid sick days, paid family medical leave, that you want to make sure we are equitably funding our schools, if you want to make sure more people have access to health care and uplift communities that have been ignored and left behind, then you want a Jennifer Carroll Foy administration.”

“I have a record of getting things done for the people of Virginia; I’ve dedicated my entire life to public service, and I know how to win in November to make sure to preserve our majority, and more importantly, I will wake up every morning and go to sleep every night with the people of Virginia on my mind.”

((Video provided by HP Virtual Media Productions))