RICHMOND — Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie on Wednesday announced the formation of nine work groups to help him develop policies for the state he wants to win in 2017, a move supporters touted as unusually early and substantive.
Co-chaired by two General Assembly heavyweights, Gillespie’s “policy leadership team” also signals broad support among GOP legislators for Gillespie, a Republican strategist and former White House counselor who faces two rivals for his party’s nomination: Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Corey A. Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
Gillespie, who narrowly lost a race to unseat Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) in 2014, has set up nine work groups to help him develop policies on the economy, education and other issues. They will be led by many of the 53 state delegates and senators who have endorsed him.
“We must come together to enact conservative policies that grow our economy, create good jobs, improve our schools and make Virginia safer and stronger,” Gillespie said in a written statement.
House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights) and State Sen. Mark D. Obenshain (R-Rockingham) are co-chairmen of the team. Led by Gillespie and legislators, the work groups will meet around the commonwealth to gather input on a wide range of topics: agriculture, natural resources and energy; education and workforce development; government reform and efficiency; health and human services; jobs and economic growth; mental health, addiction and recovery; public safety; transportation; and veterans and military affairs.
Click here to continue reading at WashingtonPost.com.