Longtime conservative leader and 2014 United States Senate candidate Ed Gillespie is taking the next steps toward a run for Governor of Virginia in 2017. Gillespie announced the formation of his official gubernatorial campaign committee, “Ed Gillespie for Governor,” unveiled a logo and launched his campaign website, EdForVirginia.com. Gillespie said he will formally kick off his gubernatorial campaign with a statewide tour in January.
“Throughout this year, Cathy and I traveled the Commonwealth we love meeting friends, conservative leaders, business owners and our fellow citizens to hear more about their concerns and seek their insights,” said Gillespie. “We’ve been blessed by the friendships we’ve developed, stories we’ve heard, and ideas we’ve shared. It’s clear that Virginians share a vision of and passion for limited, effective government that grows our economy, creates jobs and gets Virginia back on the right track.”
Speaking about Monday’s announcement Gillespie said, “We are excited to begin ramping up our efforts and look forward to
formally kicking off our campaign less than two months from now. Until then, we are going to continue to lay the groundwork for a substantive campaign that offers a positive vision for our Commonwealth’s future, a real plan to get us growing again and engages a broad and diverse coalition of Virginians.”
“I will be a governor for all Virginians, and I will take our campaign to all Virginians. Establishing our campaign committee, unveiling our logo and launching our website are important first steps that will allow us to engage with voters across the Commonwealth,” Gillespie added. “I look forward to putting forward an innovative policy agenda based on our shared conservative principles, and taking our message of economic growth and upward mobility to every corner of the Commonwealth and every voter.”
Gillespie spent 2016 campaigning for Virginia Republicans, organizing policy working groups to develop a comprehensive agenda, and laying the groundwork for his bid for governor in 2017 through the Let’s Grow, Virginia! PAC. He previously announced the endorsement of more than 300 grassroots activists, a majority of the State Central Committee and 32 local unit chairs, and now has more than 3,500 committed supporters and volunteers. Gillespie is also endorsed by 57 of the 87 Republican members of the General Assembly.
Ed Gillespie is the founder of Ed Gillespie Strategies, a small business in Alexandria, Virginia. He is a former Chairman of the Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Virginia, and ran for the United States Senate in 2014.