Former Congressman Tom Perriello today slammed the McAuliffe-Northam Administration’s economic failures in a new TV ad, calling Virginia’s economy one in which “too many struggle to get by.”
While Perriello is accurate in his harsh assessment of the Commonwealth’s stagnant economy, he fails to mention the litany of reckless economic policies he has proposed in his own campaign: He wants to overturn Virginia’s right to work laws; he opposes construction of the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines, and wants to raise taxes by more than one billion dollars.
Too many Virginia families are feeling financially stressed, and our economy is losing ground to neighboring states.
- For the last five years, Virginia’s economic growth trailed the national average.
- Virginia dropped from number one on the CNBC list of best states for business just five years ago to outside of the top ten in 2016.
- Last month, Chief Executive magazine affirmed that trend when it released its 2017 Best & Worst States For Business rankings, in which Virginia dropped 3 spots – behind neighboring North Carolina and Tennessee.
- Further, S&P Global Ratings changed the outlook on Virginia’s status from stable to negative.
“Well, I’ll give Tom this: he’s right that Virginia’s economy is being held back by the McAuliffe-Northam Administration. But it has become abundantly clear that neither Ralph Northam nor Tom Perriello are serious about growing our economy and boosting job creation, as both of them have supported reckless economic policies, including undoing Virginia’s longstanding right to work laws,” said Ed Gillespie. “Virginia deserves a governor who is focused on removing barriers to job creation and cutting taxes that hold back growth. With our vast natural resources, our fertile lands, our port, our people, our two and four-year colleges and universities, our natural beauty and historic landmarks, Virginia should be among the best states in the country for economic growth.”
Perriello’s and Northam’s economic race to the left:
On Right to Work laws
Perriello and Northam broke with Governor Terry McAuliffe and Virginia’s longstanding, bipartisan support for the Commonwealth’s Right to Work laws that that guarantee Virginians are not compelled to join a union to obtain or keep a job, and have long been regarded as crucial to maintaining Virginia’s reputation as a pro—business state where employers can locate and expand.
Even neighboring governors of Tennessee and Kentucky acknowledge how harmful that would be for Virginia:
“We noticed a difference when Kentucky, our northern neighbor, became a Right to Work state,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. “If Virginia did flip, I can promise you that it would be to Tennessee’s benefit in attracting not only individuals, but in attracting corporations, it would be a huge advantage to us.”
“If Virginia were shortsighted enough to make the decision that your competitors are calling for, it would absolutely be, no question about it, to the advantage of not only surrounding states but states all over the country,” said Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin. “When a company is looking to move from somewhere else in the world to putting a North American headquarters in, they look at all the states. We all do compete with each other. To the advantage of the states that are right to work, is the fact that some are not. And there are certainly some companies, in fact, last time a study was done, a full-third of CFO’s and CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies, for example, said straight up they will not go to, relocate in, or expand in a state that is not right to work.” (Press Release, 05.15.17 )
On critical energy projects
Perriello flatly opposes the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline, confirming for voters his radical position that would lead to higher energy costs and less jobs for Virginians across the Commonwealth. Northam, who has been evasive on the issue, refuses to state his support for projects even Governor Terry McAuliffe strongly supports.
The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is an important part of Virginia’s energy infrastructure and will provide access to affordable, reliable natural gas, saving Virginians nearly $377 million on energy costs each year. The project will create as many as 8,800 jobs during construction and 1,300 full-time jobs in the Commonwealth as a result of lower energy costs.
On Virginia charter schools
Both Northam and Perriello oppose the expansion of public charter schools. Giving parents more options like public charter schools will improve all public schools and help ensure that every child in Virginia has access to a quality education, yet Northam and Perriello have committed to denying those opportunities in the course of their nomination contest.
With only 9 public charter schools – and ranking 39th of the 44 states with a public charter law – Virginia is simply not meeting the needs of students and families across the Commonwealth. Neighboring states, meanwhile, have hundreds of charter schools — 50 in Maryland and more than 160 in North Carolina.