Meet The Candidate: Sean Perryman For Virginia Lt. Governor

VIRGINIA — Sean Perryman, former president of the Fairfax County NAACP, is one of six candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2021.

Perryman previously served as counsel on the U.S. House Oversight Committee in the office of the late Congressman Elijah Cummings. In 2018, Perryman was hired as the first director of Social Impact and Diversity and Inclusion Policy at the Internet Association.

In the primary, Perryman is running against Del. Hala Ayala, Del. Mark Levine, Norfolk City Councilmember Andria McClellan, Del. Sam Rasoul and Xavier Warren.

Early voting in the Democratic primary is currently underway and continues until June 5 for the June 8 Democratic primary that will include candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Learn more about Sean Perryman and why he is running for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2021:

Age (as of Election Day)

35

Position Sought

Lieutenant Governor

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Daughter Ava, Age 6

Education

Bachelor's from Baruch College, law degree from Vanderbilt

Occupation

Director of Social Impact at the Internet Association

Campaign website

perrymanforvirginia.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I didn’t plan to run for office. Even a year ago today, I didn’t know that I would have my name on the ballot in this year’s election for Lt. Governor. But I was moved to run after watching a crisis of leadership at all levels of government. A deadly pandemic has raged through our communities and destroyed lives and livelihoods. The murder of George Floyd reignited the movement to end police violence and create a criminal justice system that finally erases the legacy of Jim Crow. The economy fell out from under working people and forced millions to face unemployment, food lines, eviction, and crushing debt — all the while those at the top get richer. The climate crisis continues to intensify, leaving wildfires, hurricanes, floods, intense heat and broken communities in its wake. Across all of these issues, it was people who look like me and my community that have faced the worst. I decided that I can no longer sit on the sidelines. I threw my hat in the ring and launched my run for Lt. Governor because Virginia needs statewide leadership who can meet this time of crisis with big ideas and bold action.

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

For too long, Virginia’s economy has failed to work for everyone. Before the pandemic, Virginia was ranked both the worst state in the entire country for workers and the best state for businesses. That’s not a coincidence. The pandemic has only made that inequality worse, either putting workers in harm's way without proper protections or leaving them to face the prospect of unemployment with little assistance from their elected leadership. I see lifting up Virginia’s working-class as a top priority because it’s an issue of economic, racial, and gender equity. We need to repeal the harmful "Right to Work" law and ensure collective bargaining rights for both public and private sector workers. We need to raise the minimum wage to a truly living wage on a faster timeline. We need to guarantee paid leave for every last worker. And we need to make big investments in childcare, affordable housing, healthcare coverage, broadband, and infrastructure for our communities. That’s how you empower workers to thrive in our Commonwealth and make our economy more competitive for decades to come.

How would you assess Virginia’s handling of the coronavirus, and why?

Our COVID-19 response played out differently across all levels of government, from local to state to federal. The lack of coordination and leadership early on set us back from the start. The incompetence of the Trump administration is certainly to blame for much of the hardship Virginians endured. That being said, there was also more we could have done on our own here in Virginia that would have potentially saved lives and pocketbooks. Our employment insurance system left far too many without the assistance they were entitled to simply because the system is antiquated and under-resourced. We had localities that were defying mask mandates and other protections that were necessary to stop the spread. The General Assembly’s inability to pass paid sick leave for all meant that many had to go to work even if they had COVID-19 symptoms.

Premature "reopening" attempts put workers in harm's way for the sake of profit. Over time, our handling of the pandemic became more informed, and the new administration in the White House kickstarted a true effort to bring this pandemic to end.

What laws or policies will you pursue to help the state recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Ensuring an equitable recovery should be a top priority of our next Lt. Governor. It’s not enough to just go back to "normal." We need to create a new normal where every Virginian can thrive. Doing so will require big investments by the state government into our economy; investments that benefit regular people rather than corporations and special interests. We need to put more funding into our education system so we can make childcare affordable for all parents and pay our public school teachers the competitive salaries they deserve. We need to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2023 and strengthen collective bargaining so workers can fight for their prosperity. We need to facilitate the construction of thousands of new affordable housing units in job centers and near public transit. We need universal broadband that connects every community to reliable internet service.

I also see tackling the climate crisis as a way to kickstart our economy and offer opportunities to Virginians post-pandemic. We should be providing well-paying, green jobs in the growing sectors of infrastructure, technology, and transportation that work hand in hand with public works initiatives. These jobs and the projects they forward would benefit every community, from underinvested Black and Brown neighborhoods to rural towns and small cities.

How would you assess the General Assembly's work in the latest session, which saw passage of a host of bills on racial equity and criminal justice reform?

As a longtime racial justice and criminal justice reform advocate, I saw both successes and disappointments in the latest General Assembly session. The legalization of marijuana was a long-overdue success that I have been calling for for years, and I’m glad that simple possession will become legal by July. The abolition of the death penalty was also a big win for racial justice that deserves recognition. Virginia is also one of the strongest states for voting rights, which is immensely important. However, the General Assembly failed to end Qualified Immunity that protects law enforcement from being held accountable for wrongdoing. They failed to end cash bail and mandatory minimums, two major tools of mass incarceration that disproportionately affect Black and Brown people. Paid leave for all was left to die in the State Senate, a policy that would have potentially saved lives during the pandemic and would certainly save countless working families from financial hardship. The lack of action on campaign finance reform was also a letdown; Virginia is one of only four states with no limits on contributions from both individuals and corporations. Some call Virginia the ‘Wild West’ of campaign finance rules because of how loose they are. This is the unfinished business that I will fight to address as Lt. Governor.

What is your position on the effort to repeal the state's right-to-work statute, and what changes, if any, would you make in the law?

Repealing "Right to Work’"has been a central part of my economic policy from day one. I even wrote an Op-Ed about it in the Washington Post. "Right to Work" is a misnamed statute that makes it harder for Virginians to unionize and fight for better pay, benefits, and working conditions. States with "Right to Work" laws are proven to have lower wages for workers. This policy also disproportionately hurts Black and Brown workers. In 1961, the great Martin Luther King Jr. said: “In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right to work.’ It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights. Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone… Wherever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights. We do not intend to let them do this to us. We demand this fraud be stopped.” His words are just as true today as they were 60 years ago, and I will work tirelessly as Lt. Governor to ensure this fraud is stopped.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

It’s been over a year since George Floyd was murdered, and I don’t feel any safer from police violence as a Black man in Virginia and in the US. The Black Lives Matter movement remade what was possible in our politics when it comes to confronting our racially biased system. More than any other candidate in the race, I will put the issue of police violence front and center. I proposed truly transformative solutions that go beyond the small tweaks and half-measures that we so frequently hear. That includes taking police out of traffic enforcement and instead relying on unarmed civil servants who won’t needlessly escalate routine traffic stops. It also includes decriminalizing all drugs, so drug laws can no longer be used as a pretext to over-police and harass Black and Brown people. Lastly, I’m the only candidate who has pointed to the need to invest in mental health, housing, and education rather than more police, prisons, and incarceration.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

What makes me different is that I’ve spent years as an organizer on the ground in my community, rather than running for office as a career politician. Despite never holding the power to introduce legislation or vote on laws, I’ve won big reforms for my community that impact people’s lives everyday. That’s because grassroots organizers have to make do with the only power they have: collective power. I have unmatched experience bringing together broad, diverse coalitions of Virginians around progressive ideas and applying the pressure needed to make change. I aim to bring the office of Lt. Governor to new heights by bringing my organizer approach to Richmond.

Something else that sets my campaign apart is our commitment to bold, progressive policies. I have the strongest platform on criminal justice reform and policing because I’m willing to propose meaningful, structural changes to the system. I have taken a proud stance on repealing Virginia’s harmful "Right to Work" law despite pushback from powerful corporations. I’ve proposed serious campaign finance reforms and have run my campaign to match those policies, never taking a dime from corporations or fossil fuel interests. Because I’ve never been a politician, I’ll always shoot straight with Virginia’s voters about where I stand on the issues that matter to them.

Lastly, I’m an attorney with tech policy expertise and have worked on policy for years. Our rapidly changing world requires leadership that understands modern challenges and can come to solutions based on experience. I will bring a detailed approach to the legislative process that can ensure effective and accountable governance.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I’m proud of what was accomplished under my leadership as President of the Fairfax County NAACP . I quadrupled the chapter’s paid membership and turned it into the largest chapter in Virginia. I led the advocacy effort to rename Robert E. Lee high school to John R. Lewis high school. I worked with Fairfax County public schools to make changes to the school system’s MOU with local police that resulted in a 75% reduction in arrests in schools in its first two years. During the pandemic, I led a community aid response that delivered assistance to Black- and Brown-owned small businesses and helped people get the unemployment insurance they were entitled to. After the murder of George Floyd, I led successful efforts to force more data from the local police and make changes to the first responder system that protects those who are experiencing a mental health crisis from police violence. All of these accomplishments happened through grassroots organizing, and that’s how I intend to tackle the biggest issues facing Virginia as Lt. Governor.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

My mentor Congressman Elijah Cummings would always tell folks to do what “feeds your soul.” When I got involved in my community, I began to realize what feeds my soul: standing up for what’s right, fighting for equity, and creating a society where nobody gets left behind. For years now I’ve set those values as my North star and it’s never failed to put me in a position to do the most good possible.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Make me your next Lt. Governor and you’ll get a truly independent voice who will advocate on behalf of regular Virginians. I got into this race because I have a mission, not ambition. I’m not running so I can sit quietly until I can run for Governor in four years. I intend to transform the office of Lt. Governor and be the reliable partner that Virginians need in Richmond.