Carroll Foy: I'll Create A Virginia That Leaves No One Behind

I grew up in Petersburg, Virginia, one of the poorest communities in our Commonwealth. It’s a town that had been left behind. Too many families struggled to get by — including my own.

Luckily, I was raised by my grandmother, Mary Lee Carroll, a powerhouse and leader in our neighborhood, who taught me what I hold true: that even if you don’t have much, “If you have it, you have to give it.”

That’s why I chose to put service first. I became one of the first women to ever graduate from Virginia Military Institute and fought for those who could not fight for themselves as a foster mom, public defender and member of the House of Delegates. It’s also why I’m running for Governor.

I’m running to create a Virginia that leaves no one behind — regardless of age, gender, orientation, race, or zip code. This goal is not just possible, but it’s more important now than ever. COVID-19 exposed what is already just beneath the surface — something I have known since I was a little girl in Petersburg: too many Virginians can’t earn a decent paycheck, afford their medical bills, or get ahead.

I’ll never forget after my grandmother had a stroke that left her a quadriplegic, having to sit at the kitchen table with my aunt facing the impossible choice of paying for the medication keeping her alive, or for the mortgage on the house, keeping a roof over our head.

I know what it’s like to balance a checkbook on a minimum wage job, and to fear for my and my family’s life given the presence of gun violence in our neighborhood. Today, I’m a working mom of two three-year-old boys while juggling student loans and multiple jobs.

It’s because I have walked in Virginians' shoes that I fought so hard in the House of Delegates to expand Medicaid to 500,000 Virginians, raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, secure a raise for our teachers, take on Dominion Energy and clean up toxic coal ash ponds across Virginia and more. And it’s why I’ll fight as Governor to ensure all Virginians have the opportunity to get good wages, fair benefits, and a first-class education.

I’ve lived the challenges that too many families in Virginia continue to face thanks to a broken status quo that has too many Virginians behind. We need a leader who understands Virginia’s challenges and is ready to solve our problems, not apply band-aids that get us from one crisis to the next. But we can’t change the status quo by recycling the same policies and politicians of the past.

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, but we can’t take our foot off the gas pedal now. Join our grassroots, people-powered movement that is going to deliver real change to Virginia by visiting my website, jennifercarrollfoy.com. And don’t forget — early voting has already started, so please find your nearest voting location by visiting iwillvote.com and cast your vote by June 8th. I’d be honored to have your support.