Virginia’s Elections Come Down to Who Can Make the State Safer and More Affordable
This November, Virginians will choose between eliminating or keeping their car tax and maintaining public safety or making their communities more dangerous.
Only one candidate in this race has said she will eliminate the car tax—and it isn’t Abigail Spanberger.
The Virginia gubernatorial and Attorney General races are shaping up to be a referendum on two critical issues: Affordability and public safety.
In the gubernatorial race, Winsome Sears has taken a bold stance on affordability by pledging to eliminate the car tax, a move that would provide relief to everyone who owns a personal vehicle—but especially poor and lower-middle class workers. Meanwhile, in the Attorney General race, Jason Miyares’ pro-safety policies contrast sharply with Jay Jones’s approach, which will undermine public safety and turn Virginian communities into magnets for violent illegal alien gangs.
The Car Tax: A Burden on Working-Class Virginians
Virginia's car tax, formally known as the vehicle personal property tax, is the highest in the country and significantly strains many families financially—especially those in the working and middle classes—costing Virginians an average of $1,139 annually. For families who rely on their vehicles to commute to work, run errands, or take their children to school and sports, this creates a barrier to financial stability and upward mobility.
Public transportation options are limited outside major urban centers like the suburbs of Washington, D.C., therefore, owning a car is usually a necessity, not a luxury. For car commuters, this obnoxious tax can eat away at funds needed for groceries, rent, or childcare.
Winsome Sears has made eliminating the car tax a cornerstone of her campaign, arguing it’s an unfair burden on Virginians who are already dealing with the rising cost of living.
I can’t stand the car tax.
— Winsome Earle-Sears (@winwithwinsome) July 9, 2025
You buy a car, pay the sales tax, and then every year the government hits you again just for owning it? That’s ridiculous.
As governor, I’ll axe the car tax for good.#AxeTheCarTax pic.twitter.com/P9F8GIks1H
Abigail Spanberger, by contrast, has not committed to eliminating the car tax. Electing her would keep the status quo, continually burdening struggling workers and families with an added local tax every year.
By prioritizing this tax cut, Sears is positioning herself as a champion of the state’s working families, offering tangible relief that could make a meaningful difference in their daily lives.
(RELATED: Virginia’s Car Tax is the Highest in the Nation and Democrats Want to Keep it That Way)
Public Safety: Miyares’ Record vs. Jones’ Policies
Incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares has built a strong record on public safety, working closely with federal authorities and local sheriffs to crack down on crime and remove violent illegal aliens from Virginia’s communities. His efforts have resulted in a 34% decrease in murders, a 12% decrease in violent crimes, and the seizure of roughly 2,000 lbs. of narcotics, including 415 pounds of deadly fentanyl.
By contrast, when Jones was a State Delegate, he opposed a bill Miyares authored, making it felony murder to cause death by distributing controlled substances.
Other soft-on-crime policies Jones voted for include mandating 60-day sentences for repeat domestic violence convictions, giving driver's licenses to illegal aliens, automatically expunging criminal records, and making it easier for anyone—even repeat murderers—to qualify for bail.
But Jones didn't stop there.
He voted for Virginia's proposed constitutional amendment to give convicted felons the right to vote the moment they step outside prison with no exceptions.
When Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) took office, he reviewed voting restoration on a case-by-case basis rather than issue blanket pardons as former Gov. Ralph Northam (D) did. Jones represented the NAACP in its lawsuit against Youngkin and hilariously compared the cause of felons voting with Civil Rights era voting struggles.
The amendment Jones voted for in 2021 failed because, although it passed both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly, it needed to pass in two consecutive legislative sessions. Recently, it was reintroduced and passed again. Spanberger celebrated its approval on X in January, writing, "I'm glad to see the VA House of Delegates move forward a constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated Virginians."
I'm glad to see the VA House of Delegates move forward a constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated Virginians.
— Abigail Spanberger (@SpanbergerForVA) January 14, 2025
The right to vote is foundational to who we are as Americans.
A Democrat victory in November will all but guarantee that sex offenders and the worst of convicted violent felons will get to vote in Virginian elections in the near future.
Jones Lays Out the Red Carpet for Illegal Aliens and Violent Criminals
On illegal immigration, Jones opposes local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He voted to allow sanctuary cities, which create magnets for violent transnational gangs because gang members know they are less likely to have to deal with ICE there.
This would be dangerous enough if Jones were tough on crime. At least, then, Virginians could rely on violent illegal aliens facing justice after they finish murdering, robbing, and raping people in Virginian families and communities. But he's not.
Jones's soft-on-crime policies accompany a suspicion of police and an opposition to the death penalty grounded in his belief that the American justice system is systemically racist. This belief hampers the deterrents necessary to keep a state safe and repel out-of-state organized crime and violent drifters—whether they be illegal aliens or American citizens.
As Attorney General, Jones will do more to become a hindrance to law enforcement based on this mistaken belief about the American justice system than a help.
But it's not only about hindering law enforcement from keeping communities safe. Institutions receive less protection in an environment suspicious of law enforcement that imputes victimhood to convicts. Jones's worldview puts school children because he opposes uniformed police officers protecting schools from school shooting psychos. He also helped enact legislation prohibiting universities from asking about criminal records or denying admission to anyone based on criminal history.
This November, Virginia's elections hinge on affordability and public safety. With Sears, Virginians can finally rid themselves of the burdensome car tax. With Miyares, they can continue building a safer Virginia where violent criminals get put away and illegal aliens get sent away. Spanberger and Jones, on the other hand, offer no relief on the car tax and support policies that will undermine public safety. Voters face a clear choice between tangible financial relief or continuing the unaffordable status quo and safe communities or opening the floodgates to emboldened criminals and illegal aliens.
(READ MORE: VIRGINIA AG RACE: Jay Jones—Corporate Defender, Public Pretender)
