From jobs to healthcare, Corey Stewart discussed many issues when he made a swing through Patrick County on Saturday.
Stewart’s ‘JobsNotMobs’ tour made several stops in southside and southwest Virginia, including Martinsville, Roanoke and Stuart.
“I love southside and southwest Virginia,” said Stewart, who is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine in the Nov. 6 election.
He said it was important to include a stop in Patrick County on his tour because “there’s a lot of support here” for his message.
A member of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, Stewart said he supports President Trump’s agenda, which includes bringing back textile and manufacturing jobs by aggressively pursuing pro-business economic growth policies and renegotiating unfair trade agreements.
Stewart said he also will focus on lowering taxes, ensuring the Trump tax cuts are permanent, eliminating the Estate Tax and efforts to build a border wall.
Healthcare is another area of concern, according to Stewart, who said he supports repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which he said is “an unmitigated disaster,” and making health care more patient centered.
Stewart said he will work to expand Health Savings Accounts and efforts that will allow residents to buy insurance across state lines. He said he also wants to ensure insurance will cover preexisting conditions and children, up to age 26.
“Both the president and myself do not want to touch Social Security or Medicare,” Stewart said, adding that both are pension programs which many people paid into for years.
Improving infrastructure like roads in critical, and Stewart said he will focus on securing additional federal funds to relieve traffic congestion and improve access to economic hubs.
He said he is committed to public safety, and noted law enforcement officers “should have the resources,” respect and pay they deserve.
Stewart said he will work to gain independence from foreign oil while fostering the development of natural resources that include solar and wind.
Ninth District U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, and Del. Charles Poindexter, R-Glade Hill, joined Stewart at the event.
“We need a U.S. Senator who will work with President Trump,” Poindexter said. “Unfortunately, we have a senator who likes to close rest stops. That’s his claim to fame.”
Touting Stewart’s successes at the local level, Poindexter said he thinks Prince William County has the lowest tax rate in Virginia and is business friendly, which makes it attractive to companies.
Griffith said his challenger, Anthony Flaccavento, a democrat from Abingdon, was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont. Sanders sought his party’s nomination to seek the presidency in 2016, but lost the bid to Hillary Clinton.
Sanders’ endorsement “says a lot about the contrast and about the direction our country is going to go in,” Griffith said. “You have to decide and then you have to go to the polls” and vote on Nov. 6.
