Issue Position: Improving Jobs and the Economy

Issue Position

My top priority as Lt. Governor will be to create jobs by investing in our workforce, building an efficient transportation system, and creating an environment that will bring entrepreneurs and businesses to Virginia.

All Virginians need the opportunity to find a good paying job that will allow them to pay their bills and support their family. When the middle-class families of Virginia do well, our economy does well; that's why I support investing in community colleges, job training programs, and hiring tax credits to give Virginians the skill set and the opportunity they need to succeed in the workplace.

In the state Senate I have supported efforts to update our aging infrastructure that will create good paying jobs and allow Virginia businesses to thrive. In addition, I will continue to support making meaningful investments in education because our workforce must be prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. Our Commonwealth must continue be to be a relocation destination for businesses of all kinds.

I have supported targeted investments that will promote economic growth, for example: Rail to Dulles in Northern Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on the Eastern Shore, wind energy projects off of Virginia's coast, and internet broadband infrastructure to rural Virginia. We also must also look at our state colleges and universities not simply as centers of learning, but as potential drivers of economic development in biotech, energy, health care, and information technology.

I will continue fighting to make sure that we retain the military installments across Virginia that are so vital to our economy, because we cannot afford to lose jobs to other states. This year I supported Governor McDonnell's bipartisan transportation bill, which not only created thousands of jobs but is also essential to helping businesses around the state. By reducing gridlock on our roadways businesses will save money and make Virginia an even more attractive location for businesses looking to relocate.

We cannot allow Virginia's economy to be hurt by the divisive agenda that has made us a punch line on late night TV. I am running to put a stop to the rigid ideological pursuits we have witnessed recently and focus our attention to job creation and putting people back to work.

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