*Republican Winsome Sears, a gun-toting ex-marine, was elected as Virginia’s new lieutenant governor on Tuesday. She made history by becoming the first woman and the first Black woman to serve in the position.
“I am at a loss for words for the first time in my life,” Sears said in an address to supporters on election night. “…What you are looking at is the American dream. The American dream.”
Sears, 57, who was born in Jamaica, previously served in Virginia’s House of Delegates. CBS News writes: she was the first Black Republican woman, first female veteran and first “legal immigrant” woman elected to that position, she says on her campaign website.
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Beautiful day ☀️ = Range day!
Marines know how to use guns and I won’t ever support a red flag law! The 2nd Amendment says “shall not be infringed!” #SemperFi
Always good to see my friends at Clark Brothers Guns. pic.twitter.com/nNXq4SjazT
— Winsome Sears (@WinsomeSears) April 15, 2021
Sears moved to the U.S. when she was 6 years old, according to Jamaica Observer.
“When my father came to this country August 11th of 1963, he came at the height of the civil rights movement from Jamaica. … And he only came with $1.75,” she said in her victory speech. “…When I joined the Marine Corps I was still a Jamaican, but this country had done so much for me I was willing, willing to die for this country.”
Here’s more from CBS News:
Throughout her campaign, Sears advocated for increasing pay for teachers and law enforcement, cutting taxes, and expanding veteran care centers. She also said that, as lieutenant governor, she will push for the creation of a Black Virginians Advisory Cabinet for the governor and for a “once-in-a-generation investment” in Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Sears campaigned alongside Glenn Youngkin, the Republican who was elected to the governor’s seat on Tuesday in a closely-watched battle against Democrat Terry McAuliffe.
“It’s a historic night, yes it is,” Sears said. “But I didn’t run to make history, I just wanted to leave it better than I found it. And with your help, we’re going to do that.”
Sears declared that she would “die for America” in her victory speech early Wednesday.
“When I joined the Marine Corps, I was still a Jamaican. But this country had done so much for me, I was willing, willing, to die for this country,” Sears told a boisterous crowd in Chantilly, Va.
“I’m telling you that what you are looking at is the American dream,” said Sears, a mother of three daughters.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I am black and I have been black all my life, but that’s not what this is about,” said Sears.
Amid her victory, Sears supporters posted photos of her posing with a rifle on social media.
“What we are going to do now is be about the business of the commonwealth,” said Sears. “We have things to tend to. We are going to fully fund our historically black colleges and universities. We’re going to have safer neighborhoods, safer communities, and our children are going to get a good education.”
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