Snyder pushes to fully reopen schools, businesses in GOP bid for Virginia Governor

Now cross-crossing Virginia campaigning to be its next governor, Pete Snyder doesn’t often get to eat breakfast with his child.

Recently, however, he did. After they ate, his daughter Bee, 6, showed him something special hanging on her bulletin board. There, above her desk, Bee had pinned three of her father’s campaign bumper stickers to her bulletin board. It was a proud dad moment for the candidate.

Snyder, 48, has talked a lot about children in recent weeks, putting pressure on Gov. Ralph Northam to reopen schools to in-person learning. Recent studies in Prince William County and across the U.S. show virtual learning is failing most children. Many miss interacting with their peers and with trusted adults who had been there to help guide their development.

“We’re nearly a year into this thing, and the vast majority of our schools are still locked. What are we waiting for? asked Snyder, who says schools should be open five days a week. “The governor has had over 300 days to come up with a plan.

Virginia was one of the first states in the U.S. to shudder public schools at the pandemic’s onset in March 2020.

Democrats in Richmond, who control both chambers of the General Assembly, and the Governor’s Mansion, are getting the message. Lawmakers are closer to passing a bill that would require schools to reopen to in-person learning. Gov. Ralph Northam directed the state’s 132 public school divisions to offer some in-person education one day a week by March 15.

All students in Prince William County who opted to return to in-person learning will return to classes this week, putting about 30% of the school division’s 89,000 students back into classrooms a few days a week.

Stafford County schools sent elementary school children back in October. On February 9, they began a phased-in approach to allow middle school students and high school freshmen to go back to class. Students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades went back on February 16.

Snyder says the school building closures have struck a chord with people from all political parties who want their children’s best educational experience.

“You have independents and those who lean Democrat. People who didn’t give republicans the time of day for 10 years are now furious about schools being closed,” said Snyder. “They’re trying to work a job, and then they’re trying to hover over two or three kids with Zoom. It doesn’t work out.”

During a recent campaign stop in Woodbridge, Snyder talked about the devastating effects the coronavirus shutdown and later restrictions have had on school children and small businesses. Snyder is a venture capitalist and founded the 30 Day Fund in 2020, which raised more than $45 million to sustain 900 companies in Virginia, 2,600 nationwide when the lockdowns were at their strictest.

“I’m talking to small business owners every day. What do they want? They want to freedom to make a living. It’s pretty simple stuff. They want to say what part of the restaurant they can use, how many customers they will allow,” Snyder said.

“No one that I’ve talked to wants to get their employees sick. They don’t want to get you sick. That’s bad for business. They just want to be able to do their jobs without having some nameless, faceless governor or bureaucrat telling them when they open and when they can’t,” he added.

One of those restaurants is Gourmeltz, in Spotsylvania County, which is defying an order from state health to close his shop due to alleged violations of Northam’s executive order limiting the number of people who may be inside a restaurant at any time.

Matt Strickland, owner, and graduate of Gar-Field Senior High School in Woodbridge, was in a Spotsylvania County courtroom on Monday to answer the state’s charges. His case was continued to March 12.

Gourmeltz is the only restaurant in the Fredericksburg area ordered to close due to cited coronavirus violations. Strickland continues to defy the order, telling PLN today that it’ll be business as usual at least until his next court appearance.

Snyder launched his campaign last month with flashy ads on TV. He’s the only candidate in the current pool of GOP gubernatorial hopefuls to have a previous statewide campaign under his belt.

He made a bid for Lt. Governor in 2013. He nearly beat fellow Republican E.W. Jackson during a party convention in Richmond). Ralph Northam went onto win the Lt. Governor’s seat that year, serving under then Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

Snyder now finds himself in a crowded field of six GOP candidates, including Va. Senator Amanda Chase (Chesterfield), and former speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Kirk Cox (Colonial Heights), who hope to win a Republican Party unassembled convention in June. The winner will go on to compete against one of five Democrats seeking a party nomination.

While his campaign has yet to report how much money he’s raised so far, during his 2013 bid for Primary bid Lt. Governor, he outraised them all, raking in $1.1 million.

This election will be less about raising money and more about how Republicans distance themselves from Donald Trump, says University of Mary Washington Political Science Professor Stephen J. Farnsworth.

“Snyder’s challenge? Is he a more appealing centrist Republican than former speaker Cox, who looks to be competing for a similar element for the Republican Party?” said Farnsworth.

Virginia’s most populated areas, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, twice rejected Trump, while the less-populated conservative strongholds loved him. Virginia Republicans have long relied on playing the middle of the road in hopes of winning over voters.

Republicans haven’t won a statewide race since November 2009. This year, many incumbent candidates and their parties will be judged on how they handled the coronavirus response.

“Difficulties in getting the economy moving are only part of the issue. There is immense concern about learning from home and about how effective that is for students,” said Farnsworth. “A lot will depend on how that rolls out over the next few months. Voters demonstrate short attention spans, and if teachers are vaccinated, and schools are opened up, there won’t be the same level of concern.”

Should he win, Snyder says he will act as the state’s CEO. This position will include making sure Virginia’s election processes are trusted and transparent. He proposes evaluating the state’s voter laws and modernizing laws to strengthen election integrity, including tighter rules for mail-in ballots.

“I don’t think anyone would agree that [on Election Day November 3, 2020], no matter what you think happened or didn’t happen, that having just plain ballot boxes on plain corners is a really good idea for our Republic,” said Snyder.

Snyder is married to his wife of 14 years, Burson. Both share the responsibility of raising their daughter, Bee.