Vega vows to secure U.S. border, combat socialism at Spotsylvania office opening

More than 200 poeple attended the opening of Yesli Vega’s campaign office in Spotsylvania County on Saturday, August 27, 2022.

Campaign staffers couldn’t keep up with the demand for yard signs to show support for Vega, a Republican who is running in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District to unseat Democrat Abigail Spanberger.

Vega stood in a pick-up truck bed, flanked by former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and State Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Fredericksburg), and remembered the 13 U.S. military service members who were killed in the pullout of Afghanistan one year ago, and called out Democratic lawmakers for keeping school buildings closed during the pandemic and its “damning” effects on children following the latest round of lousy Standards of Learning test scores.

Vega said November’s election is the most important in our lifetimes because the progressive Democrats seek to change the fundamentals of free market capitalism in the U.S. to socialism. Kristen Gonzales, a New York City Democrat, won her Primary bid for a state senate seat and declared “socialism wins.” 

“I say to her, ‘not on our watch, it’s not.’ In the middle of a civil war inspired by Fidel Castro’s love for communism, I know what it’s like… I’ve lived and walked through those shoes,” said Vega, the daughter of El Salavdroain immigrants who fled to the U.S.

The 7th District is one of a handful of congressional districts poised to flip to Republican hands in November, insiders said.

Spanberger held her seat for two terms, but before that, the seat was held by a Republican. The District also went for Youngkin in the 2021 election by an even wider 11-point margin.

Spanberger has supported actions to contain climate change, voted in favor of an assault weapons ban, and supports legal abortion. As of June, Spanberger voted with Biden 100% of the time, according to an analysis by FiveThirtyEight. Alternatively, Spanberger voted with former President Donald Trump less than most other Democrats, only 8.7% of the time.

There’s also the 10th District seat that includes Manassas and western Prince William County held by Democrat Jennifer Wexton, challenged by Naval Captian Hung Cao (R), a Vietnam refugee.

Refugees from the U.S. southern border are also an issue in the 7th District, as many are being bused from Texas to Washington, D.C., putting pressure on the region’s social services. “We have to make sure that we have representatives that are going to fight on behalf of the American people and enforce the laws that we have on the books…because it’s impacting everybody across the nation. Not just in D.C. Not just in Texas, but here in the 7th District as well,” said Vega.

Having set a record last year at 1.7 million illegal border crossings, the Biden administration is expected to allow more than 2.1 million people to cross the southern border illegally in 2022.

Vega’s new campaign office sits at 5438 Southpoint Plaza Way.

Cuccinelli has been an integral part of Vega’s campaign. She announced her bid for office in April. During the Vega campaign event, Cuccinelli announced he moved from his home in Prince William County to Spotsylvania County, a traditional local GOP stronghold.

“Yesli has cut her teeth and made the Democrats really scared of her. There’s nothing wrong with that. If the Washington Post is beating you up, you must be doing something right,” he said.

Voters elected Vega to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2019. Since 2020, she’s served as the first Hispanic to serve on the Board of County Supervisors, argued for conservative principles on a body controlled by Democrats, and has faced regular criticism from Hispanics who advocate for open U.S. borders for her conservative views.

The 7th Congressional District includes eastern Prince William County, Stafford County, Spotsylvania County, and Fredericksburg. Here’s a map showing all localities in the district.

Need to know election info: 

• First day of in-person early voting at your local registrar’s office: Friday, September 23, 2022
• The deadline to register to vote or update an existing registration is October 17, 2022.
•  The deadline to apply for a ballot to be mailed to you is October 28, 2022. Your local voter registration office must receive your request by 5 p.m.
• Voter registration offices open for early voting: Saturday, October 29, 2022.
• The last day of in-person early voting at your local voter registration office:  Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 5 p.m.

The Center Square contributed to this report.