Perryman Officially Enters VA Lieutenant Governor's Race

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Sean Perryman, the president of the Fairfax County NAACP, officially threw his hat in the ring Tuesday night and declared that he was running to be the next lieutenant governor of Virginia.

When Patch spoke to Perryman in September, he was still exploring the possibility of running to be the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2021 election. But on Tuesday night, he hosted a Zoom call in which he announced to supporters across the state his intentions to go all in and officially enter the race.

"The reason we started out as an exploratory committee was to see if we had a viable campaign," Perryman said, in Wednesday morning interview. "We were judging whether or not the voters would be responsive to us, whether we were able to stand up a credible team in the campaign. Over the last few months, we've done that. We think we're going to be able to run a very professional race and that we'll get a lot of momentum."

Perryman, who is also the director of social impact policy and counsel at Internet Association, announced he was considering running at the end of July. He joins four other Democrats who have announced their intentions to run for the lieutenant governer's seat: Del. Hala Ayala (Prince William); former Democratic Party of Virginia chairman Paul Goldman; Del. Elizabeth R. Guzmán (Prince William); and sports agent Xavier Warren.

So far, Perryman has racked up a number of endorsements from community leaders, activists, and Virginia politicians, including Del. Kaye Kory (Fairfax) and Chad Martin, vice mayor of the City of Martinsville.

"Even though there may be people jumping in the race from the delegation, I think there are delegates who recognize that our message will really resonate with voters," he said. "I also have the endorsement of folks throughout the Commonwealth. I think that's significant because it's showing that we'll get everywhere and really get people on board with our message."

Perryman's campaign focuses on three E's — education, equity and economics.

"The equity piece would address a lot of things and I think with the police reform issue specifically," he said, back in September. "We need to make sure that we're inserting accountability into the system and transparency. Those are the hallmarks of good government, so this isn't some radical agenda. It's about making sure that, as so many police officers say, that there are a few bad apples, that we have mechanisms in place to hold those bad actors accountable."

Regarding education and economics, Perryman would invite more technology companies into Northern Virginia and encourage them to establish programs to prepare workers across the state for high-tech jobs, including in rural areas. He also supports cannabis legalization as a way to create new tax revenue that would fund early childhood education throughout Virginia.

When it comes to politics, most Virginia voters are focused on the upcoming presidential election and November 2021 seems a long way off. Perryman decided to announce his candidacy now to highlight some of the issues that will be important in 2021.

"Right now, as we speak, there is a Supreme Court confirmation hearing going on," he said. "In Virginia, the State Senate, where I would preside if I win, is split 20-20 on the issue of abortion, according to Planned Parenthood. If there is a tie in the Senate and Roe v Wade is struck down, the first line of defense is going to be here in Virginia in the state government. You need a lieutenant governor who is strong on that issue. I want people to understand what's at stake."

During his announcement to supporters, Perryman characterized his candidacy as a progressive one. He thinks voters across Virginia will support a progressive candidate for lieutenant governor in 2021.

"If you look at the last 11 years of statewide elections, every single one has been won by a Democrat at a statewide level," he said. "Outside of gerrymandering, we would have a solid, blue state. But I think the progressive values and the issues that we're going to be speaking to cut across the spectrum."

Perryman pointed to issues like expanding broadband infrastructure for everyone and universal pre-K as being nonpartisan.

"These are things that are progressive values but that, if communicated right, we will see that these values translate across the aisle," he said.

Also see ...

Campaign 2021: Perryman Focuses On Education, Economics, Equity