Herndon's Ron Meyer Hopes To Win Republican Nomination Monday Night

Herndon resident Ron Meyer has crammed months of campaigning into just two short weeks in hopes of winning the Republican nomination to replace Mark Herring in the State Senate in Monday night's somewhat "hush-hush" primary.

Meyer, who runs a local public relations consulting firm and has spent the past few years as spokesperson for the Herndon-based Young America's Foundation and the Reagan Ranch, says the rushed and out-of-the-ordinary way the GOP party has organized Monday's Mass Meeting in Sterling to pick their nominee is all to lend as much favor to his opponent, John Whitbeck, as possible.

"The caucus has tried to make sure they have their candidate," he said. "They've tried to make sure it's so quick, that no one has a choice."

Despite all that, Meyer said his whirlwind campaign has received a ton of positive responses and feedback, and he thinks people will be surprised on Monday. He said, by rushing Monday's primary and making it at an inconvenient time on a weeknight is only going to achieve the opposite of what the party needs—low turnout and engagement among voters.

"Is this really want we want the party to be? Do we want to be the party that rigs elections by making them at a time when no one knows about them and can get there, so no one has a choice?" he asked. 

"There was no need to rush this, there was no need to put this in the middle of the holiday season, when everybody's either going out of town to see family or going to a holiday party," he added. "Do you know how hard it is to drag out voters?"

Particularly since the tumultuous gubernatorial election last month, and the Republican party's poor results, Meyer said he hopes voters will see him as the "articulate, conservative alternative" he thinks Virginia needs badly right now.

Meyer said he thinks of former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli as "one of the most virtuous public servants he's ever seen," but that the negative response his campaign garnered at nearly every turn was evidence of what bad shape the party is in, and said his "fresh approach" is what is sorely needed to help turn that around.

"The messaging [in Cuccinelli's campaign] was atrocious; and the consultants were terrible," he said.

As evidenced by the recent battle between Democrat Jennifer Boysko and 11-year veteran Tom Rust in Herndon's 86th District Delegate race, Meyer said he realizes what divisiveness social issues can create, and he said the GOP has been making a lot of mistakes there as well—mistakes he would not duplicate if elected.

"The social issues—I think we can work those out and move forward," he said.

A prime example, he said, are the issues of transvaginal ultrasounds for women seeking abortions, and abortion itself.

"I look at it this way—70 percent of Virginians think we should not have third-trimester abortions, or late-term abortions," he said. "Yet, we have them in Virginia right now. Furthermore, only 25 percent of Virginians think we should have the transvaginal ultrasounds."

So, what did the GOP do? Tried to push transvaginal ultrasounds rather than starting, perhaps, by fighting to get late-term abortions banned, he answered.

"It's picking your battles for the causes you believe in, and actually picking them in a way that makes sense, and in a way that people agree with you," he explained. "It has nothing to do with how pro-life I am, or even the principles, because by doing it this way, we're doing the principles a disservice."

Meyer said he's the person who can help correct a lot of that damage and put the GOP back on top again.

Unifying the party with a clear message is what's needed most, he said.

"Part of uniting our party, is making sure we have a messenger who can unite our party. So I'm not telling the Tea Party to go away, I'm not telling the moderates to go away," he said. "I'm saying if we actually want to unite, we need to make sure we're uniting around a clear message—something everybody here can agree on, something the people on the other side can agree on, and something the middle can even agree on."

"And fighting for the next generation is what we can agree on," he said, talking about focusing on job creation, helping young people find jobs after college, and helping everyone rebound from the recent economic depression.

"I think we as a party have a great opportunity to reach out to those young people who have been hurt by bad government policies, and hurt by the bad economy, and fight for them," he said. "And I don't think that's a partisan message. I don't think that's something the Tea Party can disagree on, or the moderates can disagree on, or that anyone can disagree on."

He can be the solution, he said.

"If you look at what the party really needs, my qualifications match up with it perfectly—and that's a younger candidate who can appeal to younger voters, and who can deliver a clear message. I've consistently delivered an articulate, conservative alternative," he said.

Meyer said his party is famous for "not showing up," and that he vows to stop that trend if elected. So, he spent most of his day at the Adams Center mosque in Sterling Friday shaking people's hands, finding out what issues they were most concerned about, and handing out his personal cell number to anyone who wanted to talk more.

"We as Republicans need to show we mean business when we talk 'inclusion.' We need to show we care about people's values. These people here, they share our values," he said. To them, the ones who escaped their home countries to get away from religious persecution and to try and form a brave new life here, many by running their own businesses, he said the GOP party would be hard-pressed to find voters who care more about economic liberty.

If elected, Meyer said transportation, education, economic stimulation, reaching out to young voters, and stopping the expansion of the Affordable Act at the expense of funds for more crucial needs in the 33rd District would be among his top priorities.

Whomever wins the Republican nomination Monday night will face Leesburg attorney, Democrat Jennifer Wexton, and former Delegate Joe May, now running as an Independent, on the special election ballot.

All Are Welcome at Republican Primary/Mass Meeting Monday

All who live in the 33rd State Senate District—which encompasses Herndon, Sterling, Leesburg and a small portion of Chantilly—are welcome at the Republican party's Mass Meeting on Monday, Dec. 16, at Park View High School, 400 W. Laurel Ave. in Sterling.

Click here to enter your address and find out if you live in the 33rd Senate District.

To participate in Monday's primary, come between 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. to register. Then, at 7:30, candidates Ron Meyer and John Whitbeck will each give a speech, and then voting will be conducted by paper ballot and a winner announced.

For more information about Ron Meyer or Monday's event, click here or e-mail team@ronmeyer.com.


What do you think of Ron Meyer's platform and message? Tell us in the comments below.

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