Category: News

Washington Times: Religious Freedom Advocate Seeks Republican Nod to Challenge Rep. Abigail Spanberger

An advocate for greater religious freedom has announced a repeat bid to seek the Republican nomination to challenge Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) in what is likely to once again be among the most closely watched races in Virginia and nationally.

Tina Ramirez, the founder of the nonprofit Hardwired Global, entered the race for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District on Thursday after losing last year in a Republican nominating convention to state Del. Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper). Freitas ultimately lost to Spanberger in November by less than two percentage points.

The seat has been a top target for national Republicans since Spanberger, a former CIA officer, ousted Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) during the 2018 blue wave. Although the district went for Donald Trump in 2016, voters narrowly chose President Biden in 2020.

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Spanberger, a moderate Blue Dog Democrat, saw frequent Republican attacks last year seeking to link her with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and on Thursday Ramirez did the same.

“Abigail Spanberger is voting lockstep with Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden for policies that are creating burdensome regulations for small businesses who are already hurting from COVID, politicizing and downgrading our education system, and making our elections less secure,” Ramirez wrote in a statement.

A spokesman for the Spanberger campaign declined to respond.

Ramirez, a Richmond native and a former high school teacher, has worked for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and advised members of Congress on the issue as well. Her nonprofit offers training on navigating religious intolerance and discrimination around the world.

“I have spent my life defending freedom around the world, only to watch our freedoms come under attack at home,” Ramirez said in her statement. “I want my daughter to grow up in the free and prosperous America that I grew up in.”

Two other Republicans, Gary Barve and John Castorani, have also filed to run for the Republican nomination in the 7th District.

Tina Ramirez Announces Campaign Finance Committee With Impressive List of Conservative, Business and Grassroots Leaders

Midlothian, Virginia – Republican Tina Ramirez (VA-07) announced a campaign finance committee filled with an all-star cast of business, grassroots and conservative leaders from the Commonwealth and across the nation. The nearly 50-member committee will help guide Ramirez to victory against Spanberger come November.

“I am humbled to have so many great supporters from across the Republican Party on this Committee,” said Ramirez. “Our campaign has been fueled by the conservative grassroots, not DC lobbyists or special interests. This Committee represents the momentum we have been feeling on the ground since we announced a year ago. Virginians are ready for a candidate that can beat Democrat Abigail Spanberger. I’m the only candidate who can do that.”

As a first time candidate for public office, Ramirez has raised over $350,000 and has obtained key endorsements from conservative leaders inside Virginia’s 7th congressional district and across the country.

The Ramirez Finance Committee includes:

National leaders
Gus Bilirakis – Current Florida Congressman (FL 12th district)
Trent Franks – Former Arizona Congressman (AZ 2nd district)
Doug & Jacki Deason – President of the Deason Foundation
Bill Noble – Owner, William Noble Rare Jewels
Orlando Salazar – Member of Latinos for Trump
Loreen Gilbert – President, WealthWise Financial Services
Ron Williams – Retired Secret Service, CEO of Talon Companies
Tatiana Moon – President of Kirov Academy
Deacon Keith Esshaki, Dr. Noori Barka, & Kamal Alsawaf – Members of Chaldean American Community
Darrin Mroz – President of DJM Insurance
Peter & Joy Bohlinger
The Russo Family
Steve & Deb Cleary
Randal & Amy Clark
Ashlee & Kelly Dunagan
Tanveer Ahmed
Guy & Patsy Young
Jim & Peggy Dau

District Delegates
William H. Hurd – Chesterfield Delegate, Former Solicitor General of Virginia
Craig Stariha – Chesterfield Delegate, Retired Altria Executive
Dr. James & Dodie Anderson – Chesterfield Delegates
Jim & Merri Beth Gibson – Chesterfield delegates, Owner of Mypills2go.com
Dr. Ben Howerton – Henrico Delegate, Chair of The First Freedom Council
Mike Mickel – Henrico Delegate
Pat & Catherine Hughes – Henrico Delegates
Tommy Towers – Henrico delegate, Owner of James River Custom Homes
Sidney Gunst – Powhatan Delegate
Pete & Judy DeChat – Spotsylvania Delegates, Author & Philanthropist
Dr. Rich Breeden (ABD) – Spotsylvania Delegate, Ceo Cyber Safari Inc.

Local Supporters
Frank Batten Jr. – Chairman of Landmark Media Enterprises, Virginia supporter
Guadalupe Sigman – Secretary/Treasurer Independent Auto Dealers Association District 4
Virginia, Fredericksburg supporter
Marlon Dance – Virginia Supporter
Bennie & Marcy W. Thomas, M.D. – Chesterfield supporters
Keith Jones – Chesterfield supporter
Wilson Spencer – Chesterfield supporter
Louis C. Smith – E. Alvin Small Funeral Home, Goochland supporter
Elizabeth S. Middleton – Goochland supporter
Kadita & Priscilla Tshibaka – Spotsylvania supporters

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Tina Ramirez grew up in rural Powhatan County, Virginia. Tina has 20 years of experience as a public school teacher, foreign policy expert, and authority on international human rights law and religious freedom. Tina is the founder and President of Hardwired Global, an organization that defends religious freedom globally. Previously, Tina worked for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Becket Law, and the U.S. Congress, where she founded the bi-partisan International Religious Freedom Caucus. Tina has traveled to over 30 countries in the course of her work and has written and spoken extensively, including before the United Nations and the African Union, and testified before the U.S. Congress. Tina and her 5-year-old daughter, Abigail, live in Chesterfield County.

We Need to Come Together as Republicans

Friend – Please look at the letter that I have signed with fellow congressional candidates about the nomination process. We need to come together as Republicans. Read below:

Delegates of the 7th District:

As candidates for Congress competing with each other for the nomination in the 7th District, we have taken this extraordinary step of writing you together to express our concerns and enlist your help.  Make no mistake about it, the Republican nominee in our district can beat Abigail Spanberger.  But to do that, we must all work to ensure the process to nominate our candidate is done with a goal of helping the eventual nominee come out of the process as strong as possible to help us win in November.

Months ago, the 7th district committee voted to nominate our candidate by convention, a vote we all supported.  Originally the Committee selected April 25 as the convention date to ensure the nominee had as much time as possible to build their campaign infrastructure for the general election.  COVID-19 changed a lot of those plans.

The committee chose a convention in large part to ensure that the party’s nominee would have to be selected by a majority vote (50% plus 1) to emerge with the majority of Republican support.  A primary or party canvas allows plurality voting, but a convention –  with multi-voting and multiple ballots – does not.  If it did, it would not in fact, be a convention.  Because of COVID-19, the Committee is entertaining a drive through convention, where voters drive to the Kings Dominion area , cast their ballots, and leave.  I think we can all agree that despite the late date of July 18, the likelihood of a convened normal convention is highly unlikely.

Which means the committee has to seriously start planning for a process of drive through voting.

We as candidates competing for this important nomination, believe that it is within the Republican Party’s interest that the nominee be chosen by a majority vote of the delegates eligible to participate in the convention.  That can only happen with ranked choice voting.  It doesn’t add any time or effort to the balloting process, it just allows for a process that ensures the strongest possible candidate emerges as the nominee and ensures the Republican party remains unified ahead of a very challenging election.  Without that unity, without that majority, winning in the fall becomes extraordinarily difficult.

We ask that as voting delegates, you join us in communicating with your local party leadership, either through email or phone call, and ask them to support a system that provides unity and the most broad level of support for the eventual Republican Nominee.  Click here to find your 7th District Committee representative and contact them now!  Tell them to support a majority vote with ranked choice voting, and help our nominee win in November!

Sincerely,

Tina Ramirez

John McGuire

Andrew Knaggs

7th District GOP Candidate Tina Ramirez Highlights Work On Religious Freedom In Iraq

This week, 7th District GOP candidate Tina Ramirez sat down with the The Daily Caller to talk about her work in Iraq to obtain religious freedom for all people. I wanted to show this video because it shows something that I think is not highlighted enough as Republicans.

Something you don’t see every day in the Republican Party of Virginia is ideas and innovations. People can say “buzzwords” like “Liberty” and “Freedom,” they can do a lot of things to talk about it, but how many people have actually put boots on the ground for the cause they believe in?

How many congressional candidates would leave their lofty perches of the elite to go to Iraq or the Sudan to actually attempt to make a difference about the things that they see in the world.

Tina Ramirez could be our catalyst to start winning elections in Virginia. She represents the fact that Republicans have to be FOR SOMETHING, so much so that they would risk life and limb to obtain the freedom we so desperately desire.

Hundreds Of Christians Are Brainwashed In The Middle East, Congressional Candidate Tina Ramirez Says

Hundreds of Christians are brainwashed in the Middle East, said Republican congressional candidate Tina Ramirez.

The Virginia congressional candidate said hundreds of Christians were murdered, raped and brainwashed into becoming Islamic terrorists when the Iraqi people relied on their government for protection. Ramirez, who is running to unseat Democratic Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger, explained her first-hand understanding of the importance of religious freedom.

Tina Ramirez Announces First Round of Local Endorsements

Midlothian, Virginia – Today, Tina Ramirez announces her first round of local endorsements from inside Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. These local elected officials, community leaders, and conservative activists represent the grassroots momentum that Tina Ramirez has experienced since announcing her run for Congress.

Endorsements:

Neil Spoonhower – Goochland County Board of Supervisors
Chris Winslow – Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors
Debbie Bailey – Chairman, Chesterfield County School Board
Kirk Twigg – Spotsylvania School Board
Carey Allen – Chesterfield Soil and Water District Director and Vice-Chair of the Chesterfield County Republican Committee
Chuck Fadus – Midlothian Magisterial District Chairman
Patrick Regan – Former Treasurer, Chesterfield County Republican Committee
Phil Scott – Candidate for Spotsylvania School Board
Jerry Baldwin – Former Past Chairman, Chesterfield County Republican Committee
Tammy Ridout – Former Candidate for Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors
Thomas Glessner – Spotsylvania County – President of National Institute of Family and Life Advocates
Dr. Ben Howerton – Henrico County – Chair of First Freedom Council

“I’m humbled and honored to have large local support from leaders across the district. Since the beginning of this race, I have made it a priority to run a campaign fueled by local resources and conservative activists inside the 7th Congressional District, not DC politicians and lobbyists,” said Tina Ramirez. “These endorsements show grassroots momentum that will ultimately lead to victory against Abigail Spanberger in the fall.”

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Tina Ramirez grew up in rural Powhatan County, Virginia. Tina has 20 years of experience as a public school teacher, foreign policy expert, and authority on international human rights law and religious freedom. Before starting Hardwired Global, Tina worked for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, where she developed policy recommendations to protect persecuted communities in Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Georgia, and Cuba. While working for the U.S. Congress, she founded the bi-partisan International Religious Freedom Caucus. Her intent and major accomplishment was re-directing U.S. policy so that religious freedom was prioritized when dealing with foreign governments. Tina has traveled to over 30 countries in the course of her work and has written and spoken extensively, including before the United Nations and the African Union, and testified before the U.S. Congress. Tina and her 4-year-old daughter, Abigail, live in the Richmond suburbs.