Roanoke Sun

If Virginia sheriffs have any say over who will be the next governor of the commonwealth, Glenn Youngkin will be one happy man.

The Republican nominee for governor has received the backing from 50 Virginia sheriffs, nine of which operate in Northern Virginia and surrounding counties.

Youngkin released a statement following the endorsements stating that he would work to make the state as safe as possible.

“I am honored to have the support of Virginia’s law enforcement community and look forward to working closely with them to make Virginia’s communities among the safest in the nation, not the most dangerous,” Youngkin said. “[Democratic nominee] Terry McAuliffe has turned his back on law enforcement and embraced the most radical elements of his party that want to defund the police, abolish ICE and close prisons.”

Youngkin also took to Twitter stating that he was “Proud of the 50 sheriffs endorsements I received. These law enforcement officers know that Terry McAuliffe does not have their back and will make Virginia less safe.” 

The new endorsement comes weeks after Youngkin received the endorsement of the Virginia Police Benevolent Association.

“Glenn Youngkin has displayed an in-depth understanding of the complex issues currently facing law enforcement in the commonwealth," said Joe Woloszyn, Virginia Police Benevolent Association president. We feel that Mr. Youngkin is uniquely positioned to promote our common goal of professionalism and increasing public safety and trust. It is with great pride that our board of directors makes public our endorsement of Glenn Youngkin for governor of Virginia.” 

"Democratic nominee for governor Terry McAuliffe refused to meet with VAPBA representatives, despite the organization’s history of endorsing candidates from both parties," the association added in a release. "The VAPBA is the largest police representative organization in Virginia and represents nearly 8,000 law enforcement officers in the Commonwealth, including deputy sheriffs." 

Recently, three sheriffs switched parties from Democrat to Republican and also endorsed Youngkin including B.C. “Chip” Shuler, John McClanahan and Brian Hieatt.