Summary
Current Position: Attorney General of District 82 since 2022
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2023 Attorney General
Former Position: State Delegate for 82nd from 2016 – 2021
In November of 2015, Jason Miyares won the open seat to the 82nd District for the House of Delegates by the widest margin in the district’s history while becoming the first Cuban-American ever elected to the Virginia General Assembly. Jason Miyares has brought commonsense conservative leadership and accountability to Richmond while fighting for fiscal discipline and government transparency.
In November of 2015, he won the open seat to the 82nd District for the House of Delegates by the widest margin in the district’s history while becoming the first Cuban-American ever electd to the Virginia General Assembly. Jason Miyares has brought commonsense conservative leadership and accountability to Richmond while fighting for fiscal discipline and government transparency.
OnAir Post: Jason Miyares
News
Richmond Times-Dispatch, – November 4, 2021
Democrats and Gov. Ralph Northam resisted GOP calls this year to investigate misconduct at the Virginia Parole Board after people were released from prison without proper notification to crime victims and prosecutors.
Republican Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares says he’s going to get to the bottom of the problems so they don’t happen again.
“Citizens get frustrated when they feel like there’s no accountability or transparency in government,” Miyares said Thursday after taking questions from reporters at a news conference in Richmond. “I’m going to have an internal working group in the AG’s office after I get sworn in to really just do a deep dive on what happened.”
A recap of the parole board scandal:
Under a former board chairwoman, Adrianne Bennett, the board in early 2020 quickly released more people than typical from prison shortly before Bennett was to become a juvenile court judge in Virginia Beach. Complaints followed to a state fraud, waste and abuse hotline, and the Office of the State Inspector General began to investigate.
The inspector general’s investigations were administrative and not criminal, and the agency found the board violated law and policy in the process by which some people were released. Senior aides to Northam in August 2020 questioned the power of OSIG to investigate, and after a meeting in which they admonished OSIG staffers, the inspector general, Michael Westfall, said he feared for his job. Westfall told the governor’s staff during the meeting that his office wouldn’t look into any more complaints.
Virginia Mercury, – October 29, 2021
With just a few days until this year’s election, polls have indicated a tightening race between Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, and Republican candidate Jason Miyares, a state delegate. Last in a two-part Q&A series with Herring and Miyares.
Two of the most vivid memories Del. Jason Miyares, R-Virginia Beach, has revolve around his mother’s path to becoming a U.S. citizen after she immigrated from Cuba. Those moments shape his politics as a delegate and make him proud to potentially be Virginia’s first Latino in the attorney general’s office, he said. Miyares talked to The Mercury about his background and his plans if elected, including a crackdown on crime. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
VM: What do you think is the proper role of the attorney general?
Miyares: One of the key roles of the attorney general, you’re the intersection of the civil and criminal and you are there to protect Virginians but also you’re known as Virginia’s top prosecutor. Public safety is a huge mission of the Attorney General’s Office. I think a big key difference between myself and my opponent is that he’s been trained as a politician, and I’ve been trained as a prosecutor. When the murder rate in Virginia is at over a two decade high, people are concerned, so I want to go after human traffickers. I want to go after violent felons. I want to investigate school boards that aren’t reporting sexual assaults in schools as they’re doing in Loudoun. And so I think, right now, it’s clear to me that the right leaders focus on the right priorities and top priority for me is going to be safety and security for Virginians.
How do you feel about potentially being the first Latino to hold this position in Virginia?
It’s humbling. My story doesn’t begin in Virginia Beach. It begins in Havana, Cuba when a scared 19-year-old girl got on an airplane penniless and homeless and not knowing where the next meal is gonna come from. That was my mother, Miriam Miyares. I’d be the first elected attorney general also in Virginia history to be the child of an immigrant. So I love to say if your family came to this country seeking hope and opportunity, there’s a good chance your family is a lot like my family. It would be the biggest honor of my life to be your attorney general.
VIRGINIA BEACH — Today, the Miyares for Virginia campaign released their second television ad for the 2021 attorney general election. “Pledge” takes place in a classroom, and highlights Miyares’ personal story.
Miyares is the son of a Cuban immigrant and would be the first Virginia attorney general to be the son of an immigrant if elected.
[Teacher]
The Pledge of Allegiance. Now, I want everyone to write down what that means to you.
[Miyares]
We teach kids the pledge.
But I actually had to teach it to my mother
Who fled Cuba, penniless and homeless, so she could become a US citizen.
I’m Jason Miyares.
The son of an immigrant, I grew up to be a prosecutor.
And now, a candidate for attorney general.
[Teacher]
Ruthie
[Student]
With liberty and justice for all.
[Miyares]
I’m running for attorney general because I believe liberty and justice for all is what every Virginian deserves.
About
Source: Campaign page
A New Generation of Virginia Leadership
Delegate Jason Miyares is an example of President Ronald Reagan’s “Shining City on the Hill.” His story begins with his mother, Miriam Maria Miyares, who fled communist Cuba in 1965 with the clothes on her back and no idea from where her next meal would come. She legally immigrated to the United States and instilled in her three sons a passionate love of the freedom and democracy of America. Miyares grew up in Virginia Beach, attending local public schools and growing up in a middle-class household that emphasized the values of hard work, love of country, and service above self.
In November of 2015, he won the open seat to the 82nd District for the House of Delegates by the widest margin in the district’s history while becoming the first Cuban-American ever electd to the Virginia General Assembly. Jason Miyares has brought commonsense conservative leadership and accountability to Richmond while fighting for fiscal discipline and government transparency.
In the House of Delegates, he serves on the General Laws, Courts of Justice and Transportation Committees, where he has advanced legislation on coastal flooding, improving education, transparency in government and regulatory reform. A former prosecutor (Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney) for the City of Virginia Beach, Miyares worked to keep our most violent criminals off our streets and our families safe. Prior to his service in the Virginia House, he served as a Senior Advisor to former Congressman Scott Rigell.
Delegate Jason Miyares’ passion is building the right environment in Virginia for job creation, flooding mitigation, restoring funding for Virginia Beach public schools, fiscal discipline and government transparency and repealing burdensome regulations that are hurting Virginia small business owners.
As Delegate, Jason Miyares brings common-sense conservative leadership and accountability to Richmond, while fighting for fiscal discipline and job creation. He also serves on the Board of Veterans Services (BVS) and is Chairman of the Commission on Economic Opportunity for Virginians in Aspiring & Diverse Communities (the Opportunity Commission) focusing on opening barriers of economic opportunities for all Virginians. In 2019 he was recognized as “Legislator of the Year” from the College Affordability and Public Trust for his work on transparency and affordability in higher education. The year before, in 2018, Delegate Jason Miyares was recognized as “Legislator of the Year” from the Hampton Roads Military Officers Association of America for his “outstanding and dedicated service” to Virginia’s military veterans.
Miyares attended elementary and high school in Virginia Beach, graduating with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from James Madison University and is a graduate of the College of William & Mary School of Law, where he served on the Honor Council. He is the Past President of Cape Henry Rotary where he was a Paul Harris Fellow, Past Chairman of the Hampton Roads Young Republicans, Founding Member of the Hampton Roads Federalist Society, Member of the Virginia Beach Bar Association, and a Member of Galilee Episcopal Church. He lives in Virginia Beach, with his wife Page Atkinson Miyares, an owner and broker at Atkinson Realty, a third-generation family owned business in the North End, their three daughters and their very lovable Golden Retriever, Buckley.
Delegate Jason Miyares is proud to have the endorsements of over twenty current and past local elected Virginia Beach officials and scores of additional community leaders and business owners.
PARTIAL LIST OF ENDORSEMENTS
Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB)
Virginia Farm Bureau Federation
African-American Political Action Council (AAPAC)
Former Congressman Scott Rigell
Former Senator Jeff McWaters
Senator Frank Wagner
Senator John Cosgrove
Senator Bill DeSteph
Delegate Barry Knight
Delegate Glenn Davis
Delegate Chris Stolle
Sheriff Ken Stolle
Treasurer John Atkinson
Clerk of the Court Tina Sinnen
Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle
Mayor Bobby Dyer
Vice Mayor Louis Jones
City Councilman John Moss
City Councilwoman Shannon Kane
City Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson
City Councilman Jim Wood
School Board Chairman Dan Edwards
School Board Member Ashley McLeod
School Board Member Kim Melnyk
School Board Member Carolyn Weems
https://vimeo.com/393308407
Experience
Work Experience
- Attorney
Education
- JD
The College of William and Mary in Virginia School of Law
2006 - BA
James Madison University
1998
Personal
- Birth Year: 1976
- Place of Birth: Greensboro, NC
- Gender: Male
- Race(s): Latino
- Religion: Episcopal
- Spouse: Page
- Children: Gabriella, Elaina, and Sophia
Membership & Affiliation
: Galilee Episcopal Church
Cape Henry Rotary (former president)
Hampton Roads Federalist Society
Virginia Beach Bar Association
Sorenson Institute for Political Leadership (former fellow, 2000)
Virginia Beach Young Life Committee (former member)
Willam and Mary School of Law Honor Council (former student member)
I’Anson-Hoffman Inn of Court (former student member)
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach (former prosecutor)
Contact
Legislative Assistant: Becky Chambliss
Administrative Assistant During Session: Pat Frasher
Email:
- Government – DelJMiyares@house.virginia.gov
Offices
Capitol Office
Pocahontas Building
900 E. Main St,
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 698-1082
District Office
618 Village Drive, Suite J
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23454
Phone: (757) 353-4696
Campaign Office
1112 Laskin Rd, Ste A
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Phone: (757) 699-1776
Web
Government Page, Campaign Site, Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram
Politics
Source: none
Recent Elections
2019
| Jason S. Miyares (R) | 15,771 | 59.20% |
| Gayle H. Johnson (D) | 10,840 | 40.69% |
| Write-In (Write-in) | 27 | 0.10% |
| TOTAL | 26,638 |
2017
| Jason Miyares (R) | 16,048 | |
| Leigh Anne Bowling (D) | 11,174 | |
| Write In (Write-in) | 29 | 0.1% |
| TOTAL | 27,251 |
Source: Virginia Legislative Information System
Finances
MIYARES, JASON S has run in 3 races for public office, winning 2 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $619,023.
Source: Follow the Money
Committees
Committees
Courts of Justice
Transportation
General Laws
Subcommittees
Courts of Justice – Subcommittee #2
Courts of Justice – Subcommittee #3
Courts of Justice – Ethics Subcommittee General Laws – Subcommittee #1 General Laws – Subcommittee #3 General Laws – Subcommittee #4 Transportation – Subcommittee #2 Transportation – Subcommittee #3 Transportation – Subcommittee #4
General Laws – Subcommittee #1
General Laws – Subcommittee #3
General Laws – Subcommittee #4
Transportation – Subcommittee #2
Transportation – Subcommittee #3
Transportation – Subcommittee #4
Appointments
- Economic Opportunity for Virginians in Aspiring and Diverse Communities, Commission on
- House Courts of Justice
- House General Laws
- House General Laws Subcommittee #4
- House Transportation
- Judicial Conference of Virginia for District Courts
- Modeling and Simulation Advisory Council
- Veterans Services, Board of
Voting Record
See: Vote Smart
New Legislation
Source: Virginia Legislative Information System
Issues
Democracy
Democrats continue to oppose cleaning voter rolls and commonsense election integrity measures like showing an ID to vote. Jason supports reform measures that give the confidence for all Virginians that elections are run with integrity and openness.
Economy
Recreate a Pro-Business Virginia
Small businesses and entrepreneurs are struggling with high taxation, litigation and regulation coming out of Richmond. Jason will fight to preserve Virginia’s Right to Work status and is a passionate believer in a “bottom-up” economy that doesn’t favor big corporations but instead supports the policies that allow small business owners to grow, thrive and most importantly, hire. While the current Attorney General continues to side with far left, out of state political organizations over Virginia small business owners, Jason will always stand for job creation and opportunity.
Education
The closure of schools for over a year has had an unconscionable impact on our children and most vulnerable. During a time when America was having a great debate about inequality in our great nation we shut down one of the great equalizing tools in our society; our schools. Over the past year we have seen the Virginia public education system fail our children, their parents, and in particular the most vulnerable students that struggle with learning disabilities or have an IEP. The Virginia State Constitution gives our kids the right to an education and Jason pledges to sue any school district on behalf of parents that is not fully open by the time he is sworn in.
Immigration
As potentially the first Attorney General since 1786 that would be the child of an immigrant, Jason is a passionate believer in the American Miracle and that our nation is a nation of second chances. If your family came to America seeking freedom and opportunity chances are your family is a lot like the Miyares Family. Miyares supports legal immigration, but he will not allow illegal immigrants to take advantage of American laws and is in favor of efforts to strengthen border security.
Safety
Punish Criminals and Protect Victims
The victims of violent crimes are too often ignored or forgotten in Richmond. An out-of-control parole board has let out felons, rapists, murderers, cop killers, and child abusers out of prison and back in our neighborhoods and communities. This failure to protect the safety of Virginia families is a fireable offense, and as a former criminal prosecutor, Jason has seen first-hand the toll violent crime has on victims, families and communities. As Virginia’s next Attorney General he will make your safety his mission to protect all Virginians.
Time and time again we have seen how our current Attorney General remained silent and failed to step in when local prosecutors allowed dozens of rioters to avoid prosecution for their crimes, effectively setting them free. Jason has a record of putting violent criminals behind bars, consistently defending Virginians and if local prosecutors are unable or unwilling to prosecute violent criminals he will step in.
It is time we stand with those that stand everyday to keep our communities safe and secure. We should be funding the police instead of defunding them, and give them the tools they need to succeed. Law enforcement officers risk their lives keeping our communities safe and they deserve to know we have their back. As a former prosecutor, Jason has worked with law enforcement and is honored to have the support of members of law enforcement, prosecutors and sheriffs throughout the commonwealth who are tired of a criminal first, victim last mindset in Richmond.
Social Security
Jason Miyares wants to create the Senior Strike Force which would be aimed at protecting senior citizens from fraud. The strike force will be made up of dedicated investigators and prosecutors whose sole purpose is to put those who defraud Virginia’s most vulnerable population behind bars.
