Virginia Lieutenant Governor-elect Winsome Sears, a Republican, said during an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News that voters elected her for lieutenant governor because they are sick and tired of politicians who will not let racial wounds from the past heal.
“What do you think Virginia voters were saying on Election Day when they made you lieutenant governor?” Chris Wallace asked Sears on “Fox News Sunday.”
“They’re tired of the black against white and the Asian against Latino,” Sears responded. “They’re tired of it, and they’re tired of politicians who won’t let the wounds of the past heal.”
Sears said that the mission is to simply serve the people of Virginia and to inspire young children to reach for their dreams.
WATCH:
TRANSCRIPT PROVIDED VIA FOX NEWS:
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Glenn Youngkin’s victory in the Virginian governor’s race was the big story on election night. But there was someone else on the ballot who also won. And she’s also creating a stir, taking on tough issues and nailing one-liners. Here’s our “Power Player of the Week.”
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WINSOME SEARS, VIRGINIA LT. GOVERNOR-ELECT: I’ve just always assumed that whatever room I am in, I belong. Whatever I want to pursue, it’s mine for the taking.
WALLACE (voiceover): Virginia Republican Winsome Sears will soon be taking the office of lieutenant governor.
SEARS: How sweet it is.
WALLACE: Once considered a longshot, she’ll be the first black woman in that post.
WALLACE (on camera): What do you think Virginia voters were saying on Election Day when they made you lieutenant governor?
SEARS: They’re tired of the black against white and the Asian against Latino. They’re tired of it, and they’re tired of politicians who won’t let the wounds of the past heal…
WALLACE (voiceover): We were with Sears this week as she toured the state capital in Richmond, checking out the Senate floor, where she’ll preside.
SEARS: Wow. How awesome is this.
WALLACE (voiceover): The power of the moment was not lost on her.
SEARS: A black lieutenant governor was handing off to another black lieutenant governor, and that has never happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So that’s history.
SEARS: That is history.
God bless Virginia.
WALLACE (voiceover): Sears ran at a time when race and education are the focus of charged debate.
SEARS: Nobody is denying that we don’t want to hear all the history, least of all me. I certainly don’t want the sins of the past to be repeated. We don’t have to tear one person down in order to build another up. That’s no way to be. That’s not America.
WALLACE (voiceover): Sears’ love for America is rooted in her life story. She immigrated from Jamacia and served in the Marines.
SEARS: Everything that I’ve had, I’ve had to work for. No one gave me anything.
WALLACE (voiceover): She isn’t shy about how her lived experience shapes her worldview.
SEARS: In case you haven’t noticed, I am black and I have been black all my life. … But that’s not what this is about.
SEARS: Sometimes what happens to you isn’t because you’re black or because you’re a woman, it’s simply life. I mean, some days you’re the pigeon and some days you’re the statute. It’s just life.
SEARS: We need to wake up.
WALLACE: Her victory, her politics, and this photo made headlines beyond the commonwealth.
SNL’s MICHAEL CHE: … was elected as Virginia’s first black female lieutenant governor. But this is actually a win for Democrats because nothing will get Republicans to support gun control faster than this picture.
WALLACE (on camera): Did you think the joke was funny?
SEARS: Well, I did, because I thought, well, I don’t think he knows what he’s saying. And the fact that his audience thought it was quite hilarious was also very telling about their character. So, you know, it’s a bunch of hypocrisy, but it’s all right. I can handle it. I’m a big girl.
WALLACE (voiceover): It’s that tenacity that has political insiders asking already if she has bigger plans.
SEARS: I just want to serve, you know, in the end. And I really want others to see me, especially the children, to say, well, if Winsome can do it, I can do it, because I didn’t do anything special except stay in school and study. And I never let anybody walk over me. And if they did, they didn’t get a second chance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Winsome Sears is ready to go. She takes office on January 15th.