The Breeze JMU’s award-winning newspaper since 1922
Miyares wins highest elected office for a JMU alumnus By JAKE CONLEY The Breeze
In a narrow win over Democratic incumbent candidate Mark Herring, JMU alumnus and Virginia Delegate Jason Miyares has — by unofficial vote counts — taken a victory and will be the next attorney general for Virginia. Miyares, the Republican candidate, had 50.7% of the vote, and Herring had 49.3%, according to election data from the Associated Press. Miyares, a 1998 alumnus, has reached the highest position any JMU alumnus or alumna has reached in publicly elected office. His victory statement, posted to Twitter, begins, “For 12 months, we’ve been asking Virginians if they were ready to win again. Today, they answered yes to that question.” The new attorney general-elect has been serving as the Delegate for Virginia’s 82nd District since 2015; he’s the first Cuban American elected to the House of Delegates in Virginia’s history. In his run for attorney general, he paired a strong-arm legalistic, conservative platform with the appeal of the possibility for Virginia to elect its first Latino attorney general. He champions moves such as increased funding for Virginia’s police forces, hard crackdowns on crime, advancement of business interests, reduced illegal immigration and election reform. According to Miyares’ campaign website, he looks to “punish criminals and protect victims” and “restore law and order.” Other stances listed include plans to fight human trafficking, protect Virginia’s elderly population and “fight for the next generation.” His platform lies directly opposite Democratic candidate Herring’s, who described his intent to make the office of Virginia attorney general a “progressive powerhouse.” Miyares’ victory statement mirrors his hard-on-crime public stance. He wrote: “On Day one, we’ll work toward a safe and secure Virginia … Virginia has spoken - we want safe streets, we want our police to be well trained and supported in the community - and we want the rule of law respected.” Miyares grew up the child of an immigrant mother from Havana, Cuba, who left the South American country to come to the U.S. in 1965. He attended JMU from 1994-98, followed by William & Mary’s law school, where he earned his Juris Doctor. From there, he began a career in law as a prosecutor. On his campaign website, Miyares calls himself someone who’s tired of the “criminal first, victim last” mindset. Fifty years later in 2015, Miyares was elected to the seat for the 82nd District in the Virginia House of Delegates, representing parts of Virginia Beach, and adding a conservative voice to the Richmond political sphere; he was re-elected in 2017 and 2019. During his time as delegate, Miyares served as a founding member of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Miyares is also the first child of an immigrant to be elected Virginia attorney general. see ALUMNUS IN OFFICE, page 5
NOVEMBER 4, 2021 VOL. 100 NO.12 BREEZEJMU.ORG
YOUNGKIN WINS
Republican ticket comes out on top in Virginia By ASHLYN CAMPBELL & KAMRYN KOCH The Breeze
After Tuesday’s election, Glenn Youngkin (R) was voted to be the 74th governor of Virginia, winning against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and third-party candidate Princess Blanding (LP). At approximately 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, the Associated Press called the race for Youngkin. The latest update to the unofficial results has Youngkin leading with 50.80% of the votes, McAuliffe with 48.43% and Blanding with 0.69% of the votes, according to the Virginia Department of Elections website. This closely watched gubernatorial election, largely between career politician McAuliffe and political outsider Youngkin, represents a change in recent Virginia politics. Out of the past 10 gubernatorial elections, seven Democrats have won, and the Republican party hasn’t won the governor’s seat since 2009. Martin Cohen, professor of political science, said the Virginia election was being examined across the nation because it shows the U.S. how voters are feeling about the performance of the newly elected president and the political parties. Cohen said that leading up to the election, the poll results between Youngkin and Mcauliffe were very close. While polls aren’t entirely accurate because of difficulties getting in contact with voters, Cohen said that many felt like Youngkin was gaining traction. see GOVERNOR, page 7
CAA to ban JMU from all conference tournament playoffs if university accepts Sun Belt invitation By SAVANNAH REGER & MADISON HRICIK The Breeze
The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) has voted to ban JMU from participating and hosting conference tournaments should the Dukes accept an invitation to the Sun Belt conference, according to the Richmond TimesDispatch. JMU was set to host four CAA championships this season, including men’s soccer (Nov. 11-14), women’s basketball (March 9-12), women’s lacrosse and softball. Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Kevin Warner provided the following statement to The Breeze via text:
“As we head into a potentially monumental week for the future of James Madison University and our intercollegiate athletics program, we were extremely disappointed to be informed by the Colonial Athletic Association that, should the university accept an invitation to another conference, JMU student-athletes would not be allowed to compete for postseason conference team championships and, therefore, for the opportunity to earn NCAA automatic team qualification. “In an era when the industry of college athletics stresses student-athlete welfare, this decision is completely contrary to those ideals. We were thorough and heartfelt in appealing to the league’s council of presidents,
but that appeal was denied. Eight other Division I conferences have full members that have publicly announced an exit and yet all eight have allowed the student-athletes at those institutions to continue competing for championships. To our knowledge, CAA is alone in this outdated bylaw. “JMU has striven to be a good partner of the CAA and to treat other institutions as they would want to be treated, but that ideal is not being reciprocated. With our sights set on an important next step on Friday, it’s unfortunate that the CAA made this decision right in the middle of the fall championship season.” see #LETUSPLAYCAA, page 20
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