Buddy Bishop, Chair of the Goochland County Republican Party, is issuing a stark warning ahead of Virginia’s 2025 elections, sounding the alarm about what he sees as serious risks if Democrats maintain control of the state government.
The House of Delegates currently holds a narrow 51-49 Democratic majority. Bishop warned that if Democrats maintain control, Virginia could face higher taxes, changes to parental rights, increases in crime, and significant ideological shifts.
“It’s the end of Virginia, at least the way that we know it or the way that we like it to be,” Bishop told the Henrico Times. “We are a certain percentage of the state. It’s time to get a little more of a foothold or move away. It is not going to be pretty.”
Key statewide races are also on the ballot this year, including Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears running for governor, John Reid for lieutenant governor, and Jason Miyares seeking re-election as attorney general.
Bishop highlighted the importance of closely contested House seats like Del. David Owen’s 57th District in Henrico, describing Owen’s seat as a critical battleground.
“Owen is just a very impressive guy,” Bishop said. “He’s the kind of guy that will actually quiet me or calm me down. He’ll say, ‘Well, you might think that, but consider this. You might want to actually revise your opinion of it because you don’t know as much as you think you do.’”
Owen, a University of Virginia graduate and general contractor, narrowly won his seat in 2023 with 50.8% of the vote against Democrat Susanna Gibson.
In 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris carried Owen’s district by more than nine points, marking it as a top target for Democrats in the upcoming off-year election.
Bishop expressed concerns about the shifting political climate and voter attitudes.
“(Owen ran) against a pornographer, as though that didn’t matter, and maybe it doesn’t, but that whole paradigm and mass psychosis of what’s good and bad, and up and down, is deliberately being muddied,” he said.
As partisan divisions deepen and Democratic turnout in off-year elections grows, Bishop urged voters to engage directly with Owen’s campaign and emphasized the importance of grassroots involvement.
“You don’t want to underestimate him, and you don’t want to think you know him,” Bishop said. “He’s worth meeting, and he’s easier than ever to meet since he is constantly knocking on as many doors as possible. He’s approachable and worth talking to. If you’re unsure, reach out to his office or his campaign. It’s worth getting direct input and talking to him if you can.”
On the issue of public safety, Bishop took a hardline stance.
“Simple. Don’t do it. Prosecute and detain for God’s sake,” he said, referring to violent offenders, including illegal immigrants. His comments follow recent announcements by Gov. Glenn Youngkin about arrests made by the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force.
Affordability remains a top concern for voters, and Bishop criticized the current state leadership for what he sees as inaction.
“It’s more about what they’re not doing and won’t do,” he said. “Ending Right to Work and focusing on wind and solar are definite fails for affordability.”
Last legislative session, Democrats rejected Youngkin’s 2025 tax plan, including a proposed car tax credit.
Virginia currently ranks 23rd nationwide in overall tax burden, with residents paying nearly 9% of personal income toward state and local taxes.
“Don’t elect Democrats,” Bishop said. He also warned that a Democratic victory would bring higher taxes and policies he believes threaten labor laws, energy affordability, parental rights, felon voting rights, and Second Amendment protections.
“If the Dems win, we’ll lose the right to work,” Bishop said. “If the Dems win, here goes the foolish DEI show again. If the Dems win, Virginia will end up with very bad stuff in the state constitution. If the Dems win, we’ll see the most draconian abortion provision in the world — this is not hyperbole.”
He also warned of potential mandatory wage hikes and stricter environmental regulations that he believes would increase costs for families.
Bishop was critical of the Republican Party’s state leadership, accusing it of losing touch with grassroots conservatives.
“The Republican Party has not been wrapped too tight for a long time,” he said. “They’ve really not been an organization of Republicans in the state. They’ve been organizational people who are running and campaigning and are pretty myopic in that sense, which is a point of dismay.”
Locally, Bishop pointed to demographic shifts in Goochland County, noting an influx of residents from traditionally blue states such as New Jersey and California.
“It’s a persistently blue little spot in the formerly full red map in this County,” he said. “Here are older folks who moved in there, coming from New Jersey or California. They didn’t like San Francisco, left Florida, and came out of New York.”
Bishop described the migration of left-leaning voters into Virginia as part of a broader strategy with significant outside financial support backing Democratic efforts in the November election.
“When it comes to a challenge like this, there is a lot of out-of-state paid money that comes in to support Democrats,” he said.
Bishop also issued a passionate plea for voters to understand what he considers the gravity of the upcoming election.
“There is so much damage pending with the paradigm shift of the Democrats taking control of the state that it’s the worst time to find out exactly what you’re in trouble with after the fact,” he said. “And there’s enough; you have to disentangle some of the assumptions and beliefs that you already have.”
“If you look at things like socialism and communism, that kind of crap. Here it comes again,” Bishop added.
