A Black man is a leading contender in Virginia’s race for its next lieutenant governor. Justin Fairfax is one of three candidates seeking the Democratic Party nomination for lieutenant governor on June 13. Fairfax said he wants to make sure all Virginians get a chance to pursue and achieve their dreams.

Justin Fairfax is a former prosecutor and a business owner. (Courtesy Photo)

“I am very passionate about more people getting the same shot,” Fairfax said. “I want to help provide economic security for family members and children in Virginia and I want more Virginians to be able to afford college, buy a house, have access to capital if they want to start a business, and earn a livable wage, which to me is $15 an hour.”

Fairfax is a former District resident who attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., received his bachelor’s degree from Duke University, and a law degree from the Columbia University School of Law. While at Columbia, he was chosen to be on the prestigious Columbia Law Review.

Fairfax has clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria, Va., and counts the jurist as a mentor and friend. He worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, served as the deputy of the Major Crimes & Narcotics Unit, and on the Human Trafficking Task Force.

In 2013, Fairfax ran for attorney general but was edged out by Mark Herring, a state senator, 51-49 percent in the Democratic primary. In 2014, he served as a co-chair for U.S. Sen. Mark Warner’s re-election bid and in 2016, served as a surrogate speaker for the Clinton presidential campaign in Virginia, which Clinton won by 49.8%.

Fairfax supports funding technical training programs and affordable college tuitions at state-funded higher-education institutions. He said he will work to refinance student debt and is a supporter of fully-funded public education and universal Pre-Kindergarten. “Virginia is 29th in the nation in providing Pre-K and I will work to change that,” he said. “Early childhood education should not have to depend on your zip code.”

Fairfax said he understands Black business needs in the state, given that he too is a small business owner. “We need to diversify the state’s contracting program to include more minority and women-owned businesses,” he said. “To do business with the state is a mighty challenge for these businesses. We need to diversify the supplier base and help Black businesses get more access to capital.

“We should make sure that the American dream of owning your own business is available to many more people in the state.”

Fairfax has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Gerry Connally (D-Va.). On March 27 he said, “As a Northern Virginian, Justin understands the unique challenges facing our region and is committed to fighting for our fair share in Richmond . I’ll be casting my ballot for Justin Fairfax on June 13 and I urge all Virginians to do the same.”

In addition to Connally, Fairfax has been endorsed by 100 elected officials and over half of the Virginia State Senate’s Democratic caucus. Fairfax said he won the 15 straw polls that have taken place around the state. Plus, he said, he has raised $1 million in the race.

“He’s a great guy,” Donald Scoggins, who lives in Prince William County, Va. and stopped short of endorsing him, told the AFRO. “It would be great if he got the Democratic nomination. He would be formidable in the general election because he isn’t overtly liberal. Virginia tends to be conservative on some issues and Fairfax could be the right fit for some people in the middle.”

Fairfax and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, co-own a dental practice in Fairfax County, where they live with their two children.