Pence Touts 4th District Candidate

Republican Ryan McAdams is a 'person of character,' the vice president tells a Richmond crowd

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A campaign rally for Republican 4th Congressional District nominee and political newcomer Ryan McAdams began with the Lord’s Prayer and featured an appearance by Vice President Mike Pence at the SunTrust building in downtown Richmond on Saturday.

Pence, along with former Gov. Bob McDonnell, state Sen. Amanda Chase of Chesterfield County, Speaker of the Virginia House Kirk Cox, Bishop Leon Benjamin and Rev. Dean Nelson of the Frederick Douglass Institute also shared remarks in support of McAdams at the free, public event. 

“At the March for Life, [as a congressman, Pence] would hold a separate event for Hispanic and African-American leaders who were not typically invited to such events in D.C.,” Nelson told the crowd. “And a person who exhibits the same type of character, conduct and authenticity is Ryan McAdams. He has the same DNA, he has the same DNA as Vice President Pence.”

When Pence took the stage shortly after 2:30 p.m., he, too, shared what he saw as similarities between himself and the 4th District nominee.

“I’m here today for one reason and one reason only,” Pence said. “Virginia and America need Ryan McAdams in the Congress of the United States.”

After a brief pause for Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” song, during which time McAdams and Pence shook hands and posed for photos, Pence continued.

“I can tell, talking to so many supporters backstage, [what they] have figured out: Ryan McAdams is a person of character,” Pence said. “In fact, when I met [McAdams and his wife, Jade] today for the first time, I thought, ‘They look an awful lot like Karen and Mike Pence.’ … The more I learned about Ryan McAdams — I would’ve been here if he was unopposed, he’s just that quality of a person.”

Pence also drew parallels between McAdams and President Donald Trump, both of whom are newcomers to politics. McAdams hails from Charles City County, but has been a prominent minister for nearly two decades, currently leading worship at Agape Mission Church in Williamsburg. He was previously a social worker, and invoked his past leadership in addressing the crowd in Richmond.

“The biggest thing I’ve heard across the 4th District is that Donald McEachin is absent and aloof,” McAdams said. “You know, McEachin works real hard up in D.C. for Nancy Pelosi, but he’s not doing the same for the 4th District. I will work hard to make the 4th District great again.”

Making the 4th District great again was a common refrain throughout the rally, drawing upon Trump’s familiar “MAGA” campaign slogan.

“Like the president, I’m not a career politician,” McAdams said. “I’m a small business owner, I was a social worker … I have worked for the community my whole life. [I’m] someone who cares about our veterans, for the hurt, the disenfranchised. [McEachin] won’t lift a finger for the people hurting in the 4th District unless it supports the leftist agenda.”

He went on to invoke an incident last winter when the heat went out for more than 50 units at Creighton Court, a public housing community in the East End, during one of the coldest weeks of the year.

“He was called out by the Richmond Times-Dispatch … for his heartless, aloof response,” McAdams said. “And he said, ‘Why are you coming to me with that problem?’ ”

(McEachin did issue a statement addressing the Creighton conditions, and larger issue of Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority leadership, in early January, and has made several other statements calling on Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to better address the public housing crisis.)

Another point several speakers touched upon on Saturday was support for veterans. On several occasions, servicemen and women and their families were asked to raise their hands.

“We have more than 68,000 veterans in Virginia — I want to work with our state and federal elected officials to get them the services they need,” McAdams said, noting he would also take care of farmers and industry workers.

At the rally in Richmond, McAdams also received an endorsement from the Chesterfield County division of the Fraternal Order of Police. The organization's president, Kevin Carroll, said it had not endorsed a candidate in 20 years, until expressing support for 7th District Rep. Dave Brat, a Republican incumbent who faces a challenge from Democrat Abigail Spanberger in this election.

“We’re getting the word out to our public safety people in the 4th District and the 7th District to help get the vote out,” Carroll said. “We know it’s a tough time for police. We have officers getting shot and killed.”

The comment resonated with the crowd, which packed the fourth floor auditorium of the SunTrust building. During his opening remarks, Nelson told the applauding crowd that a man's rights are secured in three boxes: “the ballot box, the jury box and the cartridge box.”

While the opening speakers addressed the crowd, Pence and McAdams were backstage at a private event for donors. According to the campaign’s announcement, couples who paid $5,400 got to meet the vice president, pose for a photograph with him and receive “event recognition” and priority seating at the rally. Couples who paid $2,700 had the opportunity for a photo with Pence; for $1,000, couples could attend the reception but not take a photo with the vice president.

Before Pence and McAdams entered the auditorium, Bishop Leon Benjamin spoke to the crowd about topics ranging from Kanye West to the weather on Election Day.

“This nation is coming back together again. Black and white, red and yellow, we’re coming back together again,” Benjamin said. “If God can allow somebody like Kanye West — please give it up for Kanye — he’s making my job real easy. Our president was very cordial, very nice, allowed him to speak, didn’t shoot him down. And it’s things like that happening now. There’s no such thing as ‘I don’t have time to listen to you.’ ”

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks campaign finances, McAdams’ campaign had raised $140,856 as of Sept. 30; McEachin had raised $785,600 and Libertarian candidate Peter Wells had raised $201.

Despite political analysts' prediction that McEachin will hold onto his seat, Benjamin expressed optimism that McAdams will fare better than Republican Mike Wade, whom McEachin defeated by a margin of more than 15 percentage points in 2016.

“You can take a licking and keep on ticking,” he said. “We may not have had the best candidate [in the 4th District] last time; but we’re gonna have the best candidate, this time,” Benjamin said. “Don’t be afraid to say we’re going to take back our nation — again.”