The Daily Signal - Virginia Redistricting, Not Save Act, Is ‘Jim Crow 2.0’ | Waverly Washington & Joe Thomas

Episode Date: March 13, 2026

A PAC headed up by former Delegate AC Cordoza is under fire for sending mailers out last weekend with imagery of the civil rights movement of the 1960's.  Virginia State Speaker of the House Don Scott said, "The Civil Rights Movement should not be used as a political prop" (even as U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer called the SAVE Act "Jim Crow, 2.0").  A video ad put together by a group of Black Community leaders in the group "GateKeepersVA" has also been burning up social media and is driving more contributions to attempt to catch the Eric Holder backed pro-redistricting campaign's $20 million warchest. Virginia congressional candidate, and one of the people that put the ad together, Waverly Washington joins Joe Thomas, Daily Signal Virginia correspondent, to explain how a kid who once visited his father in prison became a West Point graduate, Army officer, and now a pro-Trump fighter for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coming up in a little bit, we're going to deep dive into the redistricting issue here in Virginia. And I know you folks are watching because I listen to a lot of the other nationwide talk shows. And they're all talking about Virginia. Get my name out your mouth. We know what's going on in Virginia. Wave Washington is on with us. He's laughing at me. But I feel the same way I did in 2017 when I was there at the corner of Fourth and Market Street.

And I have people in Southern California trying to tell me what happened in Charlottesville with the race riot and with David Duke and all of that. And don't tell me. I'm here. I'm telling you, I'm in the middle of it. Wave is one of the participants in that great ad. You know, never again. It's gatekeepers VA. But he is also running for Congress. Do you know which district you're going to be running in Wave? That's a great question, Joe. As right now, I am a congressional candidate for Virginia's 7th District. Okay. So that's kind of Northern Alba Marl, Louisa, Orange, and all of that. Yes, sir. And what drew you to it? It certainly couldn't have just been this issue of the gerrymandering.

No, no. I just kind of let you know a little bit about myself, you know, and Joe, I know you're already aware of kind of my father and his story. So, you know, I was born in Central Virginia. Well, I am, but let's let everyone else know, Bridge Ministries. which is one of the most incredible organizations. You talk about talkers versus doers. The bridge ministry has been a doer for folks who have fallen into the bad spots of the world. For how long now, Wave has you been? We're 30 years. 30 years.

And he's walked that walk as well there. And anyway, so, yeah, so you come from a pretty good pedigree of people who understand what, you know, having chances are all about. So anyway, back to what drew you to run for Congress. So a lot of it really starts at the beginning. You know, my father was incarcerated during my early childhood. And actually, I remember my first memory of my dad was actually seeing him in prison. I remember going to see my dad and not being tall enough to sit on the chair. So my mom had to stand me on the counter so I could see and talk to him at the same time.

You know, fortunately, you know, he found Christ in prison, came home reformed, and then work with my mother to rebuild our family. you know, and neither my parents graduated from high school, but they understood the value of hard work, and they also really pushed us to take advantage of the opportunities this country offers. So kind of with that example, you know, I went on to, I earned my way to West Point. I played football there, and then I was an Army officer, and I served with the greatest soldiers in the world all over the world. You know, and, you know, America, for me, it started to mean a lot when I started to travel and see the world. Being stationed abroad, you start to understand the freedoms, the opportunities,

and the second chances that America offers in a way that no other place does. And America gave a kid who used to visit his father in prison a chance to be a West Point graduate, you know, a chance to be an Army officer, and now a chance to run for Congress. So, you know, I feel deeply about speaking up for everything America is because right now there are a lot of people that are much, that are willing to speak about everything America isn't. So you'll be, if the district stay the same, which is my goal and your goal, I believe, as well, you'll be. You'll be, be facing Yevigny Vindeman, who also claims his military pedigree and, you know, part of the whistleblower brothers, you juxtapose what he has done because I know that a lot of folks

said that Abigail Spanberger, which he represented that district, was sort of the invisible congressperson. I can't point to something that Vindeman has done in the 7th district, even even you to run against I mean is is it really an abdication of responsibility from him what is what is your campaign going to be built on well the the campaign we built on bringing the bringing the voice back to the people of Virginia 7 you know when I started going to the different commending meetings in different counties you start hearing the same complaint you just brought up that we have we have a member of Congress that's invisible with a member of Congress that hasn't done anything tangible for the people you know and right now

he's just riding the wave of being anti-Trump. And, you know, I feel that I can bring a voice back to the people of Virginia 7 and start to handle the needs that they have because he hasn't. You bring up being anti-Trump. And in a little bit, we're going to spend a lot of time on your work with the gatekeepers VA and the ad that you guys put together regarding this gerrymandering. We will not be silent. We will never, never, never, never.

Not ever again. Not ever again. Vote no. Vote no. But there's a peril in here. They said right up front that their goal is to go after President Trump. I've heard people talk about impeachment proceedings, things like that. With the actions going on in Iran right now, we don't know what's going to become of Ukraine, Russia,

but they keep getting closer to dragging some of our allies in there. There are American soldiers in harm's way right now. Is this the time to be playing politics with our congressional representation? You know, it definitely isn't. You know, this is a very serious thing that's happening in Iran for myself personally. I have friends that were killed and directly or indirectly based off the I had told them the actions of Iran. So, you know, at this point, you know, we have to make sure that we handle that issue, what they're moving towards their nuclear capabilities. So I 100% behind President Trump and what we are accomplishing right now in Iran.

And, you know, sadly, certain people are trying to make this gerrymandering thing a distraction. Because in reality, Virginians have already spoken about this issue. You know, it was spoken about 2020. It was voted almost 70%. We've already said, we've already had our voice be heard. And now they're just trying to steal it because they have the opportunity to. And that's it. Well, and I think it puts our soldiers in peril if, you know, Washington, D.C.

devolves into an unending series of impeachment proceedings, which again, I would never, you know, deny somebody the right to question an elected official. I'm just saying that while our soldiers are in harm's way, just purely impeaching somebody because you don't like him, it just doesn't seem to be the right use of our resources wave. And that's one of the headscratchers about what's going on here in Virginia with this redistricting. Where can people find out more about you and your website, you know, maybe make a contribution to help you run against Yevigny? By the way, I am told every time I refer to him by his given name, he gets furious.

So if you ever get a debate with him, just keep referring to him as Yevigney and it'll get under his skin. but how can people help you out with your website, find out more about you and that kind of thing? No, absolutely. So you can look me up at Wave for Congress, W-A-V-E-4-Congers.com. And that's how it's all the information about the campaign and where we're going and we're excited about what's happening. Even with the Jerry Manning redistricting, fighting doesn't stop just because it got harder. So we're going to continue to push and move forward regardless of what happened in the end. Now, that's a West Point grad for you right there. The fighting doesn't stop just because it gets hard.

Wave, thank you. This is the kind of wave election I can get behind there. So thank you, sir. You have a great day, and we'll talk to you in a little bit when we get into the redistricting stuff. Thanks, Joe. Appreciate it. We've seen this before. They count our bodies for representation.

But past sham laws to silence our voices. They'll let us on the bus, but tell us where to sit. They tell us be quiet. Tell us to stay in the back. In the back. In the back. In the back. In the back.

In the back of the bus. But we didn't fight to sit down. We didn't stand up just to be silenced. We fought to be heard. To have our voices counted. To have our votes counted. To choose leaders who answer to us. Now they want our numbers.

But not our voices. They want our presence. But not our power. They are so bold in their lives. that they call it fair when they silence us. But we will not sit down. We will not be silent. We will never.

Never. Never. Never. Not ever again. Not ever again. Vote no. Vote no. Vote no.

Vote no. On April 21st. Vote no. Vote no on April 21st.