Donna Charles is proud and honored to receive the endorsement of the Independent Veterans of America (IVA), an organization that is dedicated to identifying, amplifying, and uniting independent veterans at all levels of public service.

Throughout her campaign for Governor of Virginia, a race that she exited on October 9th, 2025, Donna consistently spoke about how important it is to have more veterans run for elected office. With a focus on "we the people" above party, independent veterans can be instrumental in clearing the political logjam that has ground our government to a halt once again. What IVA is doing all over the country for veterans like Donna is providing a strong platform, comprehensive training, and valuable visibility that can garner the resources needed to succeed in competitive races.

Donna believes that making progress on the challenges everyday Americans face today — including the rising cost of living, healthcare, and housing — requires bold, visionary leadership to look beyond entrenched party politics. IVA recognizes that our country is crying out for the next generation of leaders who, as Americans first, are battle tested and primed to work together and restore faith in government and each other. Donna will continue to work tirelessly, now with the endorsement and support of IVA, to be part of the next generation of leaders who are on a mission to rebuild and put the American people first.

After careful consideration and consultation with the Donna for Virginia team, Donna Charles has ended her bid for Governor of Virginia and endorses the Democratic nominee, Abigail Spanberger.

Donna's decision comes at a critical time in our history. We are facing evolving threats to our democracy, our economy, and our way of life as Virginians and Americans. She is confident that exiting the race now and supporting Abigail Spanberger, the candidate who best reflects our democratic values and ambitions for Virginia, is the right decision at the right time.

During the campaign, Donna met with voters of all stripes and discussed their concerns about the rising cost of living, attacks on healthcare and the federal workforce, and threats to our democracy. While those who voted for her or planned to do so may be disappointed in her decision to exit the race, every conversation she's had along this journey has inspired Donna to keep listening, learning, and working for everyday Virginians.

Donna is deeply grateful to all who supported her and a shared vision for Virginia. As the campaign closes this chapter, we are eager to start a new one that allows Donna to keep the issues Virginians care about at the forefront as she transitions into a new phase of public service. Please stay tuned to donnaforva.com for announcements in the weeks ahead.

Our hope is that Virginians turn out to vote in record numbers and stand for a Virginia that is safer, brighter, more prosperous, and healthier for all.

As a former federal employee who experienced the first Trump Administration's government shutdown in December 2018, I am deeply disappointed that Congress and the White House have once again failed the American people. And Virginians, already battered by ongoing waves of mass layoffs, will likely feel the repercussions of this shutdown no matter how long it lasts due to the relatively recent phenomenon of the government actually shutting down, in whole or in part, due to a lapse in appropriations.

What is clear is that the increasingly rancorous and uncivil partisanship that pervades our discourse around healthcare and government functions in general is forcing the lives and livelihoods of Virginians to hang in the balance. In addition to the tens of thousands of federal employees facing furlough and layoffs as a result of the shutdown, essential services like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits may be delayed. Life-saving programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program may be defunded at a time when Virginia is facing a cost of living crisis and a rapidly increasing unemployment rate.

These unfortunate events further underscore why I am committed to always putting people over politics. As governor, I will conduct a full review of the Commonwealth's social services and employment programs to determine how to provide additional support for furloughed employees. My administration would also identify opportunities to prioritize former federal workers displaced by the Trump Administration for careers with the Commonwealth of Virginia. I would also encourage the private sector to hire qualified displaced federal employees through conditional tax incentive programs. As Governor Youngkin's administration touted in August, the Commonwealth is home to almost 250,000 open positions, so there is more we can do to connect qualified employees with opportunities that reflect their skills and experience.

I am the only candidate in this race for Governor of Virginia who has gone beyond political platitudes and empty rhetoric and provided a clear roadmap to supporting former federal employees in crisis. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, which include thinking creatively and acting aggressively to protect Virginians and our economy from disastrous and destructive policies emanating from Washington, D.C..

Earlier this week, the No New Gas Plants Coalition marked another major milestone in its effort to defeat the development of the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC), a project that would contravene the spirit and intent of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA). Should the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approve the permit for the CERC, it would clear a regressive path away from providing Virginians healthier and more sustainable energy solutions.

I fully support the No New Gas Plants Coalition in its ongoing effort to organize, publicize, and manifest opposition to the CERC. A win for the coalition and Chesterfield County in this case would also be a win for all residents of the Commonwealth, including for their health, environment, and energy bills over the long term. That's because it represents the power of community organizing, civic engagement, and productive activism that underpins landmark legislation like the VCEA.

As governor, I would support all efforts to preserve the core tenets of the VCEA and enhance its efficacy through provisions that include and clarify stakeholder engagement and equities. Another top priority would be to return Virginia to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which earned Virginia nearly $1 billion in funding for energy efficiency and flood preparedness projects around the Commonwealth, including in affected areas like Hampton Roads and Petersburg. Most importantly, I commit to energizing efforts by the private sector to bring online a host of alternative energy projects, including solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear, that will meet Virginia's energy demands, protect our environment, and diversify our energy portfolio as required for such a critical part of our infrastructure.

Today marks the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act, signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. A critical part of our social safety net, Social Security remains an important lifeline for retirees, those living with disabilities, and other beneficiaries whose lives depend on it.

Here in Virginia, roughly 1.7 million people receive Social Security benefits, and a little over 10,000 Virginians receive that benefit by paper check. The Trump Administration recently announced that the paper check distribution system will be discontinued in favor of direct deposit or a pre-paid debit card. I encourage any Virginian affected by these changes to contact the Social Security Administration or visit the closest office to learn more and obtain assistance.

This change is just one of many that I expect will disrupt the lives of many beneficiaries. I am also deeply concerned about proposed changes to the program under discussion in Congress, including the introduction of an investment fund, that suggest opening the door to privatizing Social Security and increasing borrowing to keep the program solvent. The details will be important to understand as they take shape. I, along with millions of other Americans, believe that lifting the cap on income subject to payroll taxes, among other reforms, will be necessary to protect Social Security in the near term.

Most of the people in Washington who pose the greatest threat to Social Security will have no idea what it's like to depend on it to survive. So Virginia, use your voice to demand answers from your elected representatives about what they plan to do to protect the social security benefits you earned. Use your vote to create change if you don't like their answers.

Today marks the 60th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing Medicaid and Medicare into law. Since then, these programs and others that spring from it, like CHIP (the Children's Health Insurance Program), have provided a literal lifeline for millions of Americans.

What makes our country a modern, developed, and progressive nation is a social safety net system that supports the poor, disabled, children, and elderly within our communities. Failing to do so is an indictment on us as a society and a myopic approach to protecting and building our economy. We must continue to fulfil our promise as a nation to those who have been dealt a harsh blow or who have aged into a system that is there to protect them.

The One Big Beautiful Law, passed on 4 July 2025, threatens to sever the lifeline for roughly 300,000 Virginians. As the next Governor of Virginia, it will be my top priority to protect and shore up our social safety net, including Medicaid and SNAP. That means implementing at the state and local levels programs that will assist recipients in navigating administrative hurdles and costs to accessing their Cardinal Care benefits.

While it may mean difficult decisions ahead, there is no greater honor than to serve every member of our community in a way that speaks to the promise of compassion, humanity, and community.

Since the Donna for Virginia© Campaign launched in May 2025, Donna Charles has emerged as an independent candidate who is responsive to the needs of Virginians who are often overlooked, unseen, and unheard election cycle after election cycle. Her campaign reflects the growing desire among Virginians for an alternative to divisive and corrupt party politics.

Donna Charles is running for Governor Virginia to give Virginians a real choice in November. Among establishment candidates who have been bought and paid for by special interests, dark money PACs, and corporations, Donna Charles emerges as a candidate with integrity who has pledged to run a transparent campaign accountable to everyday Virginians. That means she is focused on raising funds from individual donors whose small dollar donations can fuel a movement for change here in Virginia.

Donna's campaign is predicated on a bold new leadership approach that will make Virginia safer, brighter, more prosperous, and healthier. Donna's top priorities include: increasing the minimum wage to a living wage ($15/hr or higher); protecting Virginians from the harmful effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill by shoring up Cardinal Care for Medicare and Medicaid recipients; securing access to essential food assistance programs and other benefits; addressing the housing crisis through comprehensive reforms at all levels; increasing necessary resources for law enforcement and criminal justice professionals to reorient our system toward victim-centered approaches to public safety; diversifying Virginia's economy by enhancing access to training and reskilling opportunities in the trades, healthcare, and social service delivery; keeping our promise to rural communities by driving more state resources for social services, infrastructure development, and small business revitalization into underserved but deserving areas throughout the Commonwealth; diversifying Virginia's energy portfolio by introducing solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear projects to complement existing energy sources, bring costs down for everyone, and protect Virginia's environment and residents from harmful toxins and pollutants; and restoring Virginia as the best place in the country to do business.