Babur Lateef wants to take what he says are his successes as the chair of Prince William County’s school board and apply them to state politics. Lateef, an ophthalmologist, has also held board positions on the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors and UVA Health System.
Now, Lateef is one of six candidates running to earn the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in the June 17 primary; the winner will face Republican John Reid for the office currently held by Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle Sears.
VPM News state politics reporter Jahd Khalil recently spoke to Lateef about his campaign, as part of a series of conversations with all six Democratic candidates for the state’s No. 2 job. (You can find links to the other interviews at the bottom of this story.)
Lateef associated his legislative priorities with policies he said Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger supports: cutting the car tax, housing affordability, investing in education, and opposing President Donald Trump.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Jahd Khalil: Why are you the best person to be the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor?
Babur Lateef: As chairman of Virginia's second-largest school division, we've had considerable success that I'd like to scale up across the commonwealth: lowering taxes, improving student achievement and record pay raises for teachers.
So, when you're asking who is the best candidate for the race, I think you have to look at our records, and I have a record of results that I'd like to deliver for the entire commonwealth. And I think people are noticing that.
Everybody in this race seems to have a different idea of what the lieutenant governor does or should do. What do you think the lieutenant governor should be doing?
First off, you have to be ready to serve in case there's something that happens to the governor, so I think it's important for you to know where we stand on the issues. You have to cast a tie[breaking] vote in the Senate, so it's important to know all the legislation and what the consequences are. You also serve on a number of boards and commissions.
I've had considerable success being a chief executive of one of the largest school divisions in America and at the University of Virginia, where I've run one of the largest health systems in the Commonwealth. You need someone on those boards and those commissions to advocate on what's best for Virginia looking forward.
You mentioned breaking ties. What issues do you foresee yourself having to break ties on? And where do you think you stand on those?
I think one of the most controversial issues that we're seeing in the General Assembly, last year and this year, is putting a casino in Northern Virginia. Those are close votes. I would cast the tie vote to not allow having a casino in Northern Virginia.
My opponents have taken record dollars from the gaming industry, predatory gambling interests and casinos; I've taken not a penny. I think if you want someone who's going to run on Democratic values — on integrity, trust — then you have to vote for someone like me who will stand up for what the people don't want. And nobody around here wants that.
You were the first to jump into the primary. Even though you got in early, there are signs that you might not be a front-runner. What are you offering voters that makes you think that you're the best choice for them?
People are interested in seeing someone who's had the kind of success we've had leading one of the largest school divisions in the state.
I have a record of working collaboratively across Northern Virginia and the rest of the state. So, when folks think about someone who has a portfolio in health care and expertise in education and a focus on affordable housing, they are looking at someone who has that experience.
Abigail Spanberger announced a housing affordability program very similar to the work we've announced a long time ago, that we've been running on. She announced her alignment on no car tax. Not only have we talked about no car tax in Prince William, we have the lowest car tax in the region, and we've lowered it even more while doing record investments in education. That doesn't happen without the school board being involved in [that] decision-making.
If you want someone who's going to deliver results, lower your taxes, spend wisely and listen to the public — because that's what I do every day; I'm a great listener — then I'm really the best candidate. And while my opponents talk about running against [President Donald] Trump, I'm undefeated against Trump since 2018. We have defended Medicaid, protected vulnerable students and refused to whitewash our curriculum.
What else do you think is important to know about your run that we haven't touched on?
I think it's important to know that if you want someone who's capable and competent, who can deliver results, who can stand up to Donald Trump — and who's actually beat him over and over again — and if you want someone who can deliver on what people care about, on the kitchen table, issues, affordable housing, access to quality education healthcare, making sure someone listens to them and represents them, then I'm the best candidate in the race by far.
Read VPM News’ interviews with other June primary candidates:
Lieutenant Governor: Levar Stoney | Ghazala Hashmi | Alex Bastani | Victor Salgado | Aaron Rouse
Attorney General: Jay Jones | Shannon Taylor
Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney: Tom Barbour and Colette McEachin
