Alex Bastani is a labor and employment attorney who describes himself as a “lifelong union member.” The Northern Virginia Democrat is a member of the American Federation of Government Employees and fought for workers’ rights as the leader of his local union for more than a decade.
Now, he’s hoping to use his experience to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. He is one of six candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the June 17 primary. The winner will face Republican John Reid for the office currently occupied by Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears.
VPM News state politics reporter Jahd Khalil recently spoke to Bastani 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 the links to the other interviews at the bottom of this page.)
Bastani says Democrats have lost their way and are no longer fighting for working-class Virginians. He says he supports universal health care, a $20 minimum wage and repealing Virginia’s right to work law.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Jahd Khalil: Tell us why you're the best person to be the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.
Alex Bastani: I'm a lifelong union member and a union leader. I think this is what some of us would call an outsider election. I'm not a professional politician, as opposed to four of the other five candidates. More importantly, I'm not getting any corporate money, which is limiting our efforts to actually do things better for folks.
I think, quite frankly, my opponents are trying to out-Republican Republicans — as the party has done for the last 40 to 45 years — and it's just not working. I think it's kind of funny that everyone complained about Jill Stein, but she kind of proved the point that the swing voter is to the left of the party. It's not in the middle, as the narrative has been from the mainstream press.
Can you give some examples of what you're talking about, out-Republicaning the Republican Party?
This soft language that “we're for small businesses” and “we want to make Virginia good for businesses” and things like that. We need to make it just as good for workers too — most people don't own businesses.
There's a recent study by CBS Moneywatch that 60% of Americans can't even make basic standards [of living]. We need to focus on those folks now, instead of the business community and the billionaires and some of the people who've taken over the party.
You were talking about being a lifelong union member. Can you give us a little more detail? What was your role at those unions?
I was a member of AFGE Local 12 at the US Department of Labor for 30 years, and I was a vice president and the executive vice president for a combined seven years. I was the president of the local for 11 years, and I did a lot of litigation and arbitration. But probably the most important thing I ever did is when President [George W.] Bush tried to privatize a huge bunch of jobs, and we fought it through litigation and lobbying and mobilization.
How does that experience lend itself towards the current moment that we're in?
Unfortunately, the moment hasn't changed. Donald Trump has gotten even further anti-worker than even George W. Bush, and I thought I would never say that. We need to focus again on the bottom 60%.
A lot of our Democrats are complaining that the working class abandoned us. No, we abandoned the working class first. That's why I'm on more economic policies such as universal health care at the state level, a $20 per hour minimum wage [and] student debt relief, so people can start buying homes and starting families — and we have to repeal the right to work law so people can form unions in this state.
Why do you think the right to work law should be repealed?
It's the essence of what it is to be an American. One of our basic freedoms under the First Amendment is the right to free assembly. The right to work law is actually using the power of the government to keep people from forming unions.
We've heard a lot about Citizens United. There was a case before called Buckley v. Valeo that kind of set the framework. If you read between the lines, it's basically saying: If you don't have money, you really don't have the power of speech. The only way working class people can do that is through a union.
A lot of different candidates are defining the role of lieutenant governor in different ways. How do you define that role, and what would you do as lieutenant governor?
It's about going out on the road, being an advocate for the working class. I understand our gubernatorial candidate — who will win; I'm very confident in her — does not have the same feelings I do about the right to work. So I need to reach out to the labor community, and we’ve got to organize.
In that first month of the new [General Assembly] session in January, we've got to put the pressure not just on Republicans, but on Democrats, to repeal the right to work law. And I think we can do that.
Read VPM News’ interviews with other June primary candidates:
Lieutenant Governor: Levar Stoney | Ghazala Hashmi | Babur Lateef | Victor Salgado | Aaron Rouse
Attorney General: Jay Jones | Shannon Taylor
Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney: Tom Barbour and Colette McEachin
Richmond City Sheriff: William Burnett and Antionette Irving
