Michael Van Meter

Michael Van Meter served in the U.S. Navy from 1988 to 1996. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in 1988, a master's degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1996, and a master's degree in addiction and co-occurring disorders from the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School for Addiction Studies in 2022. His career experience includes working as a therapist.[1][2][3]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

US Navy Veteran, former DC Police officer, retired FBI Agent, currently working as an addiction therapist..

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Reduce CrimeImprove the economy Educate, not indoctrinate

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public Safety, Foreign, Health, Immigration

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity and tenacity

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

U.S. Navy Aviator, 8 years

Campaign website

Van Meter’s campaign website stated the following:

Reduce Crime

​In the last couple of years our Police and First Responders have been under attack. This has led to an increase of crime across the country, especially violent crime. The communities that have been negatively impacted the most are our minority communities. Defunding and attacking our police are not the answer. What we should be doing is to improve training, increase funding for specialized training units, and look for ways to assist police in not just enforcing laws, but helping and educating our community. My experience in law enforcement as well as the addiction and mental health field give me unique qualifications that very few people have. I will work very hard to make our police and first responders the best in the nation.

Improve the Economy

The pandemic has been devastating in so many ways, not the least of which has been to our economy. It appears our government has done everything in its power to make our economic recovery more difficult. I will do everything in my power to ensure that Virginians have every opportunity to thrive in an economy that is as free as possible from government interference. We must find ways to reduce taxes and promote economic growth so that every Virginian can enjoy economic growth and prosperity. Virginia must attract and retain as much business as possible so that we can drive opportunities that will help us realize our economic potential. We must never again allow our government to overstep its authority by closing businesses and creating hardships on citizens who are already suffering.

Educate not Indoctrinate

Education has become a major issue in the last couple of years and is now one of my top priorities. The United States is continuing to fall behind in producing the top technical minds in the world, and this is due to losing our focus on what our public education should be doing in the first place. Our schools should not be used for political indoctrination. Our schools should be the places where our students are learning the foundations that will make them competitive in a global marketplace. Our homes, churches, community groups, and social networks are where our students learn the values of their families and communities. We cannot tolerate a public education system that is producing students that are lacking the fundamentals that will enable them to succeed.

Protect the 2nd Amendment

Americans have the right to bear arms, this is enshrined in our constitution. I will protect this freedom knowing that those who hurt others should be punished and not law-abiding Virginians. I have long recognized that those who commit crimes with weapons are usually those who have had untreated or ignored psychiatric issues. In Virginia, we already have laws in place designed to prevent felons and people with diagnosed mental illness from purchasing weapons. Creating more laws is not the answer. I will work very hard to ensure that our current laws are enforced, and work just as hard to expand care for those struggling with mental health issues. We must also support our law enforcement officers as they strive to prevent those who should not possess weapons from doing so.

[4]

—Michael Van Meter’s campaign website (2024)[5]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Michael Van Meter and I live in Springfield, Virginia and I am running for the Virginia State Senate, 33rd District in 2023. I am a Navy Veteran, former Police Officer, and retired FBI agent. I am a Constitutional Conservative who believes in the need to support all of our First Responders through education, funding, and responsibility. I believe the opiate and addiction epidemic is a priority as well as our floundering economy. We must do everything in our power to help Virginians recover financially post epidemic and regain the means to succeed. We must ensure that our communities are safe from the exponential increase in crime we have been experiencing and ensure our schools are the best in the nation.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Our First Responders deserve our support, and we must provide them the best training, equipment, and leadership we can.Our economy is floundering and our citizens are suffering as a result. We must do everything we can to help all Virginians recover financiallyVirginia’s schools are suffering and we need to invest in making them the best in the country

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am very passionate about the incredible surge in deaths from addiction, increases in suicide rates, and depression in our community. I believe we need to increase awareness, support, and resources for these issues. The pandemic and economic decline has contributed significantly to these issues and we need to do all we can to help our community recover.