Mike Webb

Mike Webb was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He earned an undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University in June 1988. Webb also took graduate classes at Washington & Lee University Law School, Rutgers University School of Law-Camden, Liberty University, Villanova University, and the John Leland Center for Theological Studies. His professional experience includes working as a conservative political advocate and activist. He served in the United States Army from October 1990 to June 2010. Webb is affiliated with the Army and Navy Club, the 75th Ranger Regiment Association, and the Angels of Liberty.[1]

Mike Webb did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

According to Merrick Garland, I am a "litigation hobbyist", who intervenes on "hot-button issues across the country." According to Blue Virginia, I'm a "pesky independent" about whom the words "commando", "onslaught" and "scorched earth" come to mind every time I try to get on a ballot, and I have two current actions that have triggered the Voting Rights Act mandate to appoint election observers. According to the Progressive Voters Guide, I was 'against the government response to the public health crisis", and in less than a year I docketed a half dozen cases for certiorari at the Supreme Court. Currently I have two matters in mandamus to compel the first grand jury investigations into COVID-19 incident infections and deaths.

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?

The kids of pandemic are the leaders of tomorrow, and the very preventable learning loss must be addressed.Educators especially in Arlington, the community with the most government scientists, and ranked 14th in the nation for holders of graduate degrees, knew, or should have known, that schools did not have to be closed.Public charter schools, home schooling and vouchers provide access to better education.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Of late, litigating as a pro se litigant, I am concerned about promise of a day in court for litigants who go to court without the assistance of an attorney to represent them, which not only affects 73% of the cases in federal courts brought by inmates, but also persons who are in a political minority, and being treated in disparate treatment, vis a vis similarly situated others who happen to be in the majority party, and finding courts and judges acting as gatekeepers for defendants.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My Daddy was a pastor of a church for 40 years, which he managed without scandal or sullying his reputation, in the world but not of the world. And for a hell-fire and damnation fundamentalist preacher in the community with the most corrupt reputation in the Northeast, the Cook County on the Atlantic seaboard, that says quite a lot.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

My political philosophy is in the Constitution.

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

An elected official should be trustworthy and possess those leadership qualities that inspire others around a vision that becomes infectious.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Even folks in strategic counterintelligence had described me as a quick study, and as a lieutenant, my rater had said that I would tell him the truth even when he didn't want to hear it. The local press says I am guns blazing, which I take to mean very direct, and I readily admit that I lack the diplomatic skills of a friend of my father, Rev. King.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To represent best the concerns and interests of the constituents in the Third House District of Virginia but with an eye towards the success of the entire state.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I'm not really looking for a legacy. If it happens it happens. The Bible says to seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and that's good enough for me.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was only two years old when the telephone rang at our family home from Daddy King to inform my father that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been shot, and not long after, my father, a National Guard Chaplain, was mobilized for the Newark riots.

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

Burger King, flipping burgers at age 16. They had a conveyor belt grill and I was like Lucy Ricardo making chocolates. I only lasted less than two weeks as a part-time employee and determined that burgers were probably not calling as a chosen career field.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Six Easy Pieces, by Professor Richard Feynman. Doctor Feynman was a pretty intelligent astrophysicist and professor at Harvard who could make the most complex topics, like relativity, easy to understand.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I went into strategic counterintelligence to become James Bond, and the rest is history.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The theme from Green Acres.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Like Hubble, in The Way We Were, life for me has come too easily.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The ideal relationship is an amicable relationship, where all can have disagreements without distrust and disdain.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

For Virginia, and all other states, with the learning loss, the nation has been set back, and addressing that has to be the priority to ensure a strong nation for the next decade and beyond.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Government and politics are not a place for novices, and experience working in government and with legislators in the past far better prepare an officeholder for a steep learning curve.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Life and success is about relationships, and the legislature is not any different.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I often say that my godfather, former House Majority Whip was a shrewd politician for a preacher, and you probably learn a lot by osmosis as a preacher's kid in a five thousand member Black Baptist church.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

We never know what tomorrow will bring.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Going door to door in a post-pandemic America, I have met many people who suffered significant losses, and I had the opportunity to meet quite a few who had embraced the idea of home schooling, which in Northern Virginia does not provide a lot of options and resources. And that takes a lot of courage, commitment and concern that is inspiring.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Two egghead types roll into a restaurant for lunch. One is a mathematician and the other is an astrophysicist, not exactly the social butterfly types in personality, but one day they both decided to give it a try and break out of their introverted shells. They both sit down at the diner counter, and the mathematician begins by saying hello, to which the astrophysicist overcame his shyness to reply. After moments of uncomfortable silence, the astrophysicist takes the initiative to ask what they should talk about, and both pondered the thought for minutes. Suddenly, the mathematician who had reflexively buried his head in the menu, looks up with a bright idea in revelation and epiphany, asking, "How about Pi?"

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

In U.S. v. Chalk, a case quoted for another purpose by Mark Herring in defense of the lockdowns and other COVID-19 response measures, the Fourth Circuit had noted that sometimes power is placed in unworthy hands, just as Lord Acton had noted that power tends to corrupt, and absolute power absolutely.. Still, while the courts cannot always prevent those abuses, it can sometimes later correct them, and in this way the legislature can, at appropriate times, granting deference to the powers and the duties of the executive, provide a check and balance against abuses.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Let's say that I prefer to negotiate from a position of strength.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

I would want a program using the model we use in adult literacy and English as a second language, to close the gap in learning lost during the pandemic.

What committees interest you?

I would like to focus primarily on education, but also as a veteran of the military and the Virginia National Guard, I believe I can add some value in that arena.

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased February 17, 2020

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Like the Vice President, I am a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order, but, in VA8, my first two priorities have me running as an Independent.

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?

VA8 is the kingmaker district that has decided the outcome of statewide races for the past two decades, and POTUS need only pick up eight points.Since 2018, POTUS has enjoyed an approval rating amongst African Americans over 30%, and is performing well with Latinos.65% of Americans support some restrictions on abortion, and a single issue pro life voter (45%) is more likely to vote than a pro choice voter (35%).

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a constitutional conservative, I favor smaller government, lower taxes, and personal liberty, including the sanctity of life and the unabridged right to bear arms.

As the son and grandson of fundamentalist Baptist pastors, with two family churches on the National Historic Registry, and as a member of a Southern Baptist Church, I am in line with the Founders who made Freedom of Religion the first liberty in the Bill of Rights.

As a retired field grade officer with assignments in special operations and strategic counterintelligence, I support a strong deterrent to aggression and the ability to defend our borders and our strategic interests around the world, but reject the notion that our military power should be used as world police.

My military experience informs my heritage as the great grandson of a Jewish immigrant who fled Germany before the Holocaust, and I recognize the strategic value of Israel, our best friend and ally in the contentious Middle East.

Raised in a family tradition of education, and blessed with the finest education in elite schools, I promote options for School Choice and reforms in public education to ensure proficiency of all students and eliminate the persistent achievement gap that adversely affects children of color.

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

Even the deist Thomas Jefferson, who tore all references to miracles from his Bible, wrote in an oft misapplied and misunderstood letter that he yet believed that Christianity might one day be the salvation for all mankind, if, in the words of Alexis de Tocqueville, "rightly understood." And, notwithstanding a doctrine of separation, and constitutional proscriptions against an established church, the men who operate in elected offices must, nonetheless be the best examples of integrity, honor, principle and discipline. The whole is equal, and not greater than the sum of its parts. Theodore White publicly acknowledged back in 1968 that the popular vote is far too susceptible to the stage illusions created by marketers on Park Avenue, but military officers, faced with similar operating environments, yet, by statistics, representing that demographic in which religious faith finds its highest incidence, are instructed to accept the leadership obligation to be those necessary eyes to ensure safety. On a live fire range, anyone can and should be a safety officer, but, in the final analysis, the ultimate responsibility is vested in those who assume the mantle of leadership, a responsibility to be held accountable far too often abdicated unashamedly by elected and appointed officials today.

Machiavelli even warned his prince that, even if it was not necessary that he possess all of those qualities, it was nonetheless of greatest necessity to maintain legitimacy in power to appear to have those good qualities. Yet mass demonstrations of "proud to be nasty women," elected members of Congress publishing press releases to promote their intent to boycott a ceremony that has marked the peaceful transition of power, and a childhood fascination with the adornments of rebellion, provide validated intelligence that progressives have even forgotten the warning of John Kennedy, that those who foolishly ride the back of the tiger, far to often wake up surprised inside.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Despite many glowing officer evaluation reports, as a graduate of Washington & Lee University, where I had attended expressly for its student administered, single sanction honor system, and had the privilege to be elected to serve on the student government body vested with the responsibility to maintain it, I am most proud that over a decade after graduation, my rating officer wrote that I would tell him the truth, even if he did not want to hear it. Anyone who has served in an organization or who is familiar with peer pressure is well aware that that red badge of courage is a double-edged sword, both blessing and curse. But I want that to be my enduring legacy, that, at the end of life's journey, it can be said that I fought the good fight, ran the good race, and kept the faith.

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

As a preacher's kid, you are born working, printing and folding bulletins and the variety of other assignments that develop around the church, but my first real job was as a first line manager in the fast track Management Intern Program for Bankers Trust New York, one of the major New York City money center commercial banks. I was assigned to the Delaware subsidiary, and, on the first day, I was summoned to the CEO's office on Park Avenue and given the option to quit because three levels of senior management above me had been asked to resign after it was discovered that they had lost track of a half billion dollars. The difficulty arose after all banks were required to expedite check processing in the aftermath of the enactment of the Expedited Funds Availability Act of 1988. BTNY decided to open a subsidiary in Delaware to take advantage of the benefits of incorpoation in that state, but also to utilize the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia in processing its official checks because that Federal Reserve Bank had a smaller volume than New York, which had facilities in Manhattan, Jericho, Long Island, and Cranford, New Jersey. Unfortunately, rather than relocate personnel who had been performing the job for years, the Bank simply asked for volunteers to relocate to Delaware with the incentive of a New York salary. With nothing to lose, and always up fo an adventure, I took command of the ground zero operation, and within one year reduced the risk to the bank to a one hundred thousand dollar writeoff. But, after you have an adrenaline rush experience like that, even the lure of fast track management pales in comparison; so, I headed down to Washington to get a start in politics as a Hill Staffer, but, long story short, Senator McCain straightened me out and told me to just go back home and run for office, because nobody wanted another congressman working in their office.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The final verse of the National Anthem: O thus be it ever when freed men shall stand between their loved homes and the war's desolation. Blest with victory and peace may the Heaven rescued land praise the Power that hath preserved us one nation. And conquer we must, for our cause it is just, and this be our motto: in God is our trust. And the star spangled banner forever shall wave, o'er the land of the free and the homes of the brave.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Every great nation in history that has gone into decline and fallen has crumbled from the inside first, and not by invasion nor necessarily ethnic or religious division. James Madison specifically stated in Federalist 51, where we find the language about not all men being angels, that the competing religious sects would shape our national conscience, and these were men who could not contemplate the erosion of the basic unit of traditional families. While, according to the Pew Research Center, over 75% of Americans identify as Christians, in all faiths, the level of devotion to that faith is around half of that. And Pew Research Center credits devotion, or commitment to practices and attendance are the glue that keeps one in the fold. And, filling the void that must be filled, big government and schools have, against the Constitution, displaced the roles of families and churches. And the evidence of the effects of the decline in this moral infrastructure, or to use the Strom Thurmond phrase, "the faith we have not kept," is sounding alarms that are being ignored, in an increasingly emotional and partisan population, where issues and policies, and, as we saw in the impeachment process, even laws, have become irrelevant. If we do not address this clear and present danger, that government, of the people, by the people and for the people will perish from the earth.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Discussing term limits provides an opportunity to touch on some other questions regarding length of term and prior political experience. The Constitution, forged by men with recent experience in tyranny, established a government of limited government, and, as John Adams noted, in his address to the Massachusetts Militia, it was made for a moral and religious people, unsuitable for any other, placing great faith that a "We, the People," would serve as the ultimate check and balance on a government of separated powers, despite recognition that history had taught that men were accustomed to suffer up to a "long chain of abuses and discretions,' before seizing their right and duty to alter or abolish a government that had abused its power, and establish new forms of government to ensure their happiness and security.

Yet, in a growing humanist secularism, the popular vote in 2016, as well as the naïve infatuation, amongst a miseducated plebiscite that has embraced the proletarian hopes for some utopian ideal that has never been great, validate the skepticism expressed by Benjamin Franklin that a popularly elected government might be able to keep a democratic republic. The huddled masses today no longer "yearn to breathe free" as a priority, are unaware of Lord Acton's warning that all "power tends to corrupt, absolute power absolutely," and are doomed to repeat a forgotten history.

Accordingly, beyond the expressed qualifications in the Constitution, it should be self-evident that representatives elected to operate the legislative power require at a minimum an understanding of jurisprudence and the operation of laws, about which the doctrine of deference, compels our courts to rely on their deliberations and wisdom. And any candidate quickly recognizes the necessity of understanding the operation of politics. Limiting access to corrupting power, as done for the executive, is the best and only way to curb that appetite, oft expressed to reject limits on terms.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Particularly as a challenger candidate, you should have an incentive to break outside your routine and meet new people and expose yourself to new ideas, and, in my first run for Congress in 2016, I had the opportunity to attend the convention for the Federation of the Blind. There I met an incredible young lady who had planned after high school to enlist in the Marine Corp, continuing a military tradition in her family, like a far too small number of Americans who give military service a thought. But, at the Miltary Entrance Processing Center, she learned that she would be totally blind before she graduated from high school, ending abruptly the promise of her career goals. And, it was at this point in her story where I was truly taken by surprise. She said very matter of factly that when she learned that she would be blind, she decided that she would just have to use Plan B, a phrase that resonated with me, especially considering the high rates of suicide today, especially amongst military veterans. Plan Be. Of course.

This young lady did not do what probably most of us would do when hit by devastating news. She did what we teach Rangers: improvise and overcome. Perhaps that was because her daddy was a Ranger and raised his children with those same values. And, by the time I met her, she had graduated from college, and had already received her masters degree, and was working with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Plan Be. Put that out in formation, as we say in the Army.

Webb participated in the following survey conducted by the Vote411 Voter Guide. The questions provided by the guide appear bolded, and Webb's responses follow below.

How would you improve the process for realigning school district boundaries to help deal with the projected overcrowding and improve diversity?

In the next decade it is projected that over 10,000 children will join the classroom attendance rolls of our public schools that are already over capacity, and, if we can reliably extrapolate from current and existing demographic data, we can expect that unlike the population growth that has continued to increase the numbers of persons of a majority culture in our municipal population, the majority of the children who will begin education in our public schools will be children of color, who are statistically vulnerable to affliction by a persistent and devastating achievement gap, To immediately confront that emerging crisis I have submitted a proposal to the School Board to invite a successful sponsor of charter schools to create a reverse magnet high school, focusing on raising the achievement of the majority of the kids in our public schools who , unfortunately, fall below the mean. Any other solution will inevitably replicate our past failures.[8]

—Mike Webb (2017)[9]

What changes, if any, are needed to ensure students develop the critical thinking skills to evaluate political and civil discourse including "fake news"?

That process must begin with leadership by example to establish a command climate where truth, guided by rigorous research and disciplined scrutiny is the hallmark. A recent controversy regarding the decision to rename our schools with Washington-Lee High School on center stage provides an opportunity for leaders to demonstrate what right looks like, and I have submitted a proposal to the School Board to sponsor a panel discussion on the life of Robert E. Lee in all of its complexity so that we can truly learn, unencumbered by our own prejudice and unwitting ignorance. The current petition to change the name contains only 3 assertions presented as fact but that are blatantly false. Yet, to date, the Board has refused to acknowledge my request and the press and surrogates for my opponent have decided to villify me as "a white supremacist." Ad hominem attacks are, by definition, a logical fallacy, but they rule the discourse in our political debates.[8]

—Mike Webb (2017)[9]

How would budget cuts to education at the national level impact Arlington schools and curriculum?

In practical and demonstrated effect, as exemplified in the recent passage of the education budget for the Arlington County Public Schools for Fiscal Year 2018, national budget cuts will result in our leaders continuing to conduct themselves as whining children, engaging in sensationalized and partisan argument. It is an empirically provable fact that our budget, in excess of a half a billion dollars is bloated and replete with wasteful spending. And our leaders need to learn to act as stewards entrusted with our public fisc. To spend $17 million to guarantee transportation to students K-12 who live only a mile away and in a safe community 26 miles square doesn't prepare our high school bound students to graduate to college and becomes esssntially a jobs program promoting increasing largesse. I have submitted proposals that have gone in acknowledged to align expenditures with our mission and objectives.[8]

—Mike Webb (2017)[9]

What will be your top two priorities for your term of office and what data supports these priorities?

My first priority when elected to the Arlington County Public School Board will be to remedy the oldest problem in this public school division which adversely affects the majority of the children in our public school district and that represents an existential threat to this community: the achievement gap, currently a numerated but consistently unappropriated boilerplate “priority” and “standard” in the Arlington County Public School budget towards which our leaders profess to be “continually striving to eliminate” in an effort to adhere to the state constitutional amendment mandate to create “a quality education for all students.” My second priority, as I stated at the outset of my campaign, is to be “the education precedent,” speaking the truth and refusing to recant because to do so is neither wise nor safe. Let's make America great, again and let's begin that task in the most educated and affluent community in the nation to set the example for others to follow.[8]

—Mike Webb (2017)[9]