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Virginia Gubernatorial Candidates Weigh In on Confederate Monuments

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Candidates for Virginia governor are weighing in on what to do with the state's numerous Confederate monuments.

The issue has jumped to the forefront of the closely watched contest after a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville over the city's plan to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Republican Ed Gillespie, Democrat Ralph Northam and Libertarian Cliff Hyra all said they want local governments to have the final say whether to remove statues. But Gillespie said he favors keeping the monuments up, Northam said he'd be a "vocal advocate" to have them removed, and Hyra said he's "not crazy" about having monuments up on public lands.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.