Victor Salgado, the former Department of Justice attorney who successfully prosecuted Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, announced on Thursday he is joining the race for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.
Salgado’s entry to the race was first divulged by The Richmond Times-Dispatch, which reported the candidate cited the immigration policies planned by President-elect Donald Trump as his decision to leave the Department of Justice (DOJ) and enter politics.
“I see a lot of hurt coming to Virginia and having been on the inside under the first Trump administration, I want to get out in front of those issues as a Virginia official, in particular for the sake of my kids, for the sake of families here and the commonwealth in general,” Salgado told the outlet.
According to a LinkedIn profile that appears to belong to Salgado, the prosecutor held various positions at the Department of Justice from April 2016 until December 2024.
In a video posted to his campaign website, Salgado specifically referenced Trump’s immigration agenda as a reason for his candidacy.
“We find ourselves at a critical moment. The last election made that clear,” Salgado said in the video.
He later added, “the new administration in Washington wants to strain our resources by deputizing our police officers and sheriffs to ask for your papers if you look like me or my daughters. That’s not okay with me, so it’s time to step up.”
Salgado also said his wife “spent her entire career as a lawyer-at Planned Parenthood, fighting for reproductive healthcare office.”
When the candidate discussed immigration, the video was played from Salgado’s prosecution of Arpaio, who was 85 years old when the Obama administration’s DOJ obtained a verdict declaring him guilty of contempt charges. Salgado argued the then-sheriff of Maricopa County defied a federal court order barring him from racial profiling.
“The court issued a clear and definite order, the defendant knew of the order, and the defendant willfully violated the order,” Salgado said in 2017, according to Courthouse News Service.
Trump ultimately issued Arpaio a presidential pardon in August 2017.
Virginia’s current lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, announced her gubernatorial candidacy in September. Governor Glenn Youngkin, limited to one term by the Virginia Constitution, endorsed her bid last month.
At present, Virginia business consultant John Curran is the only Republican to enter the race to succeed Earle-Sears, while Democrats seeking the Virginia’s Executive Mansion also include Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, Prince William County School Board chair Babur Lateef, and Virginia State Senators Ghazala Hashimi (D-Chesterfield) and Aaron Roush (D-Virginia Beach).
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Victor Salgado” by Victor Salgado.
