BUENA VISTA, VA – For the first time in over a decade, all six statewide candidates for office will stand behind the podium at the Buena Vista Labor Day Festival — taking the stage to talk to voters, and unofficially kick off campaign season.
Labor Day in Buena Vista isn’t just about music and parades — it’s about politics.
“I think it’s really rare for Virginia Politics overall to have the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, all of those candidates, here. And especially here in Buena Vista, Virginia,” Buena Vista Economic Development Director Kristina Ramsey said.
Ramsey tells 10 News that the small-town setting makes this festival unlike anything else on the campaign trail.
“The connection that they get to make is so much different than it would be in any other setting. It’s really creating a safe space outside of the normal large gatherings they tend to have,” Ramsey said.
Ten News political analyst Ed Lynch says candidates are feeling the pressure more than usual.
“I think last November during the presidential race, a lot of people were shocked that North Carolina was called before Virginia,” Lynch said.
While the Labor Day Festival is the unofficial kickoff to the campaign season, candidates have started early — running ads earlier and more frequently.
“I’m seeing ads with the kind of frequency that I usually see in October, and we’re still in August. They think it’s going to be closer,” Lynch said.
Lynch says all six candidates attending the festival is a testament to Southwest Virginia’s role in November.
“Democrats of course, don’t have to win Southwest Virginia, but they need to reduce their losses,” he said.
And that’s exactly why this small-town festival has become a must-stop for Virginia politics — blending tradition with strategy on the campaign trail.
“We don’t get the opportunity as a small town to connect with our political candidates in the same way that some of the larger places do. So bringing those folks in and being able to shake their hands and be able to hear from them firsthand, really allows our community to be educated on the folks that they’re voting for, but also just share in the spirit of what makes Buena Vista and Virginia and our country so special,” Ramsey said.
The festival comes just a few weeks before the start of early voting in Virginia, which begins September 19.