The president of the Virginia Police Benevolent Association is defending the group’s decision to endorse Democrat Abigail Spanberger for governor last year over her Republican opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears.
VAPBA President Joe Woloszyn released a long statement in response to an editorial published in Law Enforcement Today by Kyle Reyes of We Back Blue, a 501(c)(3) organization. The editorial called out both the Southern States Police Benevolent Association and the VAPBA for endorsing Spanberger.
The editorial accused VAPBA of dishonestly and surreptitiously announcing the Spanberger endorsement. “This is categorically false,” Woloszyn said. “On August 13, 2025, VAPBA notified its membership by email of the endorsement.”
The editorial also said that VAPBA ignored members who opposed an endorsement of Spanberger.
“While we acknowledge that some members raised questions or expressed disagreement, the pushback was neither forceful nor overwhelming,” Woloszyn said. “We responded to every member who contacted us, explained our process, and answered their questions.”
Woloszyn also shed light on the VAPBA’s relationship with former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration after the editorial accused them of skipping his events.
“This assertion is entirely false,” Woloszyn said. “VAPBA proudly endorsed Gov. Youngkin in 2021. What followed was four years of being ignored by both the governor and his administration. We did not skip his events—we simply were not invited.
Woloszyn said that this experience is not unique.
“Under former Gov. McAuliffe, whom VAPBA did not endorse, we were repeatedly promised meetings and engagement, only to be shut out once again,” he said. “In both administrations, access and dialogue were promised but ultimately denied.”
Woloszyn then described a very good relationship with Spanberger.
“By contrast, Gov. Spanberger invited VAPBA to participate in her inaugural parade, appointed a VAPBA staff representative Rich Goszka, to her transition team, and sought our input on qualified candidates for leadership roles within her administration,” he said. “In fact, we have maintained an open and ongoing dialogue with her staff since she first ran for Congress in 2018, even though we did not endorse her during her second term.”
“Gov. Spanberger also kept her promise to us by working tirelessly to bring an end to the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision,” Woloszyn continued. “As a result, she has put more money into the pockets of countless law enforcement officers and other government employees when they reach retirement age. That is what meaningful engagement looks like.”
Woloszyn said that Spanberger has committed to veto legislation that would eliminate qualified immunity for police officers. Qualified immunity protects officers from civil lawsuits.
“She further reinforced that commitment by appearing on national television alongside the Virginia Police Benevolent Association and law enforcement officers from across the Commonwealth, where she publicly affirmed her support for preserving qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in Virginia,” Woloszyn said.