Grace Vareghuse, who co-leads her school’s Students Demand Action chapter at Hayfield Secondary School (7630 Telegraph Road), kicked off a campaign rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger today (April 10) at the Oswald Durant Center.
“Students like me shouldn’t have to worry about gun violence when we’re trying to get an education,” Vareghuse, a self-described resident of Alexandria, told the audience of a couple hundred supporters on hand at the Oswald Durant Center for a rally jointly held by Moms Demand Action and the Abigail Spanberger Campaign. “We need leaders who will take action to keep us safe.”
Moms Demand Action, Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincai, and Alexandria Sheriff Sean Casey all endorsed Spanberger for Governor during the rally.
“Abigail Spanberger is a candidate that will sign off. She will be invested in the safety of our future generation, the safety of Virginia, and will take her time to go through the bills and sign off on legislation that will keep us safe,” Vareghuse told the crowd.
In an interview following the rally with ALXnow, Vareghuse emphasized that gun safety transcends political divisions at her school, where the Students Demand Action chapter collaborates with both Young Democrats and Young Republicans clubs.
“This is a bipartisan issue. This is public safety. It does not align with any party,” she told ALXnow. “We work to kind of make kids aware about the dangers of having a firearm in the house and especially in Virginia. Like, we are a moderate state and so a lot of families have firearms, but there’s no reason that you shouldn’t have a lock.”
The student activist points to mental health concerns among teenagers as another critical reason for promoting responsible gun storage.
“That’s a huge issue with teens today. There’s so much stress,” Vareghuse said.
When asked about student involvement in her organization, Vareghuse noted impressive participation numbers.
“We have a ton of students. So, with Young Dems and SDA, we are the biggest chapters in Virginia. We have a ton of people showing up for Advocacy Day. We have a ton of people knocking on doors for our senators, representatives,” she said.
Vareghuse specifically criticized current Governor Glenn Youngkin’s record on gun legislation.
“Governor Youngkin has a record number of veto gun violence legislation bills, and a lot of them were extremely popular. And his vetoes don’t make any sense,” she said.
The Students Demand Action chapter at Hayfield Secondary School extends its advocacy beyond school walls, participating in broader community initiatives.
“We work with the Alexandria [Moms] Demand Action chapter for Advocacy Day and for events like this, but really we kind of do it through our school,” Vareghuse explained.
The chapter’s outreach includes educating parents at PTA meetings about practical gun safety measures.
“We work to educate parents at PTA meetings about how, yeah, here’s a lockbox. It’s no harm. It keeps your kids safe,” she said.
Looking ahead to the gubernatorial race, Vareghuse anticipates significant involvement from Students Demand Action in supporting Spanberger’s campaign.
“I see a large involvement for Students Demand Action,” she said, adding enthusiastically, “Abigail Spanberger for governor, 2025.”
The Virginia gubernatorial election will take place in November. Spanberger will face Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, who is currently Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor.
