Mike Farris began running for lieutenant Governor of Virginia in January, 1993. He won the Republican nomination in June, and campaigned constantly throughout the autumn months. This is the fourth and final installment of From the Campaign Trail...

REFLECTIONS

At the end of the trail

t was November 2, Election Night in Virginia. The poll results were in, and the campaigns were over- In a luxurious Richmond hotel, elated Republicans filled the ballroom, celebrating the election of George Allen for governor and Jim Gilmore for attorney general. But in a small suite away from the celebration, the campaign staff, family, and friends of Mike Farris were learning just how it felt to lose an election.

The final month of the campaign for lieutenant governor had been a vicious battle. In early October, with his poll lead quickly disappearing, incumbent Lieutenant Governor Don Beyer launched what was later called the most negative campaign in recent Virginia history .He spent millions on advertisements depicting Dad as scary and dangerous because of his religion. In several ads, Beyer even went so far as to blatantly lie about my dad, and I say that with no exaggeration.

In addition, while many Republicans stayed true to their “big tent” theory and supported my dad, several chose not to support this man whom they felt was too conservative for their party. Don Beyer organized a small, but well-publicized, “Republicans for Beyer” group, and the final blow came from Virginia’s highest elected Republican, U.S. Senator John Warner. While he endorsed Allen and Gilmore, he declined to endorse Dad.

So, from a human standpoint, it was no surprise when Dad lost this election. It was, after all, what the polls has been predicting all October. The hardest thing for me to understand was why God had let us lose, especially because Christianity itself had been attacked throughout the campaign. I was in a state of confusion all Election Night: Why had God let us lose? Why did he even let us win the nomination if it was just for this? How could He be glorified through defeat?

Dad, though disappointed, wasn’t questioning like many of us were. On Election Night, he gathered the family and campaign staff in our hotel suite and gave us a short speech.” You all have a perfect right to grieve for your, selves because of all that you have put into this,” he said. “But don’t grieve for me, because I am at peace about this whole thing.”

od had obviously prepared my father for defeat and granted him divine peace. However, after the initial sting had subsided, I soon began to discover that there were countless reasons to be not only peaceful, but downright excited about what this campaign had accomplished.

First, I saw that the election itself had been a stunning success. Dad surprised almost everyone by getting 46% of the vote, a much higher percentage than the polls had been predicting. In dad’s first run for political office, battling the only incumbent, being far out, spent, and being misquoted and misinterpreted in every way, he had a pretty decent showing, thank you very much.

One of the reasons for this surprising showing was the incredible enthusiasm of Dad’s support. (If elections were won by measuring the enthusiasm of support, Dad would have won by a landslide.) Dad’s campaign activated Christians like few others have done. Countless Christians discovered the political process for the first time. Virginia has a Republican governor and attorney general for the first time in twelve years primarily because many Christians, who in the past simply stayed home, not only voted this year, but donated time and money.

When Dad, the “Radical Christian Conservative”, won the nomination, pundits everywhere predicted that he would be soundly defeated, bringing the rest of the ticket down with him. “The Republicans have shot themselves in the foot,” said delighted Democrats, anticipating their fourth election victory in a row. Now, however, Virginia Republicans are as happy with Mike Farris as they were worried about him months ago. It has been proven that Christians can run for office and be effective.

Don Beyer has ultimately been hurt by his mudslinging in this campaign. He has ruined his former reputation as a “nice guy”, and will now be seen as just another politician who will do any’ thing to get elected- Dad, on the other hand, emerged from defeat looking like a principled man who had been wrongly attacked. Many political leaders, journalists, and analysts have been coming out after the election and condemning the negative tactics that Don Beyer employed. The lieutenant governor’s future political plans are certainly in danger. As a result, other candidates will now think twice before attacking their opponent with the same kind of religious bigotry that Don Beyer used. Christianity is no longer political baggage.

As for the future, everyone out here in Virginia isn’t giving up -we’re actually excited to run again! A grass’ roots network like no other has been built and is ready for action. Dad is currently considering another run for political office in a few years. Lord willing, he will be back. I can’t wait.

Yes, this campaign accomplished great things politically. But the most important thing that Dad did was simply to obey God’s call to step into the political arena. There is absolutely not one of us who regrets having made this try- No, I still don’t know God’s complete purpose in all of this, and perhaps I never will. But I have absolute confidence that He has done and will do great things through this campaign. We can trust that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

his nation has an explicitly Christian heritage- There are still remnants of this heritage left—the Pledge of Allegiance, the motto that is printed on all our money. But this campaign has showed me just how far away from God America has come. The only real solution to this problem is a sweeping revival across the land. The hearts of Americans have to change.

However, the leadership in this country is also an important factor. Psalm 125:3 says, “The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.” With evil leaders, even those who are righteous are in danger of falling. Clearly, we need righteous people to lead this country. We have a duty to be salt and light in this dark world, and that includes the world of politics. Christians, especially those who are young, need to become involved in the political arena. Even those of us who are too young to vote can still make a tremendous difference. My dad’ s campaign staff was mostly made up of enthusiastic, dedicated teenagers and young adults. But you don’t have to be a full-time campaign worker to make an impact on politics. You can donate money to a principled candidate, pass out literature in your neighborhood, volunteer to drive, or just stuff envelopes. It just might be the most fun you ever had.

would like to end this campaign coverage with a sampling of letters. In the days following the election, the campaign office was inundated with an outpouring of encouragement. Pro, life home schoolers and pro-Second Amendment Democrats, native Virginians and native Alaskans, young and old, all wrote to express their support for Mike Farris. Here are just a few examples:

“Thank you for your bold stand for our freedom, our faith, and our families... We have never been part of a political campaign before but enjoyed being part of yours.”

“There are countless others who have now taken heart to ‘go and do like-wise’... A fire has been ignited which this ‘defeat’ cannot extinguish. We rejoice that you sought and received the imperishable crown, though, for now, the perishable crown may not be yours. We rejoice, most of all, that though you may not have won with man, you won with God.”

“You were the first candidate to run for a major political office that I could support wholeheartedly, because you consistently stood for Biblical principles.”

“If this is not a time of reaping, then it must be a time of sowing. The harvest will come, God is faithful and just.”

I don’t know when “next time” will be, but this is Jayme Farris and you’ll be hearing from the campaign trial again. Count on it.

JAYME FARRIS is 16,years old and the second of 9 brothers and sisters. Although busy working in the publication department of Home School Legal Defense, she found time this year to cover her dad’s campaign for New Attitude. She wants to thank the many N.A. readers who prayed and gave during the campaign.