Republican Yost announces for delegate seat in VA, to replace D Jim Shuler

[Gopher Broke]

Blacksburg, VA, April 11 – Long time New River Valley native Joseph Yost announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination to Virginia‟s 12th District House of Delegates seat.

Yost is a dedicated Republican and has been an active member of the Montgomery County Republican Party since 2009. During that time, he has served in various leadership positions including secretary of the Party, precinct captain during the last two election cycles, and Parliamentarian. He also serves as Chair of the Roanoke/New River Valley Young Republicans.

When asked what issues he sees as the forefront of his campaign, Yost said, “the needs of southwest Virginia.”

Yost was born and raised in Giles County and is a graduate of Giles High School. He received both his Bachelors and Masters from Radford University and now currently resides in Blacksburg. “I have ties in every part of this district. My roots are in the 12th and I could not imagine ever leaving the mountains.”

Yost will strive to give a louder voice to southwest Virginians in Richmond and fight to combat what he has come to define as “regional ethnocentrism.”

“I feel that our voice is often drowned out by voices from northern Virginia and the Tidewater districts. Our area needs a State Delegate who understands our values and who will give those values a voice in Richmond. The state line does not stop at Roanoke.”

Based on proposed maps, the new 12th District would cover all of Giles County, part of Montgomery County, part of Pulaski County and all of Radford City.

“Each of the areas the 12th would cover has its own issues and I want to ensure that the residents are given ample opportunity to voice their opinions about a particular issue. Coalition building is important to me and I want to hear from everyone. Now is the time we can and need to work together for the betterment of the 12th.”

Yost also sees behavioral healthcare and veterans issues as other important policy areas of concern.

“For the past five years, I have worked full-time spanning the boundary between the criminal justice and behavioral health systems. Much progress has been made to better provide treatment for individuals with serious mental illness but much work remains to be done. We need to provide a framework for a stronger community-based mental health system and increased continuity of care. Additionally, numerous individuals that I have worked with are veterans. Virginia is fortunate to have the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program that helps provide services to veterans. I want to ensure that this program continues to grow and expand across the State. These men and women gave their all for us. The least we can do is give our all back to them.”

For Yost, though, this campaign is also about building on the legacy handed down by his ancestors, starting with his sixth-great grandfather, Henry Yost. Henry, together with his brother John Yost, owned and operated a gunsmith shop in George Towne, Maryland (present-day Georgetown, Washington, DC) that built and sold arms to the Continental Army. Henry also went on to sign the Oath of Fidelity with the colony of Maryland, was a member of the Committee of Observation, and served as a Lieutenant in the Maryland militia. Since that time, Yost‟s forefathers have gone on to serve in the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.

“This campaign is also about a sense of duty and working to protect the personal freedoms that my forefathers fought to protect. As Marcus Cicero once said, „the people‟s good is the highest law.‟”

To find out more about Joseph Yost‟s campaign go to www.YostforDelegate.com or email campaign@yostfordelegate.com .

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