There is only one clear choice for Governor of Virginia and that choice is Democrat Ralph Northam. Any Democrat, Independent and even Republican who believes in fairness, decency, equal rights, and economic opportunity for all, will find this an easy vote.

Ralph Northam is a veteran. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army, where he served eight years of active duty and rose to the rank of major. As an Army doctor, he treated soldiers wounded in Operation Desert Storm. After serving his country he has been a business owner, served in the State Legislature and is now Lieutenant Governor. As a pediatric neurologist and volunteer medical director for a pediatric hospice care facility he is proud to tell anyone who asks “Our children are the key to Virginia’s future”.

Northam grew up on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and attended local public schools. He always thanks his parents for making the decision to keep him in his school when it was desegregated although many of the families of the other children sent them elsewhere. He calls his parents’ decision to continue to send him to integrated schools “one of the best decisions of my life.” He went on to attend the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), graduated with distinction and was elected by his peers to serve as president of the honor court, charged with upholding the school’s honor code.

Ralph Northam has a proven record of accomplishment in Virginia, for Virginians. As Lieutenant Governor he supported efforts to end veteran homelessness in Virginia. He broke years of gridlock in Richmond by creating bipartisan support for legislation banning smoking in Virginia’s public restaurants, a major victory for public health. Ralph chairs the Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success, where he helped secure a federal grant to create up to 13,000 pre-K education spots for children in low-income families and advocated for greater access to prenatal care. He supports raising teacher salaries. He chairs the Governor’s Task Force on Improving Mental Health Services and Crisis Response and led a team tasked with identifying challenges and suggesting improvements to the state’s complex system of mental health services.

Ralph Northam is pro-choice, supporting a woman’s right to choose, and supports DACA and continuing to allow ‘dreamers’ access to a good education including state tuition. He supports the Affordable Care Act, even while understanding fixes are needed, and supports expanding Medicaid in Virginia. He more than anyone understands what it means to provide good, accessible/affordable healthcare to all Virginians.

Northam understands the negative effects of pollution on the environment. As a man of science he understands we must act in response to climate change to protect our environment and our future contrary to the Republican Party and President Trump. His record on protecting Virginia’s environment is strong and he has a detailed plan to combat the effects of climate change. As a member of the Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission, Lt. Governor Northam has been working on ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promoting clean air. He spoke out for the Chesapeake Bay region and opposed offshore drilling. He supports stricter regulations on fracking. As a state senator, he supported legislation that reduced Virginia’s carbon footprint and expanded the use of solar energy throughout the state. If elected he will continue Governor McAuliffe’s legacy of growing Virginia’s economy with clean energy jobs and supporting businesses who implement energy efficient policies. This is a plan which will preserve Virginia’s natural beauty and promote an environmentally healthy state which Virginians can take pride in leaving for their children and grandchildren.

Now if you are still not motivated by that great record to vote for Ralph Northam just look at his opponent Ed Gillespie’s record. The same Gillespie who speaks out of both sides of his mouth trying to appease the ultra-right-wing in Virginia. In reality that isn’t too far a stretch for him. If you read his campaign website and browse the issues section he stands for nearly nothing. It is all typical political pablum which makes sense for someone who when he loses will return to his “K” Street lobbying business and represent anyone who will pay his fees.

When you do find something he takes a stand on it is something that will hurt poor and middle-class Virginians. He proposes giving the wealthiest Virginians a 10% tax cut. Gillespie opposes in-state tuition for ‘dreamers’ and is pro-life taking away women’s rights. He is against any form of amnesty or pathway to citizenship for immigrants in Virginia. He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act and opposes expanding Medicaid in Virginia.

But to know the real Ed Gillespie one only has to see who he is willing to be in bed with. He hired Jack Morgan, Trump’s Southwest Virginia field director, to play a similar role for his campaign. Morgan, an evangelical preacher worked for the alt-right candidate Corey Stewart. It is clear if by any chance Virginians elected Gillespie it is the right-wing he will be beholden too. This is the same Jack Morgan who wrote “It is now clear that Law Enforcement is either incapable or unwilling to stop the communists that are attempting to destroy our nation. It is time for President Trump to take control of this insurgency in America and for every law abiding citizen to train and be prepared to defend your life. We are already in a civil war it just hasn’t been called that yet.” This is the person Gillespie’s spokesperson David Abrams said about, “We are thrilled to have him on the team”.

Virginians this November are lucky. They have the opportunity to do two things. The first is to vote for and elect as their Governor an accomplished, incredibly decent person, who stands for equality and economic opportunity for all. That person being Ralph Northam. The second thing they get to do with their vote is proclaim loudly and proudly Virginians reject and will defeat anyone who supports the alt-right and is willing to accept the support of racists, anti-Semites, and homophobes. Someone who is proud to cozy up to Trump. A vote for Ralph Northam says to the world in no uncertain terms, Virginians are better than that.

Also contributing to this column was Delaware community and political activist Vincent Ryan.