William B. Taylor, former ambassador to Ukraine will be guest speaker at the club’s annual Flag Day Picnic on Saturday, June 21.
This much-anticipated annual event will take place inside Marion Pronk Hall in the LOW Community Center from 5 to 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15 per person, which includes a chicken dinner with lots of sides — mac & cheese, potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw and dessert. Tickets may be purchased using a credit or debit card by clicking the “Pay Now” button below. Tickets must be purchased no later than June 14.
Ambassador Taylor is a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. Prior to the Atlantic Council, Taylor was vice president, Europe and Russia at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
From 2006 to 2009, Taylor served as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and as the chargé d’affaires ad interim from 2019 to 2020 at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv.
Beyond Ukraine, Taylor served as the special coordinator for Middle East Transitions at the U.S. Department of State from 2011 to 2013, where he oversaw assistance and support to the Middle East during the Arab Spring — including support to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria. Prior to his tenure in the Middle East Transitions Team and Kyiv, Taylor served as the U.S. government’s representative to the Mideast Quartet from Jerusalem. From 2004 to 2005, Taylor served in Baghdad as director of the Iraq Reconstruction Office; from 2002 to 2003 he served in Kabul as coordinator of U.S. government and international assistance to Afghanistan; and from 1992 to 2002, he served in Washington as coordinator of U.S. government assistance to former Soviet Union countries and Eastern Europe.
Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, and a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He also served as an infantry platoon leader and combat company commander in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and Germany.
Click here for more information about Ambassador Taylor
Candidate forum advances campaigns
Many thanks to the Democratic candidates for statewide offices who attended our forum on May 8. They were (left to right) Shannon Taylor (online), Alex Bastani. Ghazala Hashmi, Babur Lateef, Victor Salgado, and Jay Jones. Taylor and Jones are candidates for attorney general. Bastani, Hashmi, Lateef and Salgado are running for lieutenant governor. Aaron Rouse and Lavar Stoney, who could not attend the forum, are also running for lieutenant governor. Abigail Spanberger is unopposed in the primary in her campaign for governor. Virginia’s Democratic Primary Election will be held on June 17, and successful candidates will face statewide voters in the General Election on November 4. Early voting at the Orange County Registrar’s Office began on May 2 and will continue until June 24.
Meet our candidates
Candidates for statewide office will bring their campaigns to the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club on May 8.
Three candidates for lieutenant governor and two for attorney general will participate in the meeting in Classroom II of the LOW Community Center. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. with socializing and the program starts at 1:30.
Virginia’s Democratic Primary Election will be held on June 17, and successful candidates will face statewide voters in the General Election on November 4. Early voting at the Orange County Registrar’s Office is already in progress.
Scheduled for the May 8 meeting are the following candidates for lieutenant governor:
- Ghazala Hashmi of Richmond represents the 15th district in the Senate of Virginia. She worked as an educator and academic administrator for 25 years before running for office.
- Babur Lateef of Woodbridge is a physician, parent, and a product of public schools. He has served the Commonwealth as chairman of the Prince William County School Board and chairman of the University of Virginia Health System Board where he has focused on improving education and health care across Virginia.
- Victor Salgado of Arlington County served as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice, specializing in complex prosecutions involving corruption and related misconduct at all levels of government — including senior government and elected officials — and crimes involving financial institutions.
Two candidates for state attorney general are scheduled to participate., though Shannon Taylor will speak via an online connection rather than in person:
- Jay Jones of Norfolk is an attorney who focuses his practice on state attorneys general work as well as regulatory and policy matters, including environmental, social, and corporate governance issues. He previously served as an assistant attorney general for the District of Columbia, where he was a member of the Office of Consumer Protection.
- Shannon Taylor of Richmond was first elected Henrico County commonwealth’s attorney in 2011 after years of service as a professional prosecutor at the local, state, and federal levels. She was honored by her peers throughout the state when she was chosen as president of the Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorneys Association, an organization that advocates for effective law enforcement reforms in the Virginia General Assembly and conducts important training across the state.
Other Democratic candidates in the 2025 election cycle include Abigail Spanberger for governor; and Aaron Rouse, Levar Stoney and Alex Bastani for lieutenant governor. In addition all candidates in the Virginia House of Delegates will be up for election, including Forrest Miller in the 63rd House District.
Miller seeks House seat
Forrest Miller, a retired U.S. Army veteran from Spotsylvania County has announced that he will seek to represent the 63 District, which includes Lake of the Woods, in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Assuming his nomination by the state party, Miller will oppose incumbent Republican Delegate Phillip A. Scott in the November 4, general election. No other Democrat has undertaken a campaign for the seat. The deadline for filing was April 3.
Miller was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2000 and attended basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. In May 2009, he graduated from the Warrant Officer Candidate Course and later retired in 2021 as a chief warrant officer 3.
During his military career he served tours as the trip site director, White House Communications Agency; Commander’s Communication Team director, U.S. Northern Command/NORAD, Colorado Springs, Colorado; and network operations director, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
He served combat tours in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where he was awarded the Bronze Star medal. He also deployed to numerous locations such as the United Nations General Assembly, New York City and the multiple G8 Summits around the world in support of the President of the United States while stationed at the White House Communication Agency.
Miller holds a Masters in Network and Communication Management, a Bachelors of Science in Technical Management and an Associate of Applied Science in Network Administration.
He is married to Jamie Miller, who is a veteran and former law enforcement officer. The couple have two children, who attend Spotsylvania County Public Schools.
“As recently as last year, I would have told you that I was a moderate Republican,” Miller wrote on his web site. “However, today that is no longer the case. I just could not follow where that party was going any longer.
“In my military career, I learned how important values such as honor, respect, integrity, and selfless-service are. I believe that these are fundamental character traits that make us Americans and are hard to find in today’s Republican leadership,” he said.
Renew your membership
Membership dues for the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club are $35 per person for the calendar year. Your 2025 membership is due for renewal now.
This fee covers expenses of running club events and donations to the campaigns of Democratic candidates supported by club members.
Dues may be paid conveniently online by clicking the “Pay Now” button below or by mailing a check for $35 to The Lake of the Woods Democratic Club, P.O. Box 1351, Locust Grove, VA 22508. If you prefer, you can bring your check to any LOW Democrats’ meeting or event and give it to the treasurer directly.