By Col. Bill Connor, Esq., USA ret, The Citadel ’90
Chairman, STARRS Board of Advisors
As happened with Joe Biden in 2020, the Democrats in Virginia pulled off another bait and switch with Abigail Spanberger as Governor. The Democrats ran Spanberger as a moderate to win yet now governing to the left of Karl Marx in all the initial executive orders.
As one VA GOP lawmaker put it, “Virginians were sold a facade of practical solutions to make the commonwealth affordable—instead, they’re getting Zohran Mamdani-style collectivism..”
And another noted “Gov. Spanberger campaigned as a centrist pragmatist, but she was a progressive in moderate’s clothing from the start.” (Fox News, Jan. 20, 2026)
Beyond following Mamdani style socialism for Virginia, arguably the worst damage is what Spanberger and the Democrats in the legislature are trying to do the Virginia Military Institute (VMI).
Democrat punishing of VMI for giving up wokeness goes well beyond Virginia. It makes clear the Democrats are passionate about restoring and furthering wokeness.
VMI is a national treasure which has been critical to our defending America and providing key leaders. Its alumni include the architect of World War II, 5-star General George C. Marshall. General George Patton and famed Marine General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller were also cadets there. The current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan “Raizin” Caine, and current UN Ambassador, Mike Waltz, are VMI grads.
Like The Citadel in South Carolina and four others, VMI is recognized as a “Senior Military College” by the US Code. Approximately half of the VMI Corps of Cadets commissions into the military upon graduation.
For VMI to remain a Senior Military College, it must adhere to directives of the Department of War which oversee its ROTC commissioning programs. These directives include ending the unfair Marxist DEI and CRT programs which proliferated under Biden. (White House, Jan.20, 2025)
As A Board member of The Citadel’s governing body (BOV), I have had to ensure The Citadel was following DOW directives with regard to ending any vestige of DEI. President Trump ran on ending DEI and received the mandate of the American people.
That VMI was under a Department of War obligation as a Senior Military College to end DEI doesn’t matter to Governor Spanberger and her fellow Democrats in the Legislature.
It also didn’t matter that VMI had already been turned upside down by Democrats under the former Democratic Governor, Ralph Northam. The long-time 4-star Superintendent, General Binford Peay, was forced out under Northam over specious allegations of structural racism at VMI.
Radical DEI/CRT programs were pushed so hard on VMI after General Peay left, that alumni were in near revolt and donors were cutting ties.
Like under Northam, within days of Spanberger taking office, Virginia Democrats in the state legislature moved to “establish a task force to investigate the Virginia Military Institute and determine if the historic military college should continue to receive funding.”
This was “the latest of Virginia Democrats’ efforts to reinvigorate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy in the state after much of the DEI mandates and policies were revoked after President Donald Trump was elected in 2024.
‘This takes away from VMI, takes away from its mission,’ Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., told Fox News Digital. ‘I think that it’s harmful to the Commonwealth of Virginia, harmful to VMI as an institution, harmful to all the incredible military leaders and community leaders that have come out of VMI.’” (Fox News, Jan. 24, 2026)
Democrats also filed to dissolve VMI’s governing Board of Visitors and put VMI under the governance of historically black college, Virginia State University. (Yahoo News, Jan. 24, 2026)
The Governor did her part in seeking VMIs demise by quickly appointing five new far-left Board of Visitor members, including disgraced former Democrat governor Ralph Northam.
The Democrats know VMI, as a Senior Military College, has done nothing worthy of this retaliation in following the Department of War directives. Back in 1996, VMI and The Citadel were the last all-male military colleges in the nation and being sued to admit women.
When the Federal Government, through the Courts, ordered women to be admitted that year, both schools complied. VMI follows orders as it should.
It’s important to understand what this retaliation against VMI means for the rest of the nation if the Democrats win the mid-terms.
First, Democrats have proven that regardless of how moderate they pretend while campaigning they will govern as far-left radicals. Any entity which has followed legitimate directives from this conservative Federal Government will be punished.
Democrats appear willing to terrorize institutions to disobey this conservative Federal Government, as they have done with threats of retaliation against ICE agents.
The Democrat vision of the military is clear by their treatment of VMI. If Democrats gain any control over the military, they will push it farther to the woke left than under Biden.
All this administration has fixed with regard to recruiting, morale, and effectiveness will be reversed.
We will go from historically high recruiting and successful military operations back to the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and trans, woke radicalism among leaders.
Jeremiah 6:16 tells us to “ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it.”
VMI is one of our old and proven institutions that have not failed America. We cannot fail to protect VMI from the woke left now.
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Col. Bill Connor——Bio and Archives – Col. Bill Connor is a retired U.S. Army Infantry officer, attorney, and founding partner of NATIONAL DEFENSE CONSULTANTS, LLC. While in the Army, Connor logged multiple deployments to the Middle East, and he has commanded both light Infantry and Ranger training companies. From 2007 through 2008 he was deployed to Afghanistan where he became the senior U.S. military adviser in Helmand Province. Since the start of the October 2023 war in Israel, he has provided analysis to NEWSMAX.
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