'Fed up' former NASCAR driver revs up race for Virginia state senate seat
Hermie Sadler is running as a Republican in the 17th Virginia State Senate District
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}EXCLUSIVE: A former NASCAR driver with an interesting and unconventional career path is revving up the race for one swing state senate seat, telling Fox News Digital he jumped into the race because he was "fed up" with the way the government was being run.
Hermie Sadler spent more than two decades off and on racing in a number of NASCAR series while also covering races as a reporter for FOX Sports and worked as a promoter in the world of professional wrestling. He owns a number of small businesses, and is now running in the Republican primary to represent the newly drawn 17th Virginia State Senate District
"You know, I spent the majority of my life competing in NASCAR. I did television for Fox Sports for 17 years. And when I got off the road to come back full time to run our family business, that's when I really started to pay more attention to government and how it's run and, more importantly, how it can impact communities like I live in," Sadler said while speaking with Fox from his home in Emporia, Virginia, a small town in the southern part of the state not far from the North Carolina border.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Government can have a positive or a negative impact on these types of communities and small businesses and their families," he added. "A lot of people are frustrated, concerned, want to know why things are not getting done, why things are not changing for the better. And I hear a lot of people complaining about it, but nobody's really trying to do anything about it."
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Hermie Sadler III, driver of the #19 VA Lottery Toyota, climbs into his car on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway on September 5, 2014 in Richmond, Virginia. (Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images)
Sadler said he decided that, ultimately, hope was "never a good strategy," and tossed his hat into the ring.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He went on to detail his diverse and colorful background, and explained why he felt it had prepared him to represent Virginians in the state Senate.
"Man. I've done a little bit of everything," he said. "I've never been afraid to try new things… I've learned things that I've been able to apply and not only in my business but in my everyday life."
"So for all those life lessons I learned along the way on the racetrack, commentating for Fox, being involved in professional wrestling and all my other business interests, they've all helped mold me to bring me to this point," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sadler explained that, throughout his career, he'd worked with billionaires in boardrooms all the way down to people living week to week and paycheck to paycheck, and that experience had prepared him to represent them and know what affected them in their daily lives, unlike other politicians.
NASCAR driver and TV pit reporter for FOX Sports Hermie Sadler during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series DC Solar 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV. (Lyle Setter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"We keep hiring or electing these politicians to go to work for us, and they tell us all these things while they are running for office and asking for votes. They keep telling us all these things they're going to do," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And when I follow these people, when they get elected and get into office, I see a lot of them going to a lot of cocktail parties and taking a lot of selfies. But you know what? When I drive to work every day here in Emporia, not much is changing. And I think that's the same across the entire district," he added.
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Sadler went on say that the liberal Democrats running the Virginia State Senate were "out of touch" with everyday Virginians, but that he thought it was possible for both sides of the aisle to find common ground on issues.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added that he wasn't a member of the state's political establishment, and if voters wanted someone not interested in climbing the "political ladder," then he was their guy.
22 October, 2010: Hermie Sadler during qualifying for the Tums Fast Relief 500 race at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA. (David J. Griffin/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The 17th Virginia State Senate District was formed following the 2020 census and a state-wide redistricting process. If the boundaries of the new district existed in the 2020 presidential election and 2021 gubernatorial election, President Biden would have won by a margin of 7 points, while now-Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin would have won by a margin of 5 points.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sadler is set to face off against state Delegate Emily Brewer in a Republican Party convention expected to be held sometime in the spring.