JAHD KHALIL: So tell us why you're the best person to be the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.

ALEX BASTANI: I'm a lifelong union member and a union leader.

I think this is what some of us would call an outsider election.

I'm not a professional politician, as opposed to four of the other five candidates.

Therefore, more importantly, I'm not getting any corporate money, which is limiting our efforts to actually do things better for folks.

But I think, quite frankly, my opponents are trying to out-Republican Republicans, as the partys done for the last 40 to 45 years, and it's just not working.

I think it's kind of funny that everyone complained about Jill Stein, but she kind of proved the point that the swing voter is to the left of the party.

It's not in the middle, as the narrative has been from the mainstream press.

Can you give some examples of when you're talking about, out-Republicaning the Republican Party?

A lot of it is just this soft language that we're, you know, “were for small businesses” and stuff, and, you know, “We want to make Virginia a place - good for businesses” and things like that.

Well, I mean, we need to make it just as good for workers, too.

I mean, most people don't own businesses.

There's a recent study by CBS Moneywatch that 60% of Americans aren't even - don't - can't even make basic standards.

So we need to focus on those folks who - now, instead of the business community and the billionaires and some of the people who've taken over the party.

JAHD KHALIL: When you were talking about being a lifelong union member, what - can you give us a little more detail?

Like, what unions were you working with?

What was your role at those unions?

ALEX BASTANI: I was a member of AFGE Local 12 at the U.S. Department of Labor for 30 years, and I was an officer for... vice president and executive vice president for a combined of seven years.

And I was the president of the local for 11 years, and I did a lot of litigation and arbitration.

But probably the most important thing I ever did was when President [George W.] Bush tried to privatize a huge bunch of jobs, and we fought it through litigation and lobbying and mobilization.

JAHD KHALIL: How does that experience lend itself towards the current moment that we're in?

ALEX BASTANI: Unfortunately, the moment hasn't changed.

Donald J. Trump has gotten even further anti-worker than even George W. Bush, and I thought I would never say that.

We need to focus again on the bottom 60%.

A lot of our Democrats are complaining that, you know, the working class abandoned us.

No, we abandoned the working class first.

That's why I'm on more economic policies, such as universal health care at the state level, a $20 an hour minimum wage, student debt relief so people can start buying homes and starting families.

And we have to repeal the right to work law so people can form unions in this state.

JAHD KHALIL: Why do you think the right to work law should be repealed?

ALEX BASTANI: Basically, it's the essence of what it is to be an American.

One of our basic freedoms under the First Amendment is the right to free assembly.

The right to work law is actually using the power of the government to keep people from forming unions.

We've heard a lot about Citizens United.

There was a case before called Buckley v. Valeo that kind of set the framework.

And it basically, if you read between the lines, it's basically saying if you don't have money, you really don't have the power of speech.

So the only way working class people can do that is through a union.

JAHD KHALIL: A lot of different candidates are defining the role of lieutenant governor in different ways.

How do you define that role, and what would you do as lieutenant governor?

ALEX BASTANI: So it's about going out on the road, being an advocate for the working class.

I understand our gubernatorial candidate, who will win and I'm very confident in her, does not have the same feelings as I do about right to work.

So, I need to reach out to the labor community, and weve got to organize.

And then that first month of the new session in January, we've got to put the pressure not on just - not just Republicans, but on Democrates, to push the right to work law and - to repeal the right to work law, of course.

And I think we can do that.