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State Senate

Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below State Senate races on your ballot.

  • Virginia’s new 17th State Senate district encompasses Suffolk City, Isle of Wight County, parts of Portsmouth City, Southampton County, Brunswick County, Greensville County, Franklin City, parts of Dinwiddie County, Emporia City, and parts of Chesapeake City. With over 164,000 registered voters, this is a competitive district that doesn’t lean in one direction or another.

    Democrat Amy Laufer is a former middle school teacher. She taught in Jamaica as a Peace Corps volunteer before teaching at Louisa Middle School and Tandem Friends School in Charlottesville. Laufer has served on the Charlottesville City School Board and is the founder of Virginia’s List, an organization that supports Democratic women running for office.

    Laufer’s platform prioritizes education, including raising teacher pay and investing in pre-k classes. She also supports criminal justice reform and tackling the problem of mass incarceration. Laufer supports Medicaid expansion, would vote to repeal the punitive work requirements, and will continue to fight to ensure everyone has access to quality, affordable health care. She also supports the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030.

    Incumbent Republican Senator Bryce Reeves voted against Medicaid expansion and against raising the minimum wage in Virginia. He is anti-choice and opposes commonsense gun violence prevention measures. Senator Reeves also voted against legislation that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in housing and public employment.

    Laufer is the progressive choice in this race.

  • Originally from Portsmouth, incumbent Senator Louise Lucas received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Norfolk State University. She is a Deaconess at the New Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Lucas was elected to the state Senate in 1991.

    Lucas has co-sponsored legislation to prohitbit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. She has supported Medicaid expansion and voted to raise the minimum wage in Virginia. Lucas is a champion for voting rights and has introduced constitutional amendments to guarantee the right to vote in Virginia and reform the Commonwealth’s redistricting process. She is reliably pro-choice and has introduced legislation to expand background checks for gun purchases in Virignia.

    She is running unopposed and is the progressive choice for this race.

    Last updated: 2023-04-05

    L. Louise Lucas

    Originally from Portsmouth, incumbent Senator Louise Lucas received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Norfolk State University. She is a Deaconess at the New Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Lucas was elected to the state Senate in 1991.

    Originally from Portsmouth, incumbent Senator Louise Lucas received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Norfolk State University. She is a Deaconess at the New Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Lucas was elected to the state Senate in 1991.

    Lucas has co-sponsored legislation to prohitbit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. She has supported Medicaid expansion and voted to raise the minimum wage in Virginia. Lucas is a champion for voting rights and has introduced constitutional amendments to guarantee the right to vote in Virginia and reform the Commonwealth’s redistricting process. She is reliably pro-choice and has introduced legislation to expand background checks for gun purchases in Virignia.

    She is running unopposed and is the progressive choice for this race.

    L. Louise Lucas

    Originally from Portsmouth, incumbent Senator Louise Lucas received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Norfolk State University. She is a Deaconess at the New Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Lucas was elected to the state Senate in 1991.

  • Democratic candidate Flo Ketner is originally from Floyd County, Virginia. Ketner graduated from Radford University with an undergraduate degree in English and currently lives in Christiansburg. She serves as the Treasurer on the board of the Cayambis Institute Of Latin American Studies in Music.

    Ketner’s priorities include healthcare access, gun safety, and the environment. She supports expanding health care access and ensuring rural Virginians have access to life saving care and facilities. She is also concerned about protecting our natural environment and preserving our resources. She supports state ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

    Her opponent, incumbent Republican Senator David Suetterlein opposes both commonsense gun violence prevention measures and access to reproductive health care. Suetterlein voted against raising the state minimum wage and against expanding Medicaid to cover 400,000 low-income working Virginians.

    Ketner is the more progressive choice in this race.

    Last updated: 2023-04-05

    Flo Ketner

    Democratic candidate Flo Ketner is originally from Floyd County, Virginia. Ketner graduated from Radford University with an undergraduate degree in English and currently lives in Christiansburg.

    Democratic candidate Flo Ketner is originally from Floyd County, Virginia. Ketner graduated from Radford University with an undergraduate degree in English and currently lives in Christiansburg. She serves as the Treasurer on the board of the Cayambis Institute Of Latin American Studies in Music.

    Ketner’s priorities include healthcare access, gun safety, and the environment. She supports expanding health care access and ensuring rural Virginians have access to life saving care and facilities. She is also concerned about protecting our natural environment and preserving our resources. She supports state ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

    Her opponent, incumbent Republican Senator David Suetterlein opposes both commonsense gun violence prevention measures and access to reproductive health care. Suetterlein voted against raising the state minimum wage and against expanding Medicaid to cover 400,000 low-income working Virginians.

    Ketner is the more progressive choice in this race.

    Flo Ketner

    Democratic candidate Flo Ketner is originally from Floyd County, Virginia. Ketner graduated from Radford University with an undergraduate degree in English and currently lives in Christiansburg.

  • Endorsed By: Virginia AFL-CIO

House of Delegates

Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below House of Delegate races on your ballot.

  • Virginia’s new 84th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Suffolk City, parts of Isle of Wight County, Franklin City, and parts of Chesapeake City. With over 66,000 registered voters, this district leans Democratic.

    Democratic candidate Karen Mallard has served the Virginia Beach community as a public school teacher, union leader, political organizer, PTA board member, and little league board member. Mallard was outraged when House Republicans voted to adjourn a special session on gun violence without considering a single bill. She vows to support Medicaid expansion and has organized for environmental preservation in Virginia since childhood.

    Her opponent, incumbent Republican Delegate Glenn Davis, has opposed efforts to make Virginia safer by implementing common sense gun laws. Delegate Davis also supported legislation that sought to notify ICE whenever undocumented residents were imprisoned, giving local law enforcement agents unecessary additonal work.

    Mallard is the more progressive choice in this race.

  • Virginia’s new 89th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Chesapeake City and parts of Suffolk City. With over 64,000 registered voters, this district is a competitive district that doesn’t lean in one direction or another.

    Incumbent Democratic Delegate Jerrauld “Jay” Jones is a lifelong resident of the 89th House District. Delegate Jones is also the youngest Black delegate in Virginia. Jones’s father represented the 89th District 20 years ago and his grandfather, Hilary H. Jones, Jr. was a pioneer in the civil rights movement. Delegate Jones completed his undergraduate studies at the College of William and Mary, where he was a double major in Government and History, and obtained his law degree from the University of Virginia.

    Delegate Jones’s campaign priorities are increased education, transportation improvements, the environment, job creation, and criminal justice reform. He sponsored legislation creating driver privilege cards for undocumented Virginians, removed restrictions on abortion access, and fought for tighter legislation around body cameras for law enforcement.

    Even though he is running unopposed, Delegate Jones is the more progressive choice in this race.

  • Virginia’s new 90th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Chesapeake City. With over 66,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Republican.

    Incumbent Democratic Delegate Joe Lindsey is a personal injury, family law, criminal defense, and business attorney. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia, was an honor graduate of Hampton Institute, and earned his law degree from Washington College of Law, American University, in Washington, DC.

    Delegate Lindsey supported legislation to end unlawful discriminatory housing practices. He also supported numerous gun violence prevention bills including one which made it mandatory to notify law enforcement about lost or stolen guns. Delegate Lindsey is an avid supporter of reproductive rights and voted to expand Medicaid access to 400,000 low income Virginians.

    Even though he is running unopposed, Delegate Lindsey is the more progressive choice in this race.

  • Endorsed By: Virginia AFL-CIO
  • Virginia’s new 91st House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Chesapeake City and parts of Portsmouth City. With almost 60,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Democratic.

    Democratic candidate Martha Mugler is a native of Hampton and lives in Poquoson with her husband and two children. Mugler was elected to the Hampton School Board in 2008, and is currently serving her third term.

    She vows to protect the Chesapeake Bay and address the effects of climate change and sea level rise. She supports a person’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion without politically-motivated restrictions. She also supports efforts to reform Virginia’s cash bail system that imprisons people who have not been convicted of a crime unless they can pay for release.

    Her opponent, Republican Colleen Holcomb, is the vice-president of Government Relations of Eagle Forum, a right-wing, anti-choice, anti-immigrant organization. Holcomb opposes Medicaid expansion.

    Martha Mugler is the more progressive choice in this race.

  • Virginia’s new 92nd House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Norfolk City and parts of Chesapeake City. With almost 55,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Democratic.

    Incumbent Democratic Delegate Jeion Ward is a lifelong resident of the Hampton Roads area. She is a graduate of Thomas Nelson Community College and is currently an educator. Delegate Ward is very active in her community and was elected President of the Hampton Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 4260. She is also a member of the Executive Council of the Virginia AFL-CIO.

    Delegate Ward has coordinated both partisan and non-partisan "Get-Out-The-Vote" campaigns in targeted areas of Hampton and Newport News since 1997. In addition, she has organized voter registration drives and restoration of rights campaigns. She has proposed legislation that would make election day a school holiday. She also supports common sense gun violence prevention laws and protecting reproductive rights. She voted to expand Medicaid in Virginia to 400,000 low income Virginians.

    Delegate Ward is running unopposed and is the progressive choice in this race.