City of Falls Church

Democratic candidate Starla Kiser is running against Republican William Wampler for an open seat in the 4th district. Kiser received two degrees from Harvard––a medical degree at Harvard Medical School and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School with a focus on international development and health policy. As a doctor, Kiser supports increased access to health care like Medicaid expansion. She believes Virginia should increase access to mental health care and substance abuse treatment. Kiser also supports increasing teacher pay and bringing more jobs to the district.

William Wampler is anti-choice, opposes clean energy initiatives, and is against commonsense gun violence prevention solutions. He is silent on other issues including raising the minimum wage, health care access, and fair redistricting reform.

Though we disagree with Kiser’s stance on guns and environmental issues, her support of health care access and increased teacher pay makes her the more progressive choice in this race.

Democratic candidate James Barker is running against incumbent Delegate Jeffrey Campbell, a Republican. Barker is currently serving his third term on the Marion Town Council and serves on the Friends of Mount Rogers, which aims to preserve and promote the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in the Jefferson National Forest.

As a Delegate, Barker will advocate for affordable health care access and support maintaining Medicaid expansion. He also supports increased funding for schools and giving teachers a much-needed raise. Before running for Delegate, Barker worked for the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. Due to that experience, combating climate change is another major priority for Barker.

Delegate Jeffrey Campbell was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2013. He is staunchly against gun violence prevention. He supports increasing police presence in schools and opposes common sense regulations that would prevent gun violence. He also voted against protecting immigrants in Virginia when he voted for a bill that prohibited sanctuary cities in Virginia. He also voted for a bill that would make it more difficult for low-income people to access abortion and to defund Planned Parenthood.

James Barker is the more progressive choice in this race due to his support of health care access and increasing teacher pay.

Incumbent Democratic Delegate Chris Hurst was elected in 2017. He has made gun violence prevention a center of his campaign after his girlfriend, Alison Parker, was murdered on-air during a newscast in 2015. In his time as Delegate, he voted to expand Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians. He supports increasing education funding, and has advocated for raising teacher salaries, making college more affordable, and reforming standardized testing. Delegate Hurst wants to combat the opioid crisis, invest in clean energy options, and create opportunities for small business owners. He is pro-choice.

Republican Forrest Hite is running against Delegate Hurst. Hite is a data resource administrator with no previous political experience. While he doesn’t publicly take a stand on many issues on his website, he is running as a traditional conservative Republican.

Because of Delegate Hurst’s support of health care access, gun violence prevention, and college affordability, he is the more progressive choice in this race.

Incumbent Democratic Delegate Danica Roem was elected in 2017 and is the first openly transgender woman elected to the Virginia legislature. She supports marginalized communities, and she has talked about her support for the DREAM Act and voting rights. She is pro-choice, supports raising the minimum wage, and advocates for affordable healthcare. Roem has also voted to raise teacher salaries and expand Medicaid.

Kelly McGinn, Roem’s Republican opponent, opposes ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment and is anti-choice. She is also against marriage equality and has worked to prevent LGBTQ families from being able to adopt children.

Because of her support for affordable health care and advocacy for equality for all, Delegate Roem is the more progressive choice in this race.

Democratic candidate Eric Stamps is a passionate community advocate who has experience navigating the healthcare system. He lives in Danville with his wife and their two children. Stamps supports increasing the minimum wage, raising teacher pay, and increasing funding for our schools. He also promises to vote for voting rights reforms like same-day voter registration and early voting, and affordable health care for everyone. He founded Indivisible Southside to focus on voter registration and engagement.

Incumbent Republican Delegate Danny Marshall is anti-choice. He has a record of voting to defund Planned Parenthood, making it more difficult for low-income people to access abortion. He has also voted to prohibit sanctuary cities in Virginia, putting members of the immigrant community at risk. Delegate Marshall opposes raising the minimum wage, having voted for a bill that would prohibit localities from raising the minimum wage. In 2016, he co-sponsored a bill to prohibit the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces.

Eric Stamps is the more progressive choice in this race.