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Virginia’s new 16th State Senate district encompasses parts of Chesterfield County and parts of Richmond City. With almost 141,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Democratic.
Independent candidate Waylin Ross was born and raised in Petersburg. He received his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Old Dominion University. Ross went on to get a graduate degree in public policy from George Mason University. During his time at ODU, he graduated from the Sorensen Institute’s College Leaders Program. Ross is the Founder and first president of ODU's political honor society, Phi Sigma Alpha. Ross previously worked at Northern Virginia Community College teaching both micro and macro economics. During this time, Ross opened his own company, ParaLobby, which gives government support to businesses. In 2015, Ross was appointed by the Governor to the Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation.
Ross supports women and families, and supports the ratification of the ERA. His website also states that he believes in reproductive rights. While he supports the 2nd Amendment, he wants gun safety measures to ensure less violence and lowered recidivism. Ross supports the expansion of Medicaid and wants mental health and addiction services to be readily available to Viriginians. Ross supports at-home monitoring systems for non-violent offenses, which challenges the pre-trial detention system we currently have. He supports automatic rights restoration and Election Day voter registration.
His opponent, Democrat Joseph Morrissey, was a member of the House of Delegates from 2008-2015. Morrissey self-identifies as “pro-life” and has supported anti-choice legislation. This includes supporting legislation that limited state funding for abortion. Morrissey is an attorney whose law license has been suspended multiple times. In 2013, Morrissey was convicted for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He fulfilled his Delegate duties while on work release from the local jail.
Ross is the more progressive choice for this race.
Colette McEachin
Colette McEachin is a Deputy Prosecutor for the City of Richmond and she has worked in the Richmond Commonwealth Attorney’s office for more than 20 years. She is the wife of U.S. Representative Donald McEachin.