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State Senate

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

  • 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

No Good Choices

Incumbent Republican Senator William Stanley voted against Medicaid expansion and against raising the minimum wage in Virginia. He has consistently opposed access to reproductive healthcare, including voting to cut off abortion access for low income individuals and to defund Planned Parenthood. Senator Stanley voted against legislation to prohibit discrimination on the job based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

There is not much information on the policy positions of his opponent, Independent candidate Sherman Witcher, who failed to obtain the Democratic nomination. Witcher supports better funding for schools and pay for teachers. In 2007, he ran for Senate as an independent against Republican Robert Hurt. He received 24% of the vote. In 2009, he ran again against Del. Charles Poindexter, R-Franklin, and received 21% of the vote.

Based on the limited information available, Witcher is likely the more progressive choice but you always have the option to write in a candidate.

William Stanley

Incumbent Republican Senator William Stanley voted against Medicaid expansion and against raising the minimum wage in Virginia. He has consistently opposed access to reproductive healthcare, including voting to cut off abortion access for low income individuals and to defund Planned Parenthood.

  • Incumbent Senator John Edwards was elected to the state Senate in 1995. Edwards hails from Roanoke, Virginia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1966 cum laude and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1970. Senator Edwards served on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Captain from 1971 through 1973.

    Senator Edwards has supported numerous progressive issues including legislation to deny gun purchases to persons determined to be a danger to themselves or others. He is a strong ally in the fight for environmental protection, conservation, and preservation. He successfully sponsored Virginia’s first power purchase agreement (PPA) legislation in 2013. He also passed a bill to make it easier for localities to obtain solar energy services from third parties in 2017. Senator Edwards also sponsored a bill that would have reversed a law that allows natural gas pipeline companies to survey on private property without permission.

    His opponent is Independent Steven Nelson. Unfortunately, there is little public information about Nelson’s campaign platform. In 2015, he ran as an Independent in the 19th Senate district. In that race, he voiced strong support for continued reliance on polluting fossil fuels. He also criticized the Affordable Care Act and the AARP for their support for access to affordable health care. He describes himself as an “independent conservative.”

    Delegate Edwards is the progressive choice in this race.

    Last updated: 2023-04-05

    John S. Edwards

    Incumbent Senator John Edwards was elected to the state Senate in 1995. Edwards hails from Roanoke, Virginia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1966 cum laude and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1970. Senator Edwards served on active duty in the U.S.

    Incumbent Senator John Edwards was elected to the state Senate in 1995. Edwards hails from Roanoke, Virginia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1966 cum laude and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1970. Senator Edwards served on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Captain from 1971 through 1973.

    Senator Edwards has supported numerous progressive issues including legislation to deny gun purchases to persons determined to be a danger to themselves or others. He is a strong ally in the fight for environmental protection, conservation, and preservation. He successfully sponsored Virginia’s first power purchase agreement (PPA) legislation in 2013. He also passed a bill to make it easier for localities to obtain solar energy services from third parties in 2017. Senator Edwards also sponsored a bill that would have reversed a law that allows natural gas pipeline companies to survey on private property without permission.

    His opponent is Independent Steven Nelson. Unfortunately, there is little public information about Nelson’s campaign platform. In 2015, he ran as an Independent in the 19th Senate district. In that race, he voiced strong support for continued reliance on polluting fossil fuels. He also criticized the Affordable Care Act and the AARP for their support for access to affordable health care. He describes himself as an “independent conservative.”

    Delegate Edwards is the progressive choice in this race.

    John S. Edwards

    Incumbent Senator John Edwards was elected to the state Senate in 1995. Edwards hails from Roanoke, Virginia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1966 cum laude and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1970. Senator Edwards served on active duty in the U.S.

  • Virginia’s new 22nd State Senate district encompasses parts of Virginia Beach City. With almost 150,000 registered voters, this district leans Democratic. 

    Democrat Dakota Claytor was born and raised in the 22nd state Senate district and hopes to be the youngest legislator in Virginia’s history. Claytor is a 22-year-old freelance hair stylist and private music educator. He has also been actively involved in community theater where he can often be found on stage.

    Clayor supports various progressive priorities. He wants to work with small companies to expand broadband access to rural areas in the district in order to foster a better-connected workforce. Healthcare reform is important to him because of his mother’s significant health issues and her struggle for nearly twenty years before being granted disability benefits. After witnessing first-hand the crippling effects of a broken healthcare system in Virginia, Clayor is determined to improve it.

    Clayor is running against Republican incumbent Senator Mark Peake who won a special election in 2017. Peake is anti-choice and has voted against commonsense gun laws. He opposed Medicaid expansion and voted against raising the minimum wage in Virginia. The majority of his platform is geared towards decreasing regulations put in place to protect Virginians.

    Dakota Claytor is the more progressive choice because of his commitment to Medicaid expansion and our rural communities.

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 95th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Virginia Beach City and parts of Norfolk City. With over 57,000 registered voters, this district leans Democratic.

    Democratic Delegate Marcia Price is the ultimate people’s champion based on her track record of leadership on progressive issues like gun violence prevention, reproductive rights, minority maternal health, and census outreach.

    Delegate Price was born and raised on the Peninsula. She graduated from Warwick High School in the Peninsula's first graduating class of the International Baccalaureate Program, receiving the full IB Diploma and Advanced Studies Diploma. She attended Spelman College and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, with intensive study in Biology. She also received her Master of Arts in Religious Studies from Howard University. Delegate Price has completed some coursework toward her Master of Divinity Degree at Howard University.

    In September 2016, Delegate Price worked to start the Virginia Black Leadership Organizing Collaborative (VA BLOC), a non-profit focused on "building empowered communities" through integrated voter engagement, civic involvement, and leadership development, where she serves as Director. As a fourth-generation resident of the Peninsula, she embraces her family's legacy of service and strives to make a positive impact in the Peninsula community that has given so much to her.Delegate Price has been a leader on many progressive issues including reproductive rights, race and equity, restoration of rights, and many more.

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

  • Virginia’s new 96th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Virginia Beach City. With over 59,000 registered voters, this district leans Democratic.

    Democratic candidate Dr. Mark Downey works as a pediatrician at Pediatric Associates of Williamsburg, a practice of Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. He grew up in the Queens Lake neighborhood in upper York County and graduated from Bruton High School in 1984. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Chemical Engineering, but after working for four years as a chemical engineer, decided to pursue a different path. He went to medical school at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.

    Downey’s campaign priorities include public education, women’s rights, health care access, common sense gun laws, fighting climate change, cyber safety, and helping our veterans.

    Republican Amanda Batten and Libertatian James Jobe both lack sustainable plans on how they will make Viringia a safe and healthy place for all Virginians. Batten is anti-choice and doesn’t support sensible gun laws. Jobe supports the legalization of marijuana and believes there should be term limits on members of Congress.

    Dr. Mark Downey is the more progressive choice in this race.

  • Virginia’s new 97th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Virginia Beach City. With over 63,000 registered voters, this is a competitive district that doesn’t lean in one direction or another.

    Democratic candidate Dr. Kevin Washington was raised in Richmond, VA and served in the United States Army. His campaign platform is focused on education, health care, criminal justice reform, and the environment.

    He will fight to create more livable wage jobs, improve our schools, and make public safety a top priority. His campaign priorities include working to ensure sexual orientation and gender identity are legally protected against workplace discrimination. He vows to support and defend the rights of disenfranchised communities, minorities, and the LGBTQ community. He also voiced his intention to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. He believes that the minimum wage should be increased over a few years and that we need to make improvements to our paid family and medical leave policies.

    His opponent, Republican Scott Wyatt, is a strong advocate for conservative values. Wyatt has stated that if elected he will be a solid pro-life vote. Wyatt won the Republican nomination after months of infighting within the Republican Party and former Delegate Chris Peace.

    Dr. Washington is the more progressive choice in this race.

  • Endorsed By: Virginia AFL-CIO
  • Virginia’s new 98th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Virginia Beach City. With over 64,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Republican.

    Democratic candidate Dr. Ella Webster received her Doctorate in Medicine from Dartmouth Medical School. Since 2010, she has worked for health districts all over the eastern region. Dr. Webster served as a United States Peace Corps Maternal Child Health Volunteer in the Central African Republic for two years in the 1990s after receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Drew University. Dr. Webster served on the Gloucester County Public Library Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2019, when she was term-limited and has been on the Three Rivers Healthy Families Advisory Board since 2014.

    Dr. Webster has professional experience with abortion services and believes choices about health care should be left to people and their doctors. She has voiced her concern about gun violence and seeks to create sensible gun laws.

    Incumbent Republican Delegate Keith Hodges was elected into the House of Delegates in 2011 and voted to prohibit sanctuary cities in Virginia, allowing the use of local resources to do the job of the federal government and the separate of immigrant families. He also supports the controversial Atlantic Coast pipeline. He has rejected commonsense gun violence prevention measures.

    Dr. Webster is the more progressive choice in this race.

  • Endorsed By: Virginia AFL-CIO
  • Virginia’s new 99th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Virginia Beach City. With almost 65,000 registered voters, this district leans Republican.

    Democratic candidate Francis Edwards, a retired international CEO of QVC, graduated from the University of Cambridge with honors. He earned a masters degree in engineering and a postgraduate degree in business administration. He is originally from London and came to America seeking the American dream of ‘'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.

    Edwards’ campaign platform includes ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, fair redistricting reform, and enacting automatic voter registration. He also vows to bring broadband internet to all areas of Virginia.

    Incumbent Republican Delegate Margaret Ransone was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2011 has constantly shown us that progressive issues are not her priority. She is a strong supporter of Virginia’s Right to Work laws, policies that are designed to destroy labor unions. She has opposed legislation to protect reproductive rights, and voted against expanding Medicaid in Virginia.

    Francis Edwards is the more progressive choice in this race. 

  • Virginia’s new 100th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Virginia Beach City, Accomack County, and Northampton County. With just over 63,000 registered voters, this district leans Republican.

    Democratic candidate Phil Hernandez, an attorney, was raised in Hampton Roads by a single mom. He went to public schools and then to the College of William and Mary, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college.

    He has spent the years since fighting for the rights of working people around the country. Hernandez vows to ease the burden of student loan debt and protect borrowers from abusive lending practices. He plans to champion policies that reduce harmful pollution in our air and water, improve coastal resilience, and create new jobs and industries in clean energy technology. He has pledged support for the Equal Rights Amendment and policies that build a more inclusive future, including the areas of housing, employment, and voting rights.

    Incumbent Republican Delegate Robert Bloxom fought for increased car inspections fees. He has opposed reproductive rights. Even though he sponsored legislation to give driver's licenses to immigrants, he voted to prohibit sanctuary cities (cities with municipal laws designed to protect immigrants) in Virginia. He also voted to restrict access to safe and legal abortions.

    Hernandez is the progressive choice in this race.

No Good Choices

Tina Sinnen has been the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Virginia Beach for the past 16 years, and has been working in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office for 29 years. Sinnen is listed as an Independent but has been endorsed by the Republican Party of Virginia Beach. After the mass shooting at a city office earlier this year, Sinnen did not call for better gun safety measures, but rather training on how to respond to a shooting.

Sinnen is running unopposed and is not a progressive choice for this race. You always have the option to write in a candidate of your choosing.

Tina Sinnen

Tina Sinnen has been the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Virginia Beach for the past 16 years, and has been working in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office for 29 years. Sinnen is listed as an Independent but has been endorsed by the Republican Party of Virginia Beach.

Depending on where you live, you may have the following district races on your ballot.

  • Guy Tower has lived in Virginia since 1979. He started in Virginia Beach in 1979, and has been in the Beach District since 2014. Tower is a retired lawyer, mediator, and educator. His partner for the past three decades is a retired judge of the Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, and they have four children.
     
    Tower was appointed to serve as an interim member until the special election this November. If elected to continue his service, he wants to ensure the safety of the residents. One of his priorities is restructuring the funds for stormwater. Tower also believes in transparency and equity. He wants to ensure that residents from every demographic and neighborhood have the opportunity to succeed through fair hiring practices and contracting.
     
    Richard Kowalewitch is one of Tower’s opponents. Kowalewitch believes that crime is the biggest threat to the county, and more police officers will eliminate the issue. Kowalewitch is a proud supporter of President Trump.


    Rosemary Wilson is also running. Wilson objected to Colin Kaepernick's protests to draw attention to the treatment of Black Americans, calling it a "disrespect" and "an embarrassment." She aligns with the other candidates in her concern about the environment but she fails to hold equity and inclusion as similarly important. Wilson’s website addresses gun violence, but her solution revolves around increased funding for police rather than pushing for common sense gun laws. 

    Tower is the most progressive choice for this race.

    Last updated: 2023-04-05

    Guy Tower

    Guy Tower has lived in Virginia since 1979. He started in Virginia Beach in 1979, and has been in the Beach District since 2014. Tower is a retired lawyer, mediator, and educator. His partner for the past three decades is a retired judge of the Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, and they have four children.
     
    Tower was appointed to serve as an interim member until the special election this November. If elected to continue his service, he wants to ensure the safety of the residents. One of his priorities is restructuring the funds for stormwater. Tower also believes in transparency and equity. He wants to ensure that residents from every demographic and neighborhood have the opportunity to succeed through fair hiring practices and contracting.
     
    Richard Kowalewitch is one of Tower’s opponents. Kowalewitch believes that crime is the biggest threat to the county, and more police officers will eliminate the issue. Kowalewitch is a proud supporter of President Trump.

    Rosemary Wilson is also running. Wilson objected to Colin Kaepernick's protests to draw attention to the treatment of Black Americans, calling it a "disrespect" and "an embarrassment." She aligns with the other candidates in her concern about the environment but she fails to hold equity and inclusion as similarly important. Wilson’s website addresses gun violence, but her solution revolves around increased funding for police rather than pushing for common sense gun laws. 

    Tower is the most progressive choice for this race.

    Guy Tower has lived in Virginia since 1979. He started in Virginia Beach in 1979, and has been in the Beach District since 2014. Tower is a retired lawyer, mediator, and educator. His partner for the past three decades is a retired judge of the Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, and they have four children.
     
    Tower was appointed to serve as an interim member until the special election this November. If elected to continue his service, he wants to ensure the safety of the residents. One of his priorities is restructuring the funds for stormwater. Tower also believes in transparency and equity. He wants to ensure that residents from every demographic and neighborhood have the opportunity to succeed through fair hiring practices and contracting.
     
    Richard Kowalewitch is one of Tower’s opponents. Kowalewitch believes that crime is the biggest threat to the county, and more police officers will eliminate the issue. Kowalewitch is a proud supporter of President Trump.


    Rosemary Wilson is also running. Wilson objected to Colin Kaepernick's protests to draw attention to the treatment of Black Americans, calling it a "disrespect" and "an embarrassment." She aligns with the other candidates in her concern about the environment but she fails to hold equity and inclusion as similarly important. Wilson’s website addresses gun violence, but her solution revolves around increased funding for police rather than pushing for common sense gun laws. 

    Tower is the most progressive choice for this race.

    Guy Tower

    Guy Tower has lived in Virginia since 1979. He started in Virginia Beach in 1979, and has been in the Beach District since 2014. Tower is a retired lawyer, mediator, and educator. His partner for the past three decades is a retired judge of the Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, and they have four children.
     
    Tower was appointed to serve as an interim member until the special election this November. If elected to continue his service, he wants to ensure the safety of the residents. One of his priorities is restructuring the funds for stormwater. Tower also believes in transparency and equity. He wants to ensure that residents from every demographic and neighborhood have the opportunity to succeed through fair hiring practices and contracting.
     
    Richard Kowalewitch is one of Tower’s opponents. Kowalewitch believes that crime is the biggest threat to the county, and more police officers will eliminate the issue. Kowalewitch is a proud supporter of President Trump.

    Rosemary Wilson is also running. Wilson objected to Colin Kaepernick's protests to draw attention to the treatment of Black Americans, calling it a "disrespect" and "an embarrassment." She aligns with the other candidates in her concern about the environment but she fails to hold equity and inclusion as similarly important. Wilson’s website addresses gun violence, but her solution revolves around increased funding for police rather than pushing for common sense gun laws. 

    Tower is the most progressive choice for this race.