House District 041

Democrat Herbert Jones Jr. came to Virginia through an assignment in the Army. After leaving active duty to join the reserves, he was elected County Supervisor of New Kent County in 1999, beginning his journey in elected office. Thanks to his extensive knowledge of the military, Governor Northam appointed him to the commonwealth’s Military Advisory Council. 

Jones Jr. is pro-choice and has openly stated his support of reproductive healthcare facilities like Planned Parenthood. He supports clean, renewable energy and is in favor of common sense solutions to prevent gun violence. Jones supports raising teacher pay, increasing funding for pre-k, and apprenticeships for students. Unlike his opponent, he supports Medicaid expansion and would work to completely close the healthcare gap in Virginia.

His opponent, incumbent Senator Tommy Norment, is the Senate Majority Leader. He has consistently and vocally opposed progressive priorities. He has voted for bills that target immigrant communities and opposed bills that would increase the quality of life of those who have immigrated to the US. He has consistently opposed reproductive rights, including voting to mandate medically unnecessary ultrasounds and prohibit the use of state funds for abortion. Norment has repeatedly voted against raising the minimum wage. Because Sen. Norment is the Senate Majority Leader, the power that he holds often leads to the defeat of our bills.

Jones is the more progressive choice in this race.

Democratic candidate Stan Scott is a military veteran who moved to Virginia after retiring from the Army in 2002. He went to George Washington University, pursuing doctoral work in international relations and public policy. Scott now resides in Mechanicsville and has been a member of the Hanover Democratic Committee for over ten years.

Scott believes in healthcare accessibility and supports Medicaid Expansion. In his campaign, he has prioritized completely closing the healthcare gap that still remains. Scott urges investment in universal pre-kindergarten and equal funding for all schools. He wants to increase teacher pay, make college tuition more affordable, and better fund community colleges. He supports commonsense gun violence prevention measures, including closing the gun show loophole. Scott also supports clean energy and wants to force polluting utility monopolies to pay for the damage they do.

Incumbent Republican Senator Ryan McDougle voted against expanding Medicaid to 400,000 Virignians. He opposes gun violence prevention measures and has voted to expand gun rights in Virginia. Senator McDougle is anti-choice. He voted for legislation that scapegoats immigrants and opposed state ratification of the ERA. He voted against legislation that would prohibit discrimination in housing based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Scott is the progressive choice in this race.

Incumbent Senator Lionell Spruill is a lifelong Virginian and Democrat. He was born in Norfolk and received an Honorary Doctorate from Norfolk University. Senator Spruill was a member of several civic leagues in the state, which led to his appointment as Chairman of the Chesapeake City Council in 1988. He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1994 and the state Senate in 2016.

Senator Spruill is pro-choice and has voted against personhood bills and mandatory ultrasounds before abortion. He supports legislation like the Virginia Energy Plan that would have put a 15 year pause on offshore oil drilling and encouraged clean energy options. Senator Spruill voted to expand Medicaid in Virginia and supports raising wages for Virginia families. He passed legislation to close Jim Crow loopholes in Virginia law that exempted some professions from the state minimum wage.

His opponent, Jeff Staples, is running as an independent. Staples supports ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment and expanding healthcare access. He does not have a clear stance on immigration, reproductive health, economic opportunity, or other progressive issues.

Senator Spruill is the progressive choice in this race.

Incumbent Democratic Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn has served in the House of Delegates since 2010. She is currently the Minority Leader, the first woman to hold that role. Delegate Filler-Corn is a member of the Rules, Finance, and Commerce & Labor Committees. Prior to her election as Minority Leader, she served as Vice Chair for Outreach of the House Democratic Caucus and the House Democratic Whip.

Delegate Filler-Corn is an advocate for abortion access and has supported bills that would increase birth control access and promote consent-based sex education. She supports gun violence prevention and she sponsored a bill that would have eliminated sales tax from gun sales under $1,000. She also sponsored a bill that would have increased the felony threshold to $1000, ensuring that people who make a one-time mistake aren’t branded a felon for the rest of their lives. Delegate Filler-Corn also supports increasing the minimum wage so that all Virginians can afford to live with dignity. She was a strong supporter of Medicaid expansion.

Delegate Filler-Corn is being challenged by Rachel Mace, a Libertarian, and John Wolfe, an Independent. Mace is against gun violence prevention. She also is opposed to meals taxes that help fund important projects like affordable housing. Additionally, she opposes the elimination of student debt, but offers no solutions to the student loan debt crisis. Little information is available on Wolfe’s positions on key issues.

Delegate Filler-Corn is the more progressive choice in this race because of her support of abortion access, criminal justice reform, and Medicaid expansion.