Democratic candidate Michele Joyce is a longtime resident of Smithfield where she and her husband have raised their two daughters. Joyce has a background in physics and has worked at Jefferson Lab in Newport News for 20 years. For the last decade, Michele has been a volunteer community leader and advocate, helping hundreds of residents in the rural areas of the district to find access to affordable health care. After witnessing a neighborhood family fall victim to a flawed health care system, she decided it was time to play an active role in helping folks in her community. She vows to improve lives in our rural communities by eliminating food and internet deserts and by protecting the family farm.

Her opponent is incumbent Republican Delegate Emily Brewer. Delegate Brewer was first elected in 2017. She is endorsed by the NRA and the Virginia Citizens Defense League, proving that she is against commonsense gun violence prevention measures. She is also against abortion access and doesn’t believe people should be able to make choices about their own bodies.

Michele Joyce is the more progressive choice in this race because of her strong commitment to affordable health care.