House District 079

There is minimal information available about Democratic candidate Rebecca Raveson. She has no website, Twitter account, or campaign Facebook page.

Incumbent Republican John Cosgrove has been consistently anti-choice. He voted against funding for reproductive healthcare and to require unnecessary ultrasounds before abortion. He is against our immigrant communities, having voted against the formation of sanctuary cities, and supports discrimination on the basis of religion. He opposed the ratification of the ERA and is staunchly against gun violence prevention.

Democratic candidate Virginia Smith is a teacher and children’s book author. Smith graduated from Virginia Union University and University of Virginia before working in Richmond Public Schools. Smith now resides in Prince William County and is a volunteer middle school mentor.

As a former teacher, Smith supports raising teacher pay. She also supports the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and expanding access to affordable healthcare. She wants to ensure that we all have the opportunity to exercise our right to vote and wants to push for fair treatment of Black Virginians within the criminal justice system. Her platform includes support for paid family and medical leave as well as investments in clean, renewable energy sources.

Her opponent, incumbent Republican Senator Frank Ruff has voted against immigrant communities at every opportunity and has an anti-choice record. He also opposes commonsense gun violence prevention measures. He voted against raising the minimum wage. He vocally opposed Medicaid expansion in Virginia and drew vocal condemnation for racist remarks about the proposal in 2014.

Virginia Smith is the progressive choice.

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. They live in Richmond and have three adult children.

McEachin is currently serving as interim Commonwealth’s Attorney. She plans to end cash bail requirements for pretrial release and provide alternatives to incarceration through a diversion program for first-time arrestees charged with non-violent offenses. She also promises to be engaged with the community on all levels and increase diversity with the staff in the Commonwealth Attorney’s office.

There is currently no challenger to McEachin’s bid for office. With her focus on ending cash bail and providing alternatives to incarceration, McEachin is the progressive candidate of choice for the City of Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney.

A native Richmonder and serving as Clerk Of Court since 2014, Ed Jewett has 29 years of experience working in the Richmond Circuit Court Clerk’s Office. Jewett spearheaded modernization efforts at the office by digitizing all court filings and establishing an electronic filing system for attorneys, which has saved taxpayer money and increased public access to court records. He serves on committees throughout Virginia to develop training systems to improve other court systems. Jewett leads a staff of 42 employees that he said reflects the diversity of Richmond.

Due to his experience leading the Richmond Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Jewett is the progressive candidate of choice for Richmond.