House District 039

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.

Delegate Cheryl Turpin is a high school science teacher in Virginia Beach. She received her undergraduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University before earning a graduate degree from the University of Richmond. Turpin was elected to the House of Delegates in 2017 and is now running for the state Senate seat vacated by Republican Senator Frank Wagner.

During her time in the House, Turpin voted to expand Medicaid and raise wages for teachers across Virginia. She opposed legislation designed to scapegoat immigrant communities. She supports expanding clean energy options and ensuring all students have access to quality education. She has sponsored legislation to add sexual orientation and gender identity to Virginia’s hate crimes statute.

Her opponent, Republican Jen Kiggans, is a Navy veteran and nurse practitioner. She is anti-choice and has been vocal in her stance against abortion. She opposes gun violence prevention measures.

Cheryl Turpin is the progressive choice in this race.

Incumbent Democratic Delegate Vivian Watts was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1981, but left in 1986 to serve as the Virginia Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety. She was again elected to the House of Delegates in 1996 and has served ever since. She is married and has two children and six grandchildren. Watts has been involved in many community groups and served as the Executive Director of Fairfax CASA.

As Delegate, she serves on the Courts of Justice, House Finance, and Science & Technology committees. Delegate Watts is a strong supporter of education and supports reducing class sizes and increasing teacher pay. She also supports access to reproductive health care, including access to birth control and abortion. In addition, Delegate Watts voted for Medicaid expansion and supports increasing access to mental health services for all Virginians.

Delegate Watts is being challenged by Republican candidate Nick Bell. He decided to run because of his opposition to abortion access, which is the only issue he talks about on his website.

Due to her support of reproductive rights, Medicaid expansion, and increased funding for our schools, Delegate Watts is the more progressive choice in this race.