City of Petersburg

About the Race

This election occurs on November 3, 2020, and shares a ballot with the US presidential election. Current Senator Mark Warner (D), who has also served as the governor of Virginia, will be running against Daniel Gade, a retired Army Lt. Colonel who worked in the Trump administration.

About the State

Every eligible Virginia voter may cast a ballot in the US Senate election. Virginia saw an incredibly high turnout in 2016, with 72% of registered voters turning out to vote, more than 15% higher than the average US voter turnout. Virginia usually sees more than 70% of registered voters turn out for presidential election years.

Recommendation

Incumbent Democrat Senator Mark Warner has represented Virginia as United States Senator since 2008. Before his election to the Senate, he served as Virginia’s Governor from 2002 to 2006. In the Senate, Warner is the Vice Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and he also serves on several other committees.

Warner is known for his service on the Intelligence Committee in investigating and condemning Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He is also a fierce advocate for protecting the country’s electoral process. Warner sponsored legislation that was supported by representatives on both sides of the aisle to prevent foreign meddling in elections and promote greater transparency in online political advertising. In 2020, Warner voted to convict President Donald Trump and remove him from office at the end of the Senate impeachment trial.

In 2019, Warner joined other senators in introducing the Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore and strengthen the original 1965 Voting Rights Act. In 2020, he called on the Senate to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell failed to bring it up for a vote.

Sen. Warner voted against the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. He opposed a federal abortion ban and believes that abortion is a constitutionally-protected right.

Warner wants to invest in infrastructure projects to create jobs and boost the economy. During his time in the Senate, Warner has pushed for increased federal spending on transit, water improvement projects, and airports in the Commonwealth. In 2020, Warner championed the Great Outdoors Act to bring federal relief to the country’s national park system, which would bring over 10,000 jobs to Virginia alone.

Warner joined other Senators in lambasting the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. During the coronavirus pandemic, he has pushed for more funding for testing supplies and PPE while also supporting the expansion of Medicaid and Medicare coverage to more Americans. Warner has pushed for increased broadband access so more people can use the Internet during the pandemic to work from home and attend school.

Warner’s opponent, Daniel Gade, is a U.S. Army veteran and professor at American University. Gade supports cutting taxes, reducing the size of government, promoting economic deregulation with free market policies. He believes that the U.S. economy should re-open as quickly as possible during the pandemic. Gade has said he approves of President Trump’s performance so far.

Due to his record of service supporting abortion rights, healthcare access, the environment, and protecting our democracy, Senator Mark Warner is the more progressive choice to represent Virginia in the U.S. Senate.

About the Race

The election for the Ward 2 seat on the Petersburg City Council takes place on November 3rd as part of the general election. Current Councilman Darrin Hill, a local business owner who has been vocal about issues of racial justice, is running for re-election against Marlow Jones, a former Petersburg Fire Marshall in this nonpartisan election.

About the District

Petersburg is an independent city with a population of about 32,000 located at the southern mouth of the Chesapeake in Hampton Roads. For the purposes of local elections, the city is broken up into six wards. Each ward elects its own representative for the School Board and City Council. Petersburg is one of the most reliably Democratic cities in the Commonwealth, with Democratic presidents typically winning over 85% of the vote. Ward 2 encompasses the southeastern part of the city.

Recommendation

Councilman Darrin Hill is a local business owner who has served as the representative of Petersburg’s second ward since 2015. He owns A Personal Touch Barbershop, which has served Petersburg for twenty years.

While on City Council, he’s worked to address the city’s financial problems and reduce the number of “food deserts.”

He is vocal on racial justice issues and has attended numerous Black Lives Matter protests in the Petersburg area. Since the pandemic began, Hill has supported local businesses hurt by the economic fallout from the crisis on his social media accounts.

In December, Hill joined other members of the Petersburg City Council in refusing to vote on a proposal to turn Petersburg into a second amendment sanctuary city.

His opponent, Marlow Jones, is a former Petersburg Fire Marshall who was recently cleared of all charges after an arrest resulting from an altercation with individuals who came to his home to repossess his vehicle wrongfully. Currently, Jones has no information posted on his campaign’s Facebook, nor does he seem to have any other campaign website.

Due to his stance on racial justice, his actions in support of common-sense gun legislation, and his concern for local businesses during the pandemic, Darrin Hill is the more progressive choice in this race.

About the Race

The election for Ward 2’s seat on the Petersburg School Board takes place on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the US presidential election. Incumbent Abita Muse is not running for re-election, leaving Hal Miles, a youth mentor and motivational speaker, unopposed in this race.

About the District

Petersburg is an independent city with a population of about 32,000 located at the southern mouth of the Chesapeake in Hampton Roads. For the purposes of local elections, the city is broken up into six wards. Each ward elects its own representative for the School Board and City Council. Petersburg is one of the most reliably Democratic cities in the Commonwealth, with Democratic presidents typically winning over 85% of the vote. Ward 2 encompasses the southeastern part of the city.

Recommendation

Hal Miles is the former head wrestling coach at Virginia State University and is a retired plant production manager. Miles sees serving on the school board as an extension of the youth mentoring and motivational speaking work he has done for years.

Miles previously ran for this office in 2016 and said he wanted to provide teachers and staff with training, proper appreciation, and fair contracts.

Miles will work to conduct comprehensive assessments of students’ strengths and weaknesses. He wants to increase educational opportunities throughout the city.

Miles has posted messages on his social media pages and written columns for online publications to support racial justice.

Miles is running unopposed in this race. The incumbent, Atiba Muse, is not running for re-election.

Hal Miles is a progressive choice for this race.

About the Race

The election for Ward 6’s seat on the Petersburg City Council is held on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the US presidential election. Candidate Patrick Ingram, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, is running against incumbent Annette Smith-Lee. This race is nonpartisan.

About the District

Petersburg is an independent city with a population of about 32,000 located at the southern mouth of the Chesapeake in Hampton Roads. For the purposes of local elections, the city is broken up into six wards. Each ward elects its own representative for the School Board and City Council. Petersburg is one of the most reliably Democratic cities in the Commonwealth, with Democratic presidents typically earning over 85% of the vote. Ward 6 is located in the northwestern portion of the city.

Recommendation

Patrick Ingram is a Virginia native with a history of service. He’s served in the U.S. Coast Guard and volunteered to support individuals recently diagnosed with HIV. He is running on a platform of transparency, ethical conduct, and community engagement.

Ingram is committed to open communication with residents and sees fixing the water billing issues in Petersburg as a top priority. He plans to create a community oversight board for the City Council to increase accountability.

Ingram supports the Black Lives Matter movement and has advocated for the need to focus on protecting Black Trans lives.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ingram used social media to spread awareness of public events designed to educate renters about tenants’ rights.

Current Councilwoman Annette Smith-Lee has been progressive on some issues. She took action against Confederate flags flying near her district. However, Smith-Lee also did not support the widespread reconnection of water services to Petersburg residents who had not been able to pay their water bills during the pandemic, which could have prevented them from maintaining proper hygiene and contributed to further spread of the disease in vulnerable communities. State and federal pressure was required to get the City Council to restore service to the city’s residents.

Patrick Ingram is the progressive choice for this race.

About the Race

The election for Ward 6’s Petersburg School Board seat occurs on November 3, 2020, and shares a ballot with the US presidential election. Incumbent Bernard Lundy Jr., who has served on the school board since 2004, is running unopposed in this nonpartisan race.

About the District

Petersburg is an independent city with a population of about 32,000 located at the southern mouth of the Chesapeake in Hampton Roads. For the purposes of local elections, the city is broken up into six wards. Each ward elects its own representative for the School Board and City Council. Petersburg is one of the most reliably Democratic cities in the Commonwealth, with Democratic presidents typically winning over 85% of the vote. Ward 6 is located in the northwestern portion of the city.

Recommendation

Bernard Lundy Jr. has served on the Petersburg School Board since 2004. He has more than 35 years of experience working in public and correctional schools. Lundy’s career includes working as a special education teacher, an activities coordinator, and an in-school suspension teacher.

During his time on the school board, Lundy voted to remove Confederate names from Petersburg City schools.

Lundy and other board members investigated and uncovered instances of cheating at AP Hill Elementary School regarding SOL testing methods.

Lundy is an advocate for advanced placement education coursework in Petersburg schools.

Lundy is running unopposed in this election.

Bernard Lundy Jr. is a progressive choice for this race.