City of Virginia Beach

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.

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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

Virginia Beach’s mayoral election takes place on November 3, 2020 and shares a ballot with the US presidential election. Democrat Jody Wagner, the former State Treasurer and Secretary of Finance, is running against Republican and incumbent, Mayor Bobby Dyer and local small business owner, Richard Kowalewitch, who is running as an independent.

About the District

Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads region, on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth. It is the most populous city in Virginia, with a population of 1.2 million. Virginia Beach is politically split and is considered a toss-up. Donald Trump won the city with 48% of the vote, to Hillary Clinton’s 44%, in 2016. However, in 2018, the city changed hands, with Democrat Elaine Luria earning 51% of the vote.

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Jody Wagner served as the State Treasurer under Governor Mark Warner and as the Virginia Secretary of Finance under Governor Tim Kaine. She has run for the 2nd district congressional seat as well as Lt. Governor of Virginia. She currently serves on the board of the Norfolk Foundation and the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. She and her husband together also own a small gourmet popcorn business in Virginia Beach called Jody’s Popcorn.

Wagner is running on a platform of progressive economic development, flood mitigation and other environmental issues, and equality. She believes that the city will need someone with a strong financial background to help weather this crisis. She has been endorsed by Speaker of the House of Delegates, Eileen Filler-Corn, and the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee.
Wagner supports investing in technology and green initiatives, including expanding Virginia Beach’s investment in offshore wind energy to make the city more sustainable and making use of the subsea ultra-high-speed internet cables that land in Virginia Beach currently only serves Central and Northern Virginia.

Wagner considers flood mitigation one of her top priorities. She believes that current restrictions are not enough to prevent flooding and wishes to modernize the city’s flood response system and take on long-term solutions to address the threat of flooding.

In terms of racial justice and police reform, Wagner claims that the Virginia Beach Police Department has come a long way in addressing the concerns of Black Lives Matter protesters, but that they should work to make the community aware of what has already been done and should continue to work to find solutions for issues that remain. Wagner is dedicated to guaranteeing high-quality housing that the city’s workforce can afford. She believes it is crucial to make sure that new developments are not allowed to displace low-income residents from their communities.

The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee endorsed Jody Wagner in her run for mayor.

Wagner’s Republican opponent, incumbent Bob Dyer, has said that shifting resources from police to other first responders would “imperil the city.” Dyer did not take aggressive action during COVID-19, even though the city has become one of the hardest hit locations in the state. He also neglected to update Virginia Beach’s flood response system, despite the increasing cost of floods to the city.

Richard Kowalewitch, a Virginia Beach small business owner, is also running for mayor. Kowalewitch is not affiliated with any party but supports expanding the city’s police force. He is outspoken against what he considers to be local corruption amongst other city officials, and wishes to increase penalties for violating laws against corruption and conflicts of interest in government. He wants to reduce the budget and eliminate wasteful spending in order to service the city’s bond debt.

Jody Wagner is a progressive choice for this race.

About the Race

The at-large election for Virginia Beach City Council takes place on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the US presidential election. All registered voters in the city of Virginia Beach are eligible to vote in this election, regardless of their district. Healthcare professional Brandon Hutchins is running against incumbent Rosemary Wilson and advertising executive Nadine Paniccia. This race is nonpartisan.

About the District

Virginia Beach is an independent city located in Hampton Roads on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth. It is the most populous city in Virginia, with a population of 1.2 million. Virginia Beach is politically split and is considered a toss-up. Donald Trump won the city with 48% of the vote, to Hillary Clinton’s 44%, in 2016. However, in 2018 Democrat Elaine Luria won 51% of the vote.

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Brandon Hutchins is a Virginia Beach small business owner who served in the Navy during the Iraq War. He is also a community advocate and healthcare professional. Hutchins serves on the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation’s board, an organization that works to address affordable housing issues in Virginia Beach. He is a member of the Hampton Roads Black Caucus, NAACP, and the Democratic Business Alliance.

Hutchins believes current policing does not adequately serve Black and Brown communities. He supports reforms that center on community policing. He believes the police need to be demilitarized and rebranded.

On the issues of affordable housing and gentrification, Hutchins believes that Virginia Beach’s goal should be development without displacement. He will support development projects that have affordable housing pieces attached. When that is not feasible, he believes the city should step up to help organizations that specialize in affordable housing solutions to prevent people from being kicked out of the city.

Hutchins wants to increase teacher pay to offset the rising cost of living so that Virginia Beach can recruit and retain the best teachers for its public schools.

As a healthcare professional, Hutchins supports a scientific approach to COVID-19 response. He has received the endorsement of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee.

Hutchins’ opponent, incumbent Rosemary Wilson, has worked to increase funding for flood response from 9% to 23% of the city’s budget. She opposed drilling and mining operations that would damage the city’s environment and water supply. She has also worked to improve public transportation and expand healthcare coverage to school bus drivers. However, her public safety platform is openly pro-police and does not address or acknowledge policing issues in Black and Brown communities. Additionally, her platform does not solve problems of gentrification or affordable housing.

Nadine Paniccia, an advertising sales executive for Vacation Sales Associates, is also running for City Council. She is outspoken about the city’s outdated stormwater system and inadequate mitigation for flooding. She believes that development and environmental protection can co-exist if the city intentionally makes the environment a priority when approving development projects. However, she has not made any statements on affordable housing, racial justice, police reform, or education.

Brandon Hutchins is the progressive choice for this race.

About the Race

The election for Centerville’s seat on the Virginia Beach City Council takes place on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the US presidential election. Incumbent Sabrina Wooten, who assumed office in 2018, is running against US Navy Veteran Eric Wray. This race is nonpartisan.

About the District

The Centerville district is located in the southwest corner of the city and borders Norfolk. Virginia Beach is an independent city located in Hampton Roads on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth. It is the most populous city in Virginia, with a population of 1.2 million. Virginia Beach is politically split and is considered a toss-up. Donald Trump won the city with 48% of the vote, to Hillary Clinton’s 44%, in 2016. However, in 2018 Democrat Elaine Luria won 51% of the vote.

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Councilwoman Sabrina Wooten first joined the Virginia Beach City Council in 2018, when she was elected to fill the seat left vacant by Bob Dyer. She was appointed to the Board of Governors for the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations and Executives in 2018. She also served as Vice-Chair of the Minority Business Council and is a member of the National Small Business Association, the American Society for Public Administration, and the National Association of Professional Women. Wooten formerly worked as a chaplain for the Virginia Beach Police Department.

Wooten is committed to issues of racial justice. Her work as a police chaplain has given her insight into many problems within police departments. She believes serious reform is necessary to ensure all communities in Virginia Beach are safe. She supports the Virginia Beach Police Department’s implementation of the “Eight Can’t Wait” policies and will see they are followed. “Eight Can’t Wait” is eight policies designed to reduce police violence that include banning chokeholds, exhausting all alternatives before shooting, reporting all uses of force, and requiring officers to intervene when force is misused. Wooten will work to see more improvements made on police reform, including creating an empowered Citizens’ Review Board for police misconduct and banning the use of chemical weapons.

On the issue of affordable housing, Wooten believes that the city must do more to ensure that working families, senior citizens, young adults, and public servants all have access to high-quality housing that they can afford. She wants to provide developers with incentives to redevelop housing with affordability in mind.

Wooten supports increasing compensation for all Virginia Beach public school employees, particularly in the face of rising housing prices and an increased cost of living. She believes that annual increases to teacher salaries are a solution to the economic challenges and hardships faced by the city’s teachers.

Wooten has been endorsed in this race by the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee.

Wooten’s opponent, Eric Wray, is a US Navy veteran and served on the Virginia State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers under Governor McDonnell. Wray is an ardent supporter of police and promises never to support measures that would reallocate resources from police to social services or other first responders. He will work to eliminate what he calls “unnecessary red tape” within the government and reduce taxes. Wray considers gun-ownership as a “God-given right” and vows that he will never vote to infringe on it.

Sabrina Wooten is the progressive choice for this race.

About the Race

The election for Centerville’s seat on the Virginia Beach School Board is held on November 3, 2020 as part of the general election. Former elementary school teacher and one-term incumbent, Trenace Riggs, is running against local business owner Luis Cortes. This race is nonpartisan.

About the District

The Centerville district is located in the southwest corner of the city and borders Norfolk. Virginia Beach is an independent city located in Hampton Roads on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth. It is the most populous city in Virginia, with a population of 1.2 million. Virginia Beach is politically split and is considered a toss-up. Donald Trump won the city with 48% of the vote, to Hillary Clinton’s 44%, in 2016. However, in 2018, Democrat Elaine Luria earned 51% of the vote in her election to Congress.

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School Board member Trenace Riggs has served on the Virginia Beach School Board since 2017. She worked for 17 years as an elementary school teacher in Virginia Beach Public Schools. Riggs was an active member of the Virginia Beach Education Association (VBEA), serving as a Board and Executive Board Member for ten years. She also served as VBEA President from 2012 until 2016.

During her time on the School Board, Riggs advocated for and implemented changes such as full-day kindergarten classes and helped oversee the transition to online learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Virginia Beach School Board responded to the need for online learning during the pandemic by issuing chromebooks to all students and distributing internet hotspots to students without internet access through the program designed to give low-income students access to free lunches. For the new school year, the Board has purchased a program called “Class Link” designed to streamline online learning and make it easier and more accessible to students of all grade levels. Riggs was an instrumental part of implementing this plan.

Riggs does not support allowing teachers to carry weapons but does support allowing school resource officers (SROs) to remain in middle and high schools. She has not said whether or not she supports expanding them into elementary schools.

Riggs worked with other school board members to draft the equality policy and create guidelines for increasing equality in school environments by closing achievement gaps, finding ways to address issues that occur within diverse cultures, and honoring and listening to all voices.

She supports the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program that the school board adopted in 2016, which is designed to be a new approach to school discipline that focuses less on coercive and punitive methods.

Riggs has been endorsed for her run for School Board by the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee.

Luis Cortes, Riggs’ opponent, is a Virginia Beach executive who previously worked for the Department of Defense and Homeland Security. He is also the owner of the only Spanish-language radio station in Hampton Roads. Cortes is concerned about the impact that school closures will have on students with disabilities and generally supports school reopening during the pandemic. He has also shown support for the police in the wake of protests over the murder of George Floyd. He has not made statements on diversity and inclusion or school safety.

Trenace Riggs is a progressive choice for this race.

About the Race

The election for Kempsville’s seat on the Virginia Beach City Council takes place on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the US presidential election. Former priest, Bill Dale, is running against incumbent one-term Jessica Abbott and sales representative Mike Anderson. This race is nonpartisan.

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Bill Dale, a Virginia Beach financial advisor, and former Catholic priest is running for City Council for the second time after losing the race for Kempsville’s City Council seat in 2012. He also ran for the 85th district seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2013 as a Democrat but lost to former 2nd District Congressional Representative Scott Taylor.

Dale will work to ensure free and fair elections in Virginia Beach. He uses social media to stress the importance of voting rights and instructing Virginia Beach residents on voting from home. His commitment to voting rights is consistent with statements he made when he ran for the House of Delegates.

Dale is concerned about the impact that COVID-19 will have on Virginia Beach’s community and economy in the long-term. Virginia Beach has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 cases in the Commonwealth, and its economy is highly reliant on tourism, which decreased substantially during the pandemic. He believes the city will need “leadership that is competent, experienced, empathetic, and balanced” to respond adequately to the crisis.

During his run for the House of Delegates, Dale expressed support for expanding transportation options and improving education. The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee has endorsed Dale.

Dale’s opponent, Councilwoman Jessica Abbott, will improve education in Virginia Beach by investing in teacher compensation and modernizing schools. She is focused on supporting small businesses by eliminating “red tape” that makes it difficult for them to operate. Abbott has expressed support for police without making any statements about racial justice or reform. She also wants to expand high-wage jobs in the city. Abbott has no plan to address issues of affordable housing or gentrification.

Mike Anderson, Dale’s other opponent, is an architectural and commercial sales representative for Riverside Brick and Supply Co. in Virginia Beach. He has served on many community boards, including the Redevelopment Committee with the Historic Kempsville Citizen Advisory Committee. Anderson will work to ensure that all residents are included in the decision making process through alerting neighborhoods and other relevant community organizations before projects begin. Anderson wants to include educators in policy decisions pertaining to education and work to see that they are properly paid and respect for their expertise. However, Anderson will also increase police patrols and traffic stops, as he believes that will increase public safety. Due to Anderson’s positions on police and public safety, we cannot trust him to make progressive decisions on city policy.

Bill Dale is the progressive choice for this race.

About the Race

The election for Kempsville’s seat on the Virginia Beach City Council takes place on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the US presidential election. Long-serving incumbent Dan Edwards is running against mortgage loan officer Jennifer Franklin. This race is nonpartisan.

About the District

The Kempsville district is located on the western edge of the city and borders Norfolk. Virginia Beach is an independent city located in Hampton Roads on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth. It is the most populous city in Virginia, with a population of 1.2 million. Virginia Beach is politically split and is considered a toss-up. Donald Trump won the city with 48% of the vote, to Hillary Clinton’s 44%, in 2016. However, in 2018, Democrat Elaine Luria earned 51% of the vote in her election to Congress.

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School Board member Dan Edwards is a US Navy veteran and local Virginia Beach business owner who has served on the school board for over 20 years. He has been the chair for 18 years. He also serves on the board of the Virginia Beach Education Fund and the Tidewater College Access Fund. He is a former president of the Virginia Beach Rotary Club.

During his time on the School Board, Edwards oversaw significant changes to Virginia Beach Public Schools. When he was first elected, Virginia Beach had only a single accredited school. The district now has full accreditation.

The Virginia Beach School Board responded to the need for online learning during the pandemic by issuing chromebooks to all students, a move Edwards supported. He also voted to distribute internet hotspots to students without internet access through a program designed to give low-income students access to free lunches. For the new school year, the Board has purchased a program called “Class Link” designed to streamline online learning and make it easier and more accessible to students of all grade levels.

Edwards wants to continue the forward momentum of change and improvement in Virginia Beach Public Schools in the coming years. He believes that mental health awareness is an important part of education and that schools are responsible for understanding their students’ well-being. Edwards lost a child to suicide and has been motivated and actively engaged in improving mental health standards in Virginia Beach schools by supporting policies that will ensure that the social-emotional curriculum is woven into learning at all grade levels.

Edwards supports all of the online learning policies established to smooth the transition for most students during the pandemic. However, he also recognizes that some students, such as those with special needs, may require in-person instruction. The school board has already worked to begin that instruction over the summer and intends to see it continue during the fall.

On issues of discrimination, Edwards is proud that Virginia Beach’s schools have received national recognition for the training that is already in place for teachers, including candid conversations about race. Edwards believes the program is a great start, but that more work is needed to help faculty identify and adequately respond to problematic and discriminatory behavior.

Edwards opposes any proposal that would put more guns in schools and any policy that would allow parents to use tax credits to pay for private schools. Edwards has been endorsed for his run for School Board by the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee.

Edwards’ opponent, Jennifer Franklin, is a mortgage loan officer with Planet Home Lending and has no publicly available information regarding her platform.

Dan Edwards is a progressive choice for this race.

About the Race

The election for Rose Hall’s seat on the Virginia Beach City Council occurs on November 3, 2020, as part of the general election. Former progressive lobbyist, Conrad Schesventer, running against conservative incumbent Michael Berlucchi, who was appointed in 2019, and Navy veteran Garry Hubbard. This race is nonpartisan.

About the District

Rose Hall is located in the center of the city, and borders the Beach district. Virginia Beach is an independent city located in Hampton Roads on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth. It is the most populous city in Virginia, with a population of 1.2 million. Virginia Beach is politically split and is considered a toss-up. Donald Trump won the city with 48% of the vote, to Hillary Clinton’s 44%, in 2016. However, in 2018, Democrat Elaine Luria earned 51% of the vote in her election to Congress.

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Conrad Schesventer is the co-host of a business and political talk show called Beach Brothers, who has lived in Virginia Beach for just over a year. He worked as a progressive lobbyist at the General Assembly in 2018 and was a consultant on Richelle Wallace’s campaign for mayor in Hampton.

Schesventer believes that the best way to diversify Virginia Beach’s economy is to focus on the significant role that agriculture already plays in the economy and support its expansion. He also sees the potential for big tech to take off in the city, due to its access to ultra-high-speed internet cables. He suggests giving new businesses an incentive to come to Virginia Beach to access the cables, allowing them a start-up time of one year with no initial property taxes.

On issues of police reform and racial justice, Schesventer believes that Virginia Beach’s Civilian Review Board needs to have more power to hold police officers accountable for misconduct. He also advocates for using automation and cameras to reduce interactions with the police by having citations for mild speeding, broken tail-lights, and expired registration automated and flagged by cameras. He believes pulling a car over for minor offenses opens the door to invasions of privacy and civil asset forfeiture.

Schesventer believes that the City Council must take a proactive approach to zoning issues, make sure that developments are environmentally friendly, designed with flood mitigation in mind, and ideally come with an affordable housing piece.

Schesventer has a record of being outspoken on gun legislation and personally addressed the Virginia Beach City Council and other city councils in Hampton Roads in opposition to second amendment sanctuary resolutions. Schesventer has been endorsed in his run for City Council by the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee.

Republican incumbent Michael Berlucchi is the former president of Hampton Roads Pride and voted to increase funding for schools and flooding mitigation. He advocated for the Virginia Values Act and to ban conversion therapy on minors during the 2020 legislative session. He is a supporter of small government and is generally opposed to regulations and tax increases. Berlucchi has not made any statements on police reform or affordable housing.

Schesventer’s other opponent, Garry Hubbard, is a US Navy veteran and construction contractor. According to the questionnaire he completed for the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee, Hubbard is strongly opposed to offshore drilling. Hubbard also told the Committee that he supports the demilitarization of the police. However, he has not put forward police reform policies as detailed as Schesventer’s. Hubbard is also less progrssive than Schesventer on affordable housing. He believes that the solution to communities being displaced by new developments and gentrification is to create more jobs. Due to his opinions on housing, we cannot be sure that Garry Hubbard would make progressive policy choices.

Conrad Schesventer is a progressive choice for this race.

About the Race

The election for the Rose Hall seat on the Virginia Beach School Board occurs on November 3, 2020, and shares a ballot with the general election. One-term incumbent and child welfare curriculum developer Jessica Owens is running against Joanna Moran, a local corrections officer. This race is nonpartisan.

About the District

Rose Hall is located in the center of the city, and borders the Beach district. Virginia Beach is an independent city located in Hampton Roads on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth. It is the most populous city in Virginia, with a population of 1.2 million. Virginia Beach is politically split and is considered a toss-up. Donald Trump won the city with 48% of the vote, to Hillary Clinton’s 44%, in 2016. However, in 2018, Democrat Elaine Luria earned 51% of the vote in her election to Congress.

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School Board member Jessica Owens is a former child advocate who worked with Virginia’s Child Protective Services. She worked as a child forensic investigator with the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. Owens currently works for the Virginia Department of Social Service as a child welfare curriculum developer. She was first elected to the Virginia Beach School Board in 2019 and is seeking re-election to serve her first full term on the Board.

Owens is most concerned with addressing the disparity in school discipline in Virginia Beach schools. She is also worried about teacher pay and the quality of special education in the city. 

Owens supports a virtual start to learning in the fall for Virginia Beach, which has one of the highest case rates of COVID-19 in the state.

Owens has been an advocate for trauma-informed practices in school board policy and teacher training. She believes teachers must be aware of how to deal with students who have experienced trauma or abuse.

Owens has been endorsed for her run for School Board by the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee.

Joanna Moran, Owens’ opponent, is a correctional officer and has not put forward a substantial platform for her candidacy. However, she has made several posts supporting other conservative school board candidates in the city, such as Luis Cortes and Vicky Manning.

Jessica Owens is a progressive choice for this race.