Virginia

Virginia’s 1st district includes 15 counties and parts of Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover Counties. With 810,541, this district leans Republican. 

About the Race

This election is held on November 3, 2020, and shares a ballot with the US presidential election. A human rights lawyer, Qasim Rashid (D), is running against incumbent Rob Whitman (R), who has been in Congress since 2007.

About the District

Virginia’s 1st Congressional District stretches from the fringes of Northern Virginia suburbs to the Hampton Roads area. It contains the entire city of Fredericksburg, as well as all or part of the following counties: Caroline, Essex, Fauquier, Gloucester, Hanover, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent, Northumberland, Prince William, Richmond County, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Westmoreland. The district has been Republican for over twenty years. However, it has moved increasingly left since 2016.

Recommendation

Attorney Qasim Rashid is the first Muslim to run for Congress from Virginia. He’s an immigrant from Pakistan and a graduate of the University of Richmond Law School. Rashid and his wife live in Stafford County with their three daughters. He’s never held elected office before, but practices human rights law, advocates for survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, and has authored several books.

Rashid is centering his campaign on bolstering working families by increasing the minimum wage and providing paid family leave. He wants to address the gender wage gap by fighting for pay equity. He believes in the rights of workers to unionize and collectively bargain and supports repealing right to work laws. He also sees expanding broadband access to rural communities as a key economic driver for Virginia.

Rashid supports restoring the Voting Rights Act. He is also in favor of a nonpartisan redistricting process and the drawing of fair district lines that keep communities intact.

Rashid promises to expand healthcare access by working toward a national single-payer system. He sees that the black maternal mortality rate is a national crisis and should be addressed head-on with federal action. Rashid supports access to safe and legal abortion, agreeing that everyone should be able to choose whether, how, and when to have children for themselves.

As a supporter of the Green New Deal, Rashid wants to create jobs through investment in the green job sector. He plans to cut subsidies to the fossil fuel industry by ceasing further exploration by oil and gas industries. He also promises to protect the Chesapeake Bay from further environmental damage.

Rashid believes in protecting the Second Amendment, but also in keeping guns out of the wrong hands by passing red flag laws. He wants to implement universal background checks and mandatory waiting periods on gun purchases while banning automatic assault rifles and high-capacity magazines to curb gun violence in America.

Rashid is running against Republican incumbent Robb Wittman, who has represented the 1st District since 2007. Ninety-three percent of Wittman’s votes are in line with President Trump. Wittman voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He also voted against increasing housing assistance and an economic stimulus package to help people during the coronavirus pandemic. He opposes raising the minimum wage and abortion rights. Wittman received a 10% score from the League of Conservation Voters for his voting record on the environment.

Due to Wittman’s support of Donald Trump, his votes to undermine the Affordable Care Act, and his opposition to reproductive rights, Qasim Rashid is the most progressive choice for Virginia’s 1st Congressional District.

Virginia’s 2nd district includes 6 counties and parts of Southampton county and Chesapeake City. With a population of 780,161, this district leans Republican.

About the Race

This election shares a ballot with the US Presidential election held on November 3, 2020. Incumbent Congresswoman Elaine Luria (D), a US Navy veteran, faces Scott Taylor (R), a former Navy SEAL who previously held the seat from 2017 to 2019.

About the District

Virginia’s 2nd District covers a large portion of Hampton Roads, including the entirety of the cities of Virginia Beach and Williamsburg and parts of Norfolk and Hampton. It also encompasses all of Accomack, Northampton, and York counties. The district has changed hands several times since 2008 at all levels and is considered one of Virginia’s most competitive congressional districts. Luria won the seat by 2.5% in 2018, a margin of just over 6000 votes.

Recommendation

Democratic incumbent Representative Elaine Luria is seeking re-election in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. A 20-year Navy veteran, Luria was first elected to represent the 2nd District in 2018. As a Naval officer, she served in the Iraq War and was deployed to Japan, the Middle East, Mediterranean Sea, and the western Pacific. She is married with one daughter. Luria retired from the Navy in 2017 and started a small business called The Mermaid Factory in Virginia Beach.

Luria serves on the Veterans’ Affairs and Armed Services committees in the House of Representatives. Most of the legislation she filed during her term focuses on veterans’ affairs. In 2019, Luria voted for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restored key sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act legislation.

She supports abortion access and believes the federal government should continue to fund Planned Parenthood. She supports closing the gender wage gap by implementing equal pay and taking action to combat maternal mortality in the U.S.

Luria voted to expand the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to cover more families during the coronavirus pandemic and believes that no one should be denied health insurance for having a pre-existing condition. She also condemned the Trump administration for attempting to dismantle the ACA and called on the Justice Department to reverse its position in a lawsuit meant to repeal the ACA. She called on the government to regulate prescription drug costs and to increase funding for mental health services.

As Representative from the district where the 2019 Virginia Beach shooting occurred, Luria voted to implement universal background checks and voted for the Keep Americans Safe Act, which would ban the sale of high-capacity magazines. She supported passing red flag laws that would keep guns out of the wrong hands and banning assault rifles.

Luria voted for the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and give more than 100,000 workers in her district a raise. She advocated for protections for small businesses, fisheries, and agricultural industries in coronavirus pandemic relief packages. Luria co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act in 2019 to close the gender wage gap. She voted to impeach Donald Trump in 2019.

Luria is facing a challenge from former Congressman Scott Taylor, who represented the 2nd District from 2017-2019. During his term, Taylor voted in line with President Trump to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to give the richest one percent and wealthy corporations tax breaks. A staffer from his 2018 re-election campaign was found guilty of election fraud for forging voter signatures.

Independent candidate David Foster is also challenging Luria. Foster opposes abortion rights and wants to cut taxes. Foster wants to prohibit sanctuary cities and supports Trump’s border wall. Foster also believes that a photo I.D. should be required for voting. He has published conspiracy theories on his website and believes that a lot of our healthcare problems could be solved by legalizing marijuana.

Due to Taylor’s staunch support of Trump and his attacks on healthcare and Foster’s opposition to a person’s right to decide when, how and whether to have children, Luria is the most progressive choice for the 2nd Congressional District in Virginia.

Virginia’s 3rd district includes 4 counties and parts of Chesapeake City. With a population of 781,088 this district leans Democratic.

About the Race

This election shares a ballot with the US Presidential election held on November 3, 2020. Incumbent Virginia politician and longtime incumbent, Congressman Bobby Scott (D), is running for re-election against John Collick (R), a retired Marine Sergeant and small business owner.

About the District

Virginia’s 3rd congressional district stretches across parts of Hampton Roads and encompasses all of the cities of Franklin, Newport News, and Portsmouth, as well as all of Isle of Wight county. It also contains parts of the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Suffolk. In 2012, the 3rd district was found to have been unconstitutionally gerrymandered based on race. It was redrawn for the 2016 elections to exclude parts of Richmond which had previously been included in the district. The district is reliably Democratic, even since redistricting. Bobby Scott ran unopposed for re-election in 2018, and Senator Tim Kaine won the district with 70% of the vote.

Recommendation

A lifelong statesman, Democratic Representative Bobby Scott has represented Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District since 1993. Before his election to federal office, Rep. Scott was a member of the Virginia Senate from 1983 to 1993 and the House of Delegates from 1978 to 1983. When he was first elected, Scott was the first African-American to represent Virginia in Congress since Reconstruction. He grew up in Newport News, but moved to Massachusetts for his education after Virginia schools closed instead of integrating after the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. There, he attended Harvard College and Boston College Law School.

Rep. Scott is the Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and also serves on the House Judiciary Committee. During his tenure, Scott has consistently advocated for labor rights.

In 2020, he sponsored the “Protecting to the Right to Organize Act,” which was passed by the House. The PRO Act strengthens workers’ rights to strike, collectively bargain, form unions, and have better working conditions. Scott sponsored legislation to protect all workers from COVID-19 and to help laid-off and furloughed workers keep their job-based insurance during the pandemic. In 2019, he championed the “Raise the Wage Act” to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.

Scott co-chairs the Voting Rights Caucus. He has called on the federal government to protect the integrity of the elections during the pandemic and to end voter suppression. He also supports restoring the Voting Rights Act.

Although a supporter of a single-payer healthcare system, Scott worked with members of Congress to pass the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010. He co-sponsored legislation in 2020 to protect the ACA from the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle Obamacare. His bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, sought to expand Medicaid coverage so more Americans are insured during the coronavirus pandemic, lower the cost of prescription drugs, and reduce health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Scott has regularly introduced legislation aimed at criminal justice reform. He co-sponsored the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act” in response to the police murder of George Floyd. His legislation bans chokeholds and no-knock warrants, sets national standards to hold police officers accountable for misconduct, prohibits racial profiling, and establishes a national data collection system on police conduct. Before his 2020 efforts to reform the criminal justice system, Scott co-sponsored the Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Effective (SAFE) Justice Act in 2015 and 2017. The SAFE Justice Act was a comprehensive reform aimed at reducing the country’s prison population by cutting mandatory sentence minimums, reducing recidivism, stopping overcriminalization, and using evidence-based crime prevention strategies.

Representing an area that is experiencing the effects of climate change firsthand with rising sea levels, Rep. Scott supports the Green New Deal. He has co-sponsored bills that increase federal investments in renewable energy spending and opposes offshore oil and gas exploration in Virginia and throughout the nation’s coasts. Congressman Scott also voted to impeach Donald Trump in 2019.

Rep. Scott is facing a challenge from Republican John Collick. A Marine veteran, Collick is a conservative who opposes abortion access. Collick is convinced that the government will confiscate guns from citizens and opposes an assault weapons ban. He believes that America should do more to control immigration into the country by placing biometric controls on people entering the U.S. He also supports using public money to pay for private education.

Due to his record serving the people in his district and fighting for their rights, Rep. Bobby Scott is the most progressive candidate for Virginia’s 3rd District.

Virginia’s 4th district includes 12 counties and parts of Chesterfield County, Henrico County, and Southampton County. With a population of 790,811 this district leans Democratic.

About the Race

This election occurs on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the US presidential election. Incumbent congressman, attorney Don McEachin (D), is running against Leon Benjamin (R), a Richmond pastor and Gulf War veteran who is the current GOP chair of the Richmond Republican Party.

About the District

The 4th congressional district of Virginia contains most of the area between Richmond and Hampton Roads, including all or parts of Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Henrico, Prince George, Southampton, Surry, and Sussex, and all or part of the independent cities of Chesapeake, Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, Petersburg, Richmond, and Suffolk. In 2012, the neighboring 3rd district was deemed unconstitutional. It was redrawn, with parts of it being put into the 4th district, since then the district has been reliably Democratic, with Don McEachin earning over 62% of the vote in 2018.

Recommendation

Democratic Representative Donald McEachin is seeking his third term serving the 4th Congressional District. He was first elected to the position in 2016. Before serving in Congress, McEachin was a member of Virginia’s House of Delegates from 1996 to 2002 and 2006 to 2008. He was then elected to the state Senate from 2008 to 2017. He’s a 1986 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and holds a Master of Divinity from Virginia Union University. He’s married to Collette McEachin, Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Richmond. The couple has three children together.

As a member of Congress, Rep. McEachin serves on the Natural Resources and Energy and Commerce committees and Select Committee on Climate Crisis. He has introduced legislation to make solar energy more affordable for low-income families and the Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act. McEachin also wants the U.S. to recommit to the Paris Climate Agreement.

McEachin believes it is the responsibility of Congress to protect citizens’ right to vote. He supports the John Lews Voting Rights Advancement Act.

In 2020, McEachin voted with other Democratic members of Congress to protect the Affordable Care Act (ACA) from the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle healthcare reform. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act seeks to expand Medicaid coverage to insure more Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, lower the cost of prescription drugs, and reduce health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. McEachin also introduced legislation this year aimed at addressing the country’s Black maternal health crisis.

McEachin believes that Virginians deserve better pay and voted for the Raise the Wage Act this year to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. He voted for the Paycheck Fairness Act, which seeks to close the gender wage gap. McEachin supports immigrant rights and voted for the American Dream and Promise Act in 2019. He also voted to send $4.5 billion to the border that same year to address the humanitarian crisis suffered by migrants attempting to enter the U.S.

NARAL Pro-Choice America gave McEachin a score of 100% for his voting record on reproductive freedom. He believes everyone should have access to safe and legal abortion and decide for themselves whether, how, and when to have children. McEachin supports federal funding of Planned Parenthood and believes that health insurance companies should cover birth control. McEachin also voted to impeach Trump in 2019.

Rep. McEachin is facing a challenge from Pastor Leon Benjamin, an evangelical leader and Chairman of the Republican Party in Richmond. Benjamin works to garner African-American support for President Trump. He attended Trump’s inauguration and stated that Trump was “not a racist.” In 2010, Benjamin urged the U.S. Congress not to repeal the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, which banned openly gay people from serving in the military. He also opposes a person’s right to abortion access.

Due to his extensive service to constituents in his district and commitment to progressive values, Rep. Donald McEachin is the most progressive candidate for Virginia’s 4th Congressional District.

Virginia’s 5th district includes 21 counties and parts of Albemarle County, Bedford County, and Hanover County. With a population of 797,420 this district leans Republican. 

About the Race

This election occurs on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the US presidential election. Dr. Cameron Webb (D), a doctor and lawyer and a former Obama White House fellow, is running against Bob Good (R), a financial executive for CitiFinancial and the chief fundraiser for Liberty University’s athletics department.

About the District

Virginia’s 5th congressional district is the largest in the state. It stretches from Piedmont and Blue Ridge mountains along the North Carolina border up over 250 miles to parts of Fauquier County in Northern Virginia. It contains the entirety of Albemarle County, Appomattox County, Brunswick County, Buckingham County, Campbell County, Charlotte County, Cumberland County, Fluvanna County, Franklin County, Greene County, Halifax County, Lunenburg County, Madison County, Mecklenburg County, Nelson County, Pittsylvania County, Prince Edward County, and Rappahannock County. It also contains parts of Bedford County, Fauquier County, Henry County, and the cities of Charlottesville and Danville.

The district has been reliably Republican outside of the 2008 election. The current 5th district representative, Denver Riggleman (R), won the district in 2018 with over 53% of the vote.

Recommendation

Dr. Cameron Webb, a doctor and lawyer, is a Democrat running for the open seat in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. Originally from Spotsylvania, Webb graduated from the University of Virginia. After completing his graduate studies, Webb worked on President Barack Obama’s Healthcare Team and served as an appointee to Virginia’s Board of Medical Assistance Services. He’s currently the Director of Health Policy and Equity for UVA’s School of Medicine. His wife, Dr. Leigh-Ann Webb, is an E.R. doctor, and the couple has two daughters.

Affordable and quality healthcare is the top issue in Webb’s campaign and that the rights of patients are prioritized over profit. He has stated that the Affordable Care Act was an excellent start to bringing healthcare reform to the country, but he supports providing a public option for health coverage. Webb also wants to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, expand access to mental health services, restore and increase funding to organizations providing reproductive healthcare services, spend more money to improve healthcare access in rural and underserved communities, and better support disabled Americans.

Webb believes that national leadership has failed the country in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. His response to dealing with the fallout of the virus involves implementing a “wrap-around support system” that addresses health, housing, workers’ rights, and the economy. As a doctor, Webb sees firsthand how the climate crisis is adversely affecting people’s health. He believes that Virginia should transition to a clean economy by eliminating carbon emissions and requiring that all energy come from renewable and clean resources.

Webb said he would fight for women’s equality by addressing the gender wage gap, advocating for paid family and medical leave, protecting reproductive healthcare and abortion, and reinstating the Violence Against Women Act. He wants higher education to be more accessible by making public universities and community colleges free to low-income students. Webb also believes that educational equity will be achieved by changing testing, updating laws, increasing funding, and making broadband access available to all students.

Webb is facing off against Republican Bob Good, a former fundraiser for Liberty University and Campbell County Supervisor. Good beat incumbent Representative Denver Riggleman in a Republican Party convention, challenging Riggleman after he officiated a wedding for a gay couple. Good is a social conservative who opposes transgender bathroom policies, abortion access, and protections for immigrants in our community. Good supports cutting taxes, reducing government spending, and supporting homeschoolers.

Webb’s advocacy for affordable healthcare, protecting abortion access, plan to tackle climate change and belief in equitable education makes him the most progressive choice for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.

Virginia’s 6th district includes 21 counties and parts of Roanoke County and Bedford County. With a population of 784,909, this district leans Republican.

About the Race

This congressional election is held on November 3, 2020, and shares a ballot with the U.S. presidential election. Nicholas Betts (D), a legal clerk and businessman faces incumbent congressman Ben Cline (R), a lawyer and business owner.

About the District

The 6th congressional district of Virginia covers the west-central portion of the state. It contains all of Amherst, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties, as well as parts of Bedford and Roanoke counties. It also includes the independent cities of Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Staunton, and Waynesboro. The 6th congressional is one of Virginia’s most reliably Republican districts and has voted Republican for over twenty years. Incumbent Ben Cline won his seat in 2018 with almost 60% of the vote.

Recommendation

Democrat Nicholas Betts moved to the state to attend Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He later earned a law degree from Washington and Lee School of Law. He works as a law clerk for a firm in Roanoke and is married to his college sweetheart, Lindsey Betts. They have no children.

Betts believes in providing a public option for health insurance but doesn’t want to get rid of private health plans. He wants to increase federal funding for education to raise teacher pay, hire more teachers, and expand early education programs. Betts believes that the federal government could mitigate the student loan debt crisis by offering 0% interest loans to students, fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and adjusting federal bankruptcy law to benefit student loan borrowers. Betts supports expanding access to voting in the Commonwealth.

One thing he wants to do to address the climate crisis is offer tax credits for the development of solar and wind energy projects. Betts wants to expand internet access to every American, decriminalize marijuana, and pass federal laws to prevent discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. Betts believes the country should have universal background checks on gun purchases and a tax on ammunition. Betts is calling for the development of a federal training program for police officers to keep our communities safe.

Betts is running against Republican incumbent Congressman Ben Cline who was first elected to office in 2018. An ally of President Trump, Cline served in Virginia’s legislature as a Delegate from 2002 to 2018. During his tenure, Cline opposed abortion rights, advocated to expand gun rights, refused to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income Virginians, and attacked immigrant families.

Due to Rep. Cline’s staunchly conservative background, Nicholas Betts is the progressive choice for Virginia’s 6th Congressional District.

Virginia’s 7th district includes 9 counties and parts of Prince William County and Albemarle  County. With a population of 798,820, this district leans Democratic and Republican.

About the Race

This congressional election occurs on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the US presidential election. Incumbent congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D), a former operations officer with the CIA, is running for re-election against Nick Freitas (R), a US Army veteran.

About the District

The 7th congressional district spans most of Central Virginia. It includes all of Orange, Culpeper, Goochland, Louisa, Nottoway, Amelia, and Powhatan counties, as well as large portions of Chesterfield, Henrico, and Spotsylvania counties. The district went from Republican to Democrat in 2018, when Spanberger won her seat by just 2% and is considered one of the most competitive congressional districts in the state.

Recommendation

A former officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger was first elected to serve the 7th District in 2018 when she defeated incumbent Dave Brat. Before her election, Spanberger’s career included working for the U.S. Postal Service investigating narcotics and money laundering and living undercover abroad as a spy for the CIA. She was raised in Short Pump and graduated from the University of Virginia. She and her husband, Adam, have three daughters and live in Glen Allen.

Spanberger is a moderate Democrat who prides herself on being the 5th most bipartisan member of the House. She’s a member of the House Foreign Affairs and Agriculture committees. During her time in office, Spanberger sponsored legislation to bring transparency to prescription drug prices and give Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. She also introduced a bill aimed at strengthening the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and supported providing a public option for universal coverage.

Spanberger supports protecting voting rights, restoring key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, and putting a stop to voter suppression. In 2019, she co-sponsored the Voting Rights Advancement Act. She believes in strengthening people’s access to the ballot by restoring and modernizing the Voting Rights Act.

Spanberger believes that climate change is a national security threat. This year, she proposed the Growing Climate Solutions Act to reduce greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere by allowing farmers to engage in carbon cap and trade programs. In 2019, she helped introduce the Climate Action Now Act, which would require the U.S. to remain in the Paris Climate Agreement.

In response to the police murder of George Floyd, Spanberger co-sponsored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The bill calls for bans on chokeholds and no-knock warrants, sets national standards to hold police officers accountable for misconduct, prohibits racial profiling, and establishes a national data collection system on police misconduct.

Spanberger is a member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and worked with other members of the caucus to introduce the “Momnibus Bill” to address the nation’s crisis in Black maternal mortality. She introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, which seeks to close the gender wage gap. Spanberger also supports a person’s right to access reproductive healthcare and abortion. Spanberger voted to impeach Donald Trump in 2019.

Spanberger is being challenged by Republican candidate Nick Freitas, who currently serves in Virginia’s House of Delegates. While serving in the House, Freitas was known for attacking abortion rights, saying on the House floor that the “abortion industry” and “broken homes” were contributing to mass shootings. He voted against allowing in-state tuition for undocumented students and granting driving privileges to immigrants while voting in favor of prohibiting sanctuary cities in Virginia. Freitas voted against expanding Medicaid coverage to 400,000 Virginians. Freitas also voted against requiring background checks on firearms sales in Virginia, a red flag law to keep guns out of the wrong hands, and banning the sale of assault weapons and high capacity magazines.

Due to her commitment to improving healthcare for her constituents, fighting climate change, protecting women’s rights, and advocating for Black maternal health, Spanberger is the more progressive choice for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.

Virginia’s 8th district includes Arlington County, Alexandria County, and Falls Church County counties and part of Fairfax County. With a population of 784,684, this district leans strongly Democratic.

About the Race

This congressional election is held on November 3, 2020, and shares a ballot with the US presidential election. The incumbent congressman, diplomat and businessman Don Beyer (D) is running for re-election against US Army veteran Jeff Jordan (R).

About the District

Virginia’s 8th congressional district is located in Northern Virginia. It contains all of Arlington County and portions of Fairfax County and all of the independent cities of Alexandria and Falls Church. The 8th congressional district is the most Democratic district in Virginia, with current congressman Don Beyer winning re-election in 2018 with over 75% of the vote.

Recommendation

Congressman Don Beyer has represented Virginia’s 8th Congressional District since 2015. In 1989, he was elected as Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor to serve alongside Governor Doug Wilder. In 2009, Beyer was appointed by President Barack Obama as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland. He runs a franchise of auto dealerships and lives with his wife, Ann, in Alexandria. They have four children and two grandchildren.

Congressman Beyer has fought to protect voting access across the country. He introduced the Pre-Registration of Voters Everywhere (PROVE) Act in 2019 to expand voter registration. He also voted for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restores key provisions of the original 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Beyer supports the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and has voted to protect and strengthen the ACA while lowering prescription drug costs. He believes the United States should move towards universal healthcare. He also finds the rate of suicide in the country alarming and co-founded the House Suicide Prevention Task Force. He wants to dedicate more resources to helping people with mental health issues and suicide prevention programs.

Beyer believes that gun violence is a crisis in America. He co-sponsored bipartisan legislation that increases funding to states that pass red flag laws to keep guns out of the wrong hands. He voted for universal background checks, assault weapons bans, and a ban on high capacity magazines. He also believes that people’s access to guns is related to high suicide rates and addresses those issues on the suicide task force.

Beyer co-chairs the New Democrat Coalition Climate Change Task Force and the Congressional Safe Climate Caucus. He has sponsored carbon cap and trade legislation and sponsored the National Oceans and Coastal Security Improvements Act, which directs the government to protect our coasts from flooding. He is also working on getting the country to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Representing a diverse constituency, Beyer promised action on immigration reform. He voted for bills that protect DREAMers and people with Temporary Protective Status. He also wants to reunite families separated at the border, force ICE agents to wear body cameras, and protect places that offer sanctuary to people facing deportation.

Trump supporter and Army veteran, Jeff Jordan, is challenging Beyer. Jordan is running his campaign on stopping socialism, opposing abortion, protecting the 2nd Amendment, and securing the U.S./Mexico border. He wants to deport all undocumented immigrants in the country. He also believes that healthcare is a service, not a right.

Due to his record of fighting for affordable healthcare, taking on climate change, addressing gun violence, and advocating for immigrant rights, Representative Don Beyer is the progressive choice for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District.

Virginia’s 10th district includes 5 counties, and parts of Prince William County and Fairfax County. With a population of 784,684, this district leans both Democratic and Republican.

About the Race

This congressional election occurs on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the US presidential election. Incumbent congresswoman, lawyer Jennifer Wexton (D), is running for re-election against Aliscia Andrews (R), a veteran who served in the Marine Corps.

About the District

Virginia’s 10th district includes a few inner and many outer suburbs in Northern Virginia, including all of Clarke, Frederick, and Loudoun counties and portions of Fairfax and Prince William counties. It also contains the independent cities of Manassas, Manassas Park and Winchester. Though the district voted for Clinton in 2016, the congressional seat did not flip until Wexton won in 2018 with 56% of the vote. The 10th district is considered one of the more competitive districts in the commonwealth.

Recommendation

A native of the Washington D.C. metro area, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton was first elected to represent the 10th District in 2018. Before that, she served in Virginia’s State Senate for five years, where she voted to expand Medicaid coverage to 400,000 Virginians. She also worked as an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for Loudon County and advocated for abused children. She lives in Leesburg with her husband and their two sons.

In Congress, Wexton serves on the Financial Services Committee, which oversees fair housing and consumer protection laws. She’s also a member of the Space, Science, and Technology Committee. Wexton believes that pre-existing conditions should be protected and has voted to keep the Affordable Care Act (ACA) safe from the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the landmark legislation. She also voted to lower prescription drug costs and strengthen Medicaid and Medicare programs.

Wexton voted for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in 2019, which restores key provisions of the original 1965 Voting Rights Act. She also said that Election Day should be a federal holiday and that partisan drawing of district lines should end. While serving in the state Senate, Wexton fought back against attempts to restrict voting in the Commonwealth.

Throughout her political career, Wexton has believed that gun violence can be prevented with common sense legislation and gun violence is a public health issue. As a state Senator, she voted for universal background checks, red flag laws, bump stock bans, and closing gun show loopholes. In Congress, she voted to ban assault rifles and high capacity magazines, close gun purchase loopholes, and pass universal background checks.

Wexton has been recognized by several environmental groups for advocacy to protect our planet. She co-sponsored the Climate Action Now Act to prevent the U.S. from withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement and legislation to cut carbon emissions to improve air quality in the nation. She also voted to stop offshore drilling for gas and oil exploration.

In response to systemic police brutality and racism, Wexton voted for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which addresses a wide range of policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. It includes measures to increase accountability for law enforcement misconduct, enhance transparency and data collection, and eliminate discriminatory policing practices. She supports reforming mandatory minimums, ending the use of private for-profit prisons, reducing recidivism, and restoration of voting rights.

Aliscia Andrews, a former Marine, is challenging Wexton. Andrews supports Trump’s border wall and believes national security is the number one issue facing our country. She vows to protect the 2nd Amendment and to oppose access to abortion. Andrews marched in Richmond in January to defend gun rights and is a leader of the “Wexit” campaign, which is trying to get West Virginia to annex parts of Northern Virginia. She also supports defunding Planned Parenthood.

Wexton’s advocacy for the environment, affordable healthcare, gun violence prevention, and criminal justice reform makes her the progressive choice for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.

Virginia’s 11th district includes Fairfax City and part of Fairfax County. With a population of 784,031, this district leans strongly Democratic.

About the Race

This election is held on November 3, 2020, and shares a ballot with the US presidential election. Incumbent Congressman Gerry Connolly (D) is running for re-election against Manga Anantatmula (R), who has advocated against affirmative action on the grounds that it is discriminatory toward Asian American students.

About the District

The 11th congressional district is located in Northern Virginia. It spans from Herndon to Quantico, comprising most of Fairfax County, the city of Fairfax, and the eastern portion of Prince William County. This district has been reliably and increasingly Democratic since 2008, with incumbent Gerry Connolly winning re-election in 2018 with over 70% of the vote.

Recommendation

Representative Gerry Connolly has served Virginia’s 11th Congressional District since 2008. Before running for federal office, Connolly served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 1995 until 2008. Gary and his wife, Cathy, have lived in Fairfax since 1979 and have one adult daughter, Caitlin Rose.

Rep. Connolly serves on the Oversight and Reform and Foreign Affairs committees in Congress. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Connolly voted for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. He believes state and local governments should receive federal aid during the pandemic and has pushed for legislation to protect the U.S. Postal Service.

Connolly supports expanding voting access. He voted for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in 2019, which would restore key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. He chairs the House subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Postal Service and has called out the Trump administration for sabotaging the USPS ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Connolly voted for the historic healthcare reform, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 and has opposed Trump administration efforts to repeal the landmark legislation. He’s in favor of a public option for health insurance under the ACA. He has championed funding for Veterans Affairs and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Congressman also supported Medicaid expansion in Virginia.

In response to the police murder of George Floyd, Connolly voted for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The bill bans chokeholds and no-knock warrants, sets national standards to hold police officers accountable for misconduct, prohibits racial profiling, and establishes a national data collection system on police conduct. He opposes the use of military-grade equipment by local police and wants to pass the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act. Connolly believes that Black Lives Matter.

Connolly supports abortion access. He opposes efforts to defund Planned Parenthood as well. He advocates for immigrant rights by standing up for young people who were brought to the U.S. as children and are part of the Childhood Arrivals Deferred Action (DACA) program. He believes that DACA should be federal law.

As co-chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Caucus, Connolly signed the Green New Deal and advocated for investing in clean, renewable energy. He believes the U.S. should re-enter the Paris Climate Agreement. He’s also opposed to any offshore oil drilling in Virginia and oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Republican candidate Manga Anantatmula is challenging Connolly. She is a Trump supporter who does not support access to abortion. She believes the 2nd Amendment is in danger and opposes gun violence prevention legislation. She supports Trump’s border wall and his other anti-immigrant measures. She doesn’t think that the government should subsidize renewable energy and that greenhouse gas emissions are a threat to the planet. Anantatmula also supports repealing the ACA.

Due to his record of service for his constituents, Representative Gerry Connolly is the progressive choice for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District.