Incumbent Delegate Jay Jones was elected to represent the 89th District in 2017. A native of Norfolk, his family has a history of political involvement in Virginia starting with his grandfather being the first Black member of the Virginia Board of Education. Jones obtained his bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and his law degree from the University of Virginia. Jones practices law in Norfolk where he and his wife are active members of the community.
Jones has consistently fought for criminal justice reform in the Commonwealth during his time as a delegate. Jones was a chief co-patron of the bill that abolished the death penalty in Virginia. He voted to hold police accountable by voting to end qualified immunity in Virginia, a practice that shields police from lawsuits for violating people’s civil rights. He supported expunging certain individuals’ criminal records to give them better access to housing, education, and jobs.
Jones supports protecting the environment and tackling the climate crisis. He advocated for legislation that works to protect Virginia’s coastline and proposed infrastructural changes that would address the flooding and rising sea level of his district. In 2020, the delegate voted in favor of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which commits the Commonwealth to 100% clean energy by 2050. He received an “A” rating from the Virginia Sierra Club on their 2021 legislative scorecard for his votes to protect the environment.
Jones continues to make access to affordable healthcare a legislative priority. In 2018, he voted to expand Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians. He voted to lower drug costs, voting to cap the price of insulin in 2020 and establish a state-run health insurance marketplace, which helps uninsured or underinsured residents who aren’t covered by an employer-provided health plan to get affordable coverage. He also supported legislation declaring racism a public health crisis in the Commonwealth.
Jones supports making the promise of democracy real for us all by expanding access to the ballot. He voted for the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, which prohibits discrimination at the polls. He fought to keep voters safe during the pandemic by establishing drop boxes for ballots and removing the witness signature requirement for absentee ballots during an emergency. Jones also advocated for bills to extend early voting, remove the requirement for an excuse for absentee voting, open up the polls for Sunday voting hours and opportunities for curbside voting, as well as make Election Day a state holiday.
Jones is facing a challenge from Republican Hahns Copeland, a Navy veteran, and civil engineer. Copeland opposes criminal justice reforms such as ending qualified immunity and cash bail. He is against efforts to repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law, which prevents workers from forming unions and opposes giving workers collective bargaining rights. Copeland also opposes keeping communities safe by passing common-sense gun violence prevention measures.
Due to his support of criminal justice reform, access to affordable healthcare, the environment, and expanding access to voting, Delegate Jay Jones is the most progressive choice in this race.
Incumbent Delegate Jay Jones was elected to represent the 89th District in 2017. A native of Norfolk, his family has a history of political involvement in Virginia starting with his grandfather being the first Black member of the Virginia Board of Education. Jones obtained his bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and his law degree from the University of Virginia. Jones practices law in Norfolk where he and his wife are active members of the community.
Jones has consistently fought for criminal justice reform in the Commonwealth during his time as a delegate. Jones was a chief co-patron of the bill that abolished the death penalty in Virginia. He voted to hold police accountable by voting to end qualified immunity in Virginia, a practice that shields police from lawsuits for violating people’s civil rights. He supported expunging certain individuals’ criminal records to give them better access to housing, education, and jobs.
Jones supports protecting the environment and tackling the climate crisis. He advocated for legislation that works to protect Virginia’s coastline and proposed infrastructural changes that would address the flooding and rising sea level of his district. In 2020, the delegate voted in favor of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which commits the Commonwealth to 100% clean energy by 2050. He received an “A” rating from the Virginia Sierra Club on their 2021 legislative scorecard for his votes to protect the environment.
Jones continues to make access to affordable healthcare a legislative priority. In 2018, he voted to expand Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians. He voted to lower drug costs, voting to cap the price of insulin in 2020 and establish a state-run health insurance marketplace, which helps uninsured or underinsured residents who aren’t covered by an employer-provided health plan to get affordable coverage. He also supported legislation declaring racism a public health crisis in the Commonwealth.
Jones supports making the promise of democracy real for us all by expanding access to the ballot. He voted for the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, which prohibits discrimination at the polls. He fought to keep voters safe during the pandemic by establishing drop boxes for ballots and removing the witness signature requirement for absentee ballots during an emergency. Jones also advocated for bills to extend early voting, remove the requirement for an excuse for absentee voting, open up the polls for Sunday voting hours and opportunities for curbside voting, as well as make Election Day a state holiday.
Jones is facing a challenge from Republican Hahns Copeland, a Navy veteran, and civil engineer. Copeland opposes criminal justice reforms such as ending qualified immunity and cash bail. He is against efforts to repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law, which prevents workers from forming unions and opposes giving workers collective bargaining rights. Copeland also opposes keeping communities safe by passing common-sense gun violence prevention measures.
Due to his support of criminal justice reform, access to affordable healthcare, the environment, and expanding access to voting, Delegate Jay Jones is the most progressive choice in this race.
Incumbent Delegate Jay Jones was elected to represent the 89th District in 2017. A native of Norfolk, his family has a history of political involvement in Virginia starting with his grandfather being the first Black member of the Virginia Board of Education. Jones obtained his bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and his law degree from the University of Virginia. Jones practices law in Norfolk where he and his wife are active members of the community.
Jones has consistently fought for criminal justice reform in the Commonwealth during his time as a delegate. Jones was a chief co-patron of the bill that abolished the death penalty in Virginia. He voted to hold police accountable by voting to end qualified immunity in Virginia, a practice that shields police from lawsuits for violating people’s civil rights. He supported expunging certain individuals’ criminal records to give them better access to housing, education, and jobs.
Jones supports protecting the environment and tackling the climate crisis. He advocated for legislation that works to protect Virginia’s coastline and proposed infrastructural changes that would address the flooding and rising sea level of his district. In 2020, the delegate voted in favor of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which commits the Commonwealth to 100% clean energy by 2050. He received an “A” rating from the Virginia Sierra Club on their 2021 legislative scorecard for his votes to protect the environment.
Jones continues to make access to affordable healthcare a legislative priority. In 2018, he voted to expand Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians. He voted to lower drug costs, voting to cap the price of insulin in 2020 and establish a state-run health insurance marketplace, which helps uninsured or underinsured residents who aren’t covered by an employer-provided health plan to get affordable coverage. He also supported legislation declaring racism a public health crisis in the Commonwealth.
Jones supports making the promise of democracy real for us all by expanding access to the ballot. He voted for the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, which prohibits discrimination at the polls. He fought to keep voters safe during the pandemic by establishing drop boxes for ballots and removing the witness signature requirement for absentee ballots during an emergency. Jones also advocated for bills to extend early voting, remove the requirement for an excuse for absentee voting, open up the polls for Sunday voting hours and opportunities for curbside voting, as well as make Election Day a state holiday.
Jones is facing a challenge from Republican Hahns Copeland, a Navy veteran, and civil engineer. Copeland opposes criminal justice reforms such as ending qualified immunity and cash bail. He is against efforts to repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law, which prevents workers from forming unions and opposes giving workers collective bargaining rights. Copeland also opposes keeping communities safe by passing common-sense gun violence prevention measures.
Due to his support of criminal justice reform, access to affordable healthcare, the environment, and expanding access to voting, Delegate Jay Jones is the most progressive choice in this race.
