City of Norfolk

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

This election will be held on November 8, 2022. Longtime incumbent, Congressman Bobby Scott (D), who has served since 1993, is running for re-election against Terry Namkung (R), a retired senior non-commissioned officer of the Air Force and renewable energy researcher.

Democratic incumbent Congressman Bobby Scott has represented Virginia’s Third District since 1993. Before being elected to Congress, Scott served in the Virginia General Assembly for 15 years as a member of both the House of Delegates (1978-1983) and the State Senate (1983-1993). Having a maternal grandfather of Filipino ancestry, he is the first American of Filipino descent to serve as a voting member of Congress, in addition to being the first African American Representative from Virginia since Reconstruction.

As co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, Scott advocates for protecting the environment and preserving the Chesapeake Bay. Together with Congresswoman Elaine Luria, he co-authored the Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act. He also introduced the Chesapeake Bay Science, Education and Ecosystem Enhancement Act with Maryland Congressman John Sarbanes and Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman. He opposes the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, as well as offshore drilling. Alternatively, he cosponsored the Offshore Wind American Manufacturing Act and supports the Green New Deal.

Since his early days in Congress, Scott has been fighting for criminal justice reform and gun violence prevention. In 2017, he sponsored the Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Effective (SAFE) Act, which addressed the country’s prison population problem. He also cosponsored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants and address accountability for law enforcement misconduct. Scott serves as vice-chair of the House Democratic Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. Recently, he voted in favor of the Protecting Our Kids Act.

Scott has been a cosponsor of Medicaid for All since his first congressional term. He has introduced legislation to improve the Affordable Care Act by putting limits on deductibles, expanding eligibility for subsides, and expanding on open enrollment outreach efforts. He coauthored the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, aiming to save Americans $500 billion on prescription drug costs over the next decade. Additionally, he introduced the Ban Surprise Billing Act to protect patients from unexpected medical bills.

Investments in education and training are the long-term solution to recovering economy for Scott. He views this as key to keeping the US competitive in the global marketplace.He introduced the Raise the Wage Act to ultimately increase minimum wage to $15. Scott also introduced the PRO Act (Protecting the Right to Organize), which would strengthen workers’ right to unionize. To protect older workers, he introduced the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act. Scott supported the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Scott is facing Terry Namkung (R), a retired senior non-commissioned officer of the Air Force and renewable energy researcher. Namkung is against children masking and future school shutdowns, as well as mandated vaccines. He has spoken out against teaching accurate history in public schools. Namkung received Governor Glenn Youngkin’s endorsement in the race.

Due to Namkung’s views on the COVID-19 pandemic and his spreading of disinformation, Bobby Scott is the most progressive candidate in this race.

The City of Norfolk has a population of 235,089 people and sits on the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the home to the world’s largest naval base. Ward 1 includes much of northwest Norfolk. The city is strongly Democratic with President Joe Biden winning with 72% of the vote during the 2020 election. 

The City of Norfolk has a population of 235,089 people and sits on the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the home to the world’s largest naval base. Ward 1 includes much of northwest Norfolk. The city is strongly Democratic with President Joe Biden winning with 72% of the vote during the 2020 election. 

The Norfolk City School Board Ward 1 election takes place on November 8, 2022. Carly W. Gelles (D), a Portsmouth City Public Schools English teacher, will face incumbent Adale M. Martin (I), who has held the seat since 2018.

Carly West Gelles grew up in Chesepeake, Virginia and attended college at Old Dominion University. Since then, she has lived in Norfolk. She began working at CMA-CGM(Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètement-Compagnie Générale Maritime) until she found a passion for teaching. She then began working as an Administrative Assistant at Tidewater Community College. She worked at TCC for nearly 5 years and looked for every opportunity possible to understand the framework of the education system.

Gelles believes that mental health is a top priority for Norfolk City students. Gelles has said that resources are only available to students who pose a threat to themselves, but she believes that those resources should be expanded to those whose mental illnesses have affected them in other ways. She also believes that performance problems can be spotted early on in students, which make early intervention a necessity.

Gelles believes since COVID, schools have become more dangerous. She wants to invest in the safety of Norfolk city children. She believes that Norfolk City Schools need to purchase devices to secure doors during lockdowns. She also believes that additional security is needed. She said that with more security, along with healthcare professionals, the Norfolk School Board can help mitigate some of the safety issues that occur in schools.

Gelles wants to further students’ education, help them prepare for a trade, or prepare them for the workforce. She stated that Norfolk already has partnerships with higher education through the Dual Enrollment program. We could partner with industry leaders in our area to ensure that our students are graduating with desired qualities for employment. They could also partner with trade certification programs to help students get the qualifications they need. This supports our community and our students’ needs. There are so many different groups that want to help our mission of education, and we need to bridge the gaps to gain the support people want to offer.

Gelles’ opponent is Adale Martin. Martin was elected to the Norfolk County School Board on July 1, 2018. She has a master’s degree in Public Administration from Louisiana State University and is a PhD candidate in Public Policy at Old Dominion University in collaboration policy. Martin served on the Norfolk Jury Commission and the Naval Station Norfolk Centennial Commission. She is currently the Executive Director of the Slover Library Foundation to make the Slover Library a model, state-of-the-art community space by partnering with Norfolk Public Library, community organizations, and businesses. She is also an advocate and fundraiser in support of CHKD as a member of The King’s Daughters Communications Committee, Past President of the Magnolia Circle and Founder and Chairman of the Magnolia Circle Dragon Boat Race Fundraiser in partnership with Nauticus. Martin’s husband and son were both born with profound hearing loss, so resources for disabled children is a priority.

Carly West Gelles is the most progressive candidate running, because of her priorities around mental health, school safety, and higher education.

The City of Norfolk has a population of 235,089 people and sits on the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the home to the world’s largest naval base. The city is strongly Democratic with President Joe Biden winning with 72% of the vote during the 2020 election. 

The City of Norfolk has a population of 235,089 people and sits on the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the home to the world’s largest naval base. The city is strongly Democratic with President Joe Biden winning with 72% of the vote during the 2020 election. 

The Norfolk City School Board Ward 2 election takes place on November 8, 2022. Tanya Karapurkar Bhasin (D) is the only candidate and is running for office for the first time.

Tanya Bhasin was born to parents who immigrated to the US from India and was raised in Delaware. Bhasin received her BA in Anthropology from the George Washington University in 1996 and her Master's in Public Health from Emory University in 1999. She is a Research Scientist and started her career working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Birth Defects and Disabilities. While at the CDC, Bhasin supported studies in epidemiology that led to breakthrough findings for five developmental disabilities. These include autism, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, and vision impairment. Bhasin also has many other accomplishments from her time at the CDC.

Ms. Bhasin participated in several committees for Norfolk City Schools, where she collaborated to create solutions and improve conditions for students. She has volunteered for Norfolk GAINS (Growing and Investing in Norfolk Schools), a group that advocates for public education, to uplift the necessities of public school students and staff. She created dialogue with officeholders in Virginia to lobby for improvements such as longer board member terms, full funding for schools, and a taxes increase to fund operations and infrastructure in the school system.

Recommendation: Bhasin is running unopposed, and she is a progressive choice because of her support of students with different abilities, as well as her effective approach in her role as a Norfolk City School Board member.

The City of Norfolk has a population of 235,089 people and sits on the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the home to the world’s largest naval base. Ward 3 includes much of the central area of Norfolk. The city is strongly Democratic with President Joe Biden winning with 72% of the vote during the 2020 election. 

The City of Norfolk has a population of 235,089 people and sits on the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the home to the world’s largest naval base. Ward 3 includes much of the central area of Norfolk. The city is strongly Democratic with President Joe Biden winning with 72% of the vote during the 2020 election. 

This election takes place on November 8, 2022. John Sitka, III and Mark S. Askew, Sr. will face incumbent Carlos Clanton (I), interim School Board chair who was elected in 2018, in the race for Norfolk City School Board Ward 3 representative.

Carlos Stanton was elected to the Norfolk County School Board in May 2018. Stanton believes that pre-K is an important first step for success in school. Pre-K resources are not widely accessible in Ward 3, so he believes that Norfolk needs to expand early learning programs through public and private partnerships to underserved communities. He is also a strong supporter of the Career and Technical Education Pathways High School, and believes it is a way to connect local colleges, universities and business communities.

Stanton wants to implement and support strategies to increase reading literacy and math proficiency. He also wants to emphasize growing and expanding the district’s mentoring, tutoring programs, and literacy initiatives.

Stanton wants to remove politics from the School Board and use data and organizational objectives to meet our goals. He will work with School Board, City Council, and School Administration to secure the necessary funding to provide safe learning environments.

Carlos Stanton’s opponents are John Sitka III and Mark Askew Sr.

John Sitka wants to implement remedial courses to review course material that students risk losing over the course of summer vacation. He believes that this will help students get back on track, in the same way that they help community college students. Sitka is opposed to “CRT”, gender studies, and sexual studies being taught in schools, as he believes most parents do not want it in the curriculum. He has stated that parents of school age children should be able to include their input in school issues such as budgeting, school security, and curriculum.

There is currently no information publicly available for Mark Askew Sr.

Carlos J. Stanton is the most progressive candidate for this race, because of his support for expansion of access for disadvantaged communities and his proven track record as a School Board member since 2018.

The City of Norfolk has a population of 235,089 people and sits on the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the home to the world’s largest naval base. Ward 4 encompasses much of southeastern Norfolk. The city is strongly Democratic with President Joe Biden winning with 72% of the vote during the 2020 election. 

The City of Norfolk has a population of 235,089 people and sits on the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the home to the world’s largest naval base. Ward 4 encompasses much of southeastern Norfolk. The city is strongly Democratic with President Joe Biden winning with 72% of the vote during the 2020 election. 

This election takes place on November 8, 2022. The candidates in the race for Norfolk City School Board Ward 4 representative are Tiffany R. Moore-Buffaloe (I) and incumbent Dr. Leon Rouson (D), who was appointed to the school board in 2021.

Dr. Leon Rouson has spent more than 30 years in education as a public school teacher, a college professor and as a dean of the School of Education at Norfolk State University. In his roles, he has served as a leader as well as a team member. He has published research articles in revered journals and he has written several book chapters. His research focuses on issues of diversity and social justice, and it mostly centers Black males, child development and school culture. He is in several professional organizations such as the Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, International Literacy Association and the National Association for Blacks in Higher Education. He has received several awards in teaching which included the National Black Teacher of the Year in 1990, while being celebrated as a public school teacher in North Carolina. He also earned the Norfolk State University Outstanding/Distinguished Professor Award in 2016.


Rouson was appointed to the Norfolk City School Board on December 15, 2021.

Rouson’s opponent, Tiffany Moore-Buffaloe, currently serves as the Clerk of the Board for Newport News School Board. She wants to focus on increasing communication with stakeholders, as well as supporting methods that will improve student achievement. She also wants to push for more conversations on policy development and accountability.

Dr. Rouson is the most progressive candidate for the position, because of his dedication to Black youth and childhood development, as well as his career as a celebrated educator over the course of 30 years.

The City of Norfolk has a population of 235,089 people and sits on the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the home to the world’s largest naval base. Ward 5 encompasses the northeast border of Norfolk. The city is strongly Democratic with President Joe Biden winning with 72% of the vote during the 2020 election. 

This election takes place on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Lauren Dee Campsen (I) was elected in 2018, and is the only candidate in the race for Norfolk City School Board Ward 5.

Lauren Campsen has had a very long career as an elementary school educator. In Her experience spanning almost 40 years, she has been a teacher, principal, instructional specialist, and an administrator for Norfolk City Schools. She was also Interim Chief Academic Officer of Norfolk Public Schools.

Under her leadership at Ocean View Elementary School, Campsen and her faculty won recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School. She was featured in Achiever, a newsletter from the U.S. Department of Education, for academic excellence. Ocean View also held Title I status for five years total.

Campsen was a part of the Golden Key National Honor Society as a graduate student at Old Dominion University. She won Teacher of the Year in 1988 at Meadowbrook Elementary School, and she was part of the All City Teaching Team. in 2009, she was recognized for her outstanding leadership, and in 2014 was named Virginia National Distinguished Principal.

Lauren Campsen is running unopposed, and she is the progressive fit for this position because of her long career as an educator and administrator, during which she won awards for improvement and outstanding performance.