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This election will be held on November 7, 2023. Incumbent Democratic Delegate Betsy Carr is running unopposed in the general election for Virginia’s new 78th House of Delegates district. Delegate Carr has served in the House of Delegates since 2010.

Incumbent Delegate Betsy Carr was first elected in 2009. Before serving in the legislature, she was a director of outreach for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Richmond. Additionally, she helped found the Micah Initiative, which connects faith communities and city elementary schools to provide mentors, tutors, and volunteers. She also served on the Richmond School Board and worked for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She is a grandmother of six and a mother of three.

Delegate Carr understands the urgency of the climate crisis and is working to tackle the issue in the Commonwealth. She was a patron of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which commits Virginia to using 100% renewable energy by 2050. She successfully sponsored legislation that prohibits food vendors from using harmful styrofoam food containers by 2025. She also voted in favor of tax rebates for electric vehicles. Additionally, she introduced a budget amendment to fund an urban green space at the Science Museum of Virginia.

Del. Carr is also an advocate for tenant rights and affordable housing. During COVID, she passed a bill allowing tenants to prevent their landlord from entering their home for non-emergency maintenance during a pandemic. She also worked to expand the Virginia Fair Housing Law to ensure individuals with disabilities can request accessible parking at their homes. She also helped introduce new tools for local governments to transform unused properties into affordable housing opportunities.

Del. Carr supports legislation to strengthen working families. She voted in favor of raising the minimum wage and the Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back “G3” Program, which makes community college tuition-free for low- and middle-income students who study in certain fields. She supported the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights in 2021. She also is in favor of providing paid family and medical leave and ensuring childcare and eldercare are affordable.

Del. Carr voted for critical criminal justice reforms in Virginia. She was a patron of the bill to abolish the death penalty. During the 2021 Virginia General Assembly session, she supported marijuana legalization, ending qualified immunity for law enforcement officers, and establishing a process of automatic expungement of certain criminal records. She also supported legislation requiring racial and ethnic impact statements for any form of criminal justice legislation to ensure the legislation being passed is equitable.

Del. Carr is running unopposed, but her record on criminal justice, tenant’s rights, and environmental justice prove that she remains a stalwart progressive champion.
Last updated: 2023-10-06

House District 078

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Election Day November 7, 2023
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Senate District 014

Incumbent Democratic Senator Lamont Bagby is running unopposed in the general election for Virginia’s new 14th State Senate district. He was born and raised in Richmond and later earned degrees at both Norfolk State and Virginia Commonwealth University. Before being elected to the Senate in a special election, he served in the House of Delegates from 2015 until 2023. In 2009, he was the youngest elected official in the Richmond area after his election to the Henrico County School Board at the age of 32. He serves as chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.

As chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Senator Bagby introduced and passed important bills for racial equity. He advocated for the removal of Confederate monuments and led the charge for the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue at the State Capitol. He voted for legislation in 2020 that allows localities to remove Confederate statues or memorials. He has also worked for the preservation of Black history, expanding the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund to include battlefields where Black soldiers fought and died.

Senator Bagby has also worked for criminal justice reform to ensure fair treatment of Black and Brown community members. He successfully patroned legislation that implements a process for the automatic expungement of certain criminal convictions. This bill ensures those with criminal records have access to housing, employment, and educational opportunities. He voted to abolish the death penalty and legalize marijuana, both of which have disproportionately impacted Black and Brown Virginians. Additionally, Sen. Bagby supports ending qualified immunity for police officers and mandatory minimums for those who have been convicted of certain crimes.

As a co-patron of the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, Senator Bagby worked to ensure no Virginian faces discriminatory barriers to voting. He also supported making absentee voting more accessible and extending early voting. He introduced and successfully passed a bill to introduce in-person early voting hours on Sundays. These bills help ensure Virginians have more options for when, where, and how to vote so that voting is accessible to all.

Due to his track record for supporting progressive legislation, Senator Lamont Bagby is the sole progressive candidate in this race.

Note: Portions of this write-up came from a previous Progressive Voters Guide recommendation for this candidate.

Last updated: 2023-10-27

Incumbent Democratic Senator Lamont Bagby is running unopposed in the general election for Virginia’s new 14th State Senate district. He was born and raised in Richmond and later earned degrees at both Norfolk State and Virginia Commonwealth University. Before being elected to the Senate in a special election, he served in the House of Delegates from 2015 until 2023. In 2009, he was the youngest elected official in the Richmond area after his election to the Henrico County School Board at the age of 32. He serves as chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.

As chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Senator Bagby introduced and passed important bills for racial equity. He advocated for the removal of Confederate monuments and led the charge for the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue at the State Capitol. He voted for legislation in 2020 that allows localities to remove Confederate statues or memorials. He has also worked for the preservation of Black history, expanding the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund to include battlefields where Black soldiers fought and died.

Senator Bagby has also worked for criminal justice reform to ensure fair treatment of Black and Brown community members. He successfully patroned legislation that implements a process for the automatic expungement of certain criminal convictions. This bill ensures those with criminal records have access to housing, employment, and educational opportunities. He voted to abolish the death penalty and legalize marijuana, both of which have disproportionately impacted Black and Brown Virginians. Additionally, Sen. Bagby supports ending qualified immunity for police officers and mandatory minimums for those who have been convicted of certain crimes.

As a co-patron of the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, Senator Bagby worked to ensure no Virginian faces discriminatory barriers to voting. He also supported making absentee voting more accessible and extending early voting. He introduced and successfully passed a bill to introduce in-person early voting hours on Sundays. These bills help ensure Virginians have more options for when, where, and how to vote so that voting is accessible to all.

Due to his track record for supporting progressive legislation, Senator Lamont Bagby is the sole progressive candidate in this race.

Note: Portions of this write-up came from a previous Progressive Voters Guide recommendation for this candidate.

Last updated: 2023-10-27

House District 078

Virginia’s new 78th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Richmond City. With over 68,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Democratic.

This election will be held on November 7, 2023. Incumbent Democratic Delegate Betsy Carr is running unopposed in the general election for Virginia’s new 78th House of Delegates district. Delegate Carr has served in the House of Delegates since 2010.

Incumbent Delegate Betsy Carr was first elected in 2009. Before serving in the legislature, she was a director of outreach for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Richmond. Additionally, she helped found the Micah Initiative, which connects faith communities and city elementary schools to provide mentors, tutors, and volunteers. She also served on the Richmond School Board and worked for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She is a grandmother of six and a mother of three.

Delegate Carr understands the urgency of the climate crisis and is working to tackle the issue in the Commonwealth. She was a patron of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which commits Virginia to using 100% renewable energy by 2050. She successfully sponsored legislation that prohibits food vendors from using harmful styrofoam food containers by 2025. She also voted in favor of tax rebates for electric vehicles. Additionally, she introduced a budget amendment to fund an urban green space at the Science Museum of Virginia.

Del. Carr is also an advocate for tenant rights and affordable housing. During COVID, she passed a bill allowing tenants to prevent their landlord from entering their home for non-emergency maintenance during a pandemic. She also worked to expand the Virginia Fair Housing Law to ensure individuals with disabilities can request accessible parking at their homes. She also helped introduce new tools for local governments to transform unused properties into affordable housing opportunities.

Del. Carr supports legislation to strengthen working families. She voted in favor of raising the minimum wage and the Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back “G3” Program, which makes community college tuition-free for low- and middle-income students who study in certain fields. She supported the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights in 2021. She also is in favor of providing paid family and medical leave and ensuring childcare and eldercare are affordable.

Del. Carr voted for critical criminal justice reforms in Virginia. She was a patron of the bill to abolish the death penalty. During the 2021 Virginia General Assembly session, she supported marijuana legalization, ending qualified immunity for law enforcement officers, and establishing a process of automatic expungement of certain criminal records. She also supported legislation requiring racial and ethnic impact statements for any form of criminal justice legislation to ensure the legislation being passed is equitable.

Del. Carr is running unopposed, but her record on criminal justice, tenant’s rights, and environmental justice prove that she remains a stalwart progressive champion.
Last updated: 2023-10-06