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. Close Window