Democratic Delegate Danica Roem has served in the House of Delegates since 2018 and is now seeking the Senate District 30 seat. Before being elected, she was a journalist for the Gainsville Times and the Prince William Times. She is the first out transgender member of the Virginia General Assembly. She was born and raised in Manassas and went on to graduate from St. Bonaventure University. Delegate Roem is the executive director of EmergeVA, an organization aimed at getting Democratic women from diverse backgrounds to run for office.

With her background in journalism, ethics and transparency are major issues of concern to Delegate Roem. She introduced legislation to increase government accountability and transparency through her Shield Law. This law prevents reporters from being detained for protecting the identities of confidential sources. She also supports making the Freedom of Information Act more accessible to those requesting public information. She supports the creation of a FOIA ombudsman and the reduction or elimination of fees associated with FOIA.

Delegate Roem supports commonsense legislation for gun violence prevention. She has voted in favor of bills for allowing localities to decide how to handle firearms in government buildings, universal background checks, and extreme risk protection orders to keep firearms out of the hands of people who pose a danger to themselves or others. She also advocates for including students in the topic of gun violence prevention. She hosted a student-led roundtable discussion with US Senator Tim Kaine in 2018.

Delegate Roem is a champion for ending childhood hunger. Ten of her bills that target ending childhood hunger have been signed into law. Additionally, she has passed two that aim to help adults facing food insecurity. One of her bills focused on banning alternative meals from being served to children who have school meal debt. Other bills increased enrollment in a federal program that offered free meals to kids at eligible schools. She also proactively legislated to end school meal debt.

When Delegate Roem took office in 2018, she was without health insurance. Understanding many of her constituents were also in a similar situation, she campaigned on expanding Medicaid. Along with voting for expansion, she also voted to decrease premiums by having Virginia establish its own health insurance exchange. Additionally, in 2020, her bill to end discrimination against transgender Virginians in health insurance passed. She also voted to protect reproductive freedoms, including abortion access, transition care, and in vitro fertilization. She vows to continue to stand against policies that attack the Affordable Care Act.

Delegate Danica Roem is facing Republican candidate Bill Woolf. Woolf is a lifelong resident of Prince William County and a former law enforcement officer. When asked about Governor Youngkin’s proposed 15-week abortion ban, Woolf did not say he would vote against the bill. He supports education programs that would divert funds from public schools to private institutions that aren’t regulated.

Because of her commitment to economic justice, views on transparency, and Delegate Danica Roem is the progressive choice in this race. Close Window