House District 028

Delegate Suhas Subramanyam has represented the 87th District since 2020. He has set his sights on the State Senate District 32 for 2023. He was the first Indian and Hindu American elected to Virginia’s House of Delegates. Delegate Subramanyam obtained his bachelor’s degree from Tulane University, as well as a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. Subramanyam has worked in both the public and private sectors, including serving as a technology policy advisor to President Obama. Subramanyam and his wife currently reside in Ashburn with their daughter.

Throughout his career, Del. Subramanyam has supported policies that boost Virginia working families. He voted to raise the minimum wage in 2020. He is committed to providing Virginians with affordable housing and supported legislation that protects tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic. He supports paid family and medical leave for Virginia workers and policies that will make the cost of childcare affordable. He also voted for the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, which grants basic labor protections to domestic workers and provides that they are paid a minimum wage.

Del. Subramanyam understands the urgency of the climate crisis and has worked to support legislation that would reduce the impact of climate change and help reduce utility prices for Virginians. In 2020, he introduced a bill that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Commonwealth. Subramanyam also voted in favor of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which commits the Commonwealth to 100% clean energy by 2050.

Del. Subramanyam supports criminal justice reform and wants to find solutions to racial disparities in Virginia’s criminal justice system. He sponsored legislation to improve the Virginia bail process and supported the automatic expungement of criminal records. He supports directing resources from police budgets to support more crime prevention. In 2021, Subramanyam voted in favor of marijuana legislation and abolishing the death penalty in the Commonwealth. He also supported the constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to returning citizens in the Commonwealth.

As a member of the House Education Committee, he worked to advance legislation that would improve the Virginia public education system. He voted for a 5% pay raise for teachers in 2021 and additional funding so that schools can reopen safely during the pandemic. Del. Subramanyam wants to ensure that students have access to quality broadband services. The delegate previously submitted legislation that would diversify teaching staff by collecting public data on a teacher's language proficiencies and racial demographics. He hopes to bridge the achievement gap by fully funding public schools and repairing their failing infrastructure.

Del. Subramanyam is facing Republican candidate Gregory Moulthrop, a small business owner and previous challenger for his House of Delegates seat. Moulthrop was against government efforts to keep our communities safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. He supports using taxpayer money to fund private schools and creating deliberate barriers to prevent participation in our fair and free elections.

Due to his support of criminal justice reform, the environment, public education, and Virginia working families, Delegate Subramanyam is the most progressive choice in this race.

Note: Some of the research in this write-up comes from a previous election cycle.

Incumbent Democratic Delegate David Reid is a small business owner and Navy Reserve veteran who has served in the House of Delegates since 2018. He was born in Rockbridge County into a poor family. Del. Reid and his siblings were placed into foster care at a young age. Del. Reid attended Northeastern State University and served as a Naval intelligence officer for 23 years. He founded and still runs Rockbridge Consulting. He has two college-aged daughters and lives with his wife in Ashburn.

Since his election, Delegate Reid has advocated for policies to preserve and protect Virginia’s environment and natural resources. He believes in minimizing the use of fossil fuels and recognizes how U.S. dependence on fossil fuels is not only harmful to the environment but also harmful to national security and military. He believes the renewable energy sector will generate jobs and encourages a business environment that supports them. He worked to ensure oil and gas companies are held accountable for pollution and voted in support of the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

Delegate Reid supports investing in education at all levels. He voted to raise teacher pay by 5% and boost funding for public schools so that they may reopen safely during the pandemic. He supports the implementation of full-day kindergarten in Loudoun County, which is one of only three school districts in Virginia without it. He is against tuition increases at Virginia public universities and wants to decrease hidden fees and taxes on students.

Delegate Reid grew up without healthcare, and he knows the importance of affordable access to medical care. He voted to expand Medicaid in 2018, which granted nearly 750,000 eligible Virginians access to affordable health insurance coverage. He also voted to cap the price of insulin at $50 a month. Del. Reid supports protecting abortion access. He voted to repeal medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion providers in 2020 and the following year, he voted to make health insurance plans with abortion coverage available on the state healthcare exchange.

Delegate Reid is also dedicated to boosting the economy and making sure it works for everyone. He is passionate about making Loudoun County a destination for high-paying jobs, including space technology, alternative energy, advanced transportation solutions, biomedical research, and federal contracting. He supports workers’ rights, and voted to help pass the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights and to increase the minimum wage. He also received the “Family Friendly Seal of Approval” from the Virginia Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy for his support of paid family and medical leave, childcare, sick days, and eldercare.

Delegate Reid is facing a challenge from Paul Lott, a Republican conservative who began his career in politics by opposing the accurate historical teachings in school curriculum. He founded National Society for the Advancement of Black Americans to focus on delivering education programs for underperforming students while holding the stance that “no evidence exists that race impacts education and learning.” He doesn’t support abortion access and would vote for measures that would make it more difficult for people to get the care they need. He also believes that trans kids should not be able to participate in school sports.

Due to his support of the environment, affordable healthcare, public education, and Virginia working families, Delegate David Reid is the most progressive choice for Virginia’s 28th District.