Incumbent Democratic Delegate Michelle Maldonado is a former attorney and small business owner. She was born in Massachusetts and raised by teachers who instilled in her the importance of education, equity, and hard work. She received her undergraduate degree at Barnard College at Columbia University and her law degree from the George Washington University School of Law. She has lived in Virginia for the past 28 years with her husband, a U.S. Air Force veteran, and her son.

Del. Maldonado priorities addressing the climate crisis. She supports the Virginia Clean Economy Act and sees it as a great start for investing in green infrastructure and jobs. She co-patroned policy to add incentives for the preservation and restoration of local green spaces in urban areas. She wants to ensure Virginia’s infrastructure is resilient to the weather challenges that climate change brings. She believes that creating green-collar jobs in the fields of renewable energy, electric vehicles, and recycled materials will be great for the environment and workers. She has also co-patroned HB1721, a policy created to monitor the occurrences of microplastics in the drinking water.

As a small business owner and working mother, Delegate Maldonado prioritizes policies to uplift Virginia families. She supports living wages for all workers so that people can live with dignity as well as co-patroning bills that give workers compensation for workplace injuries and stressors. She believes that paid family and medical leave, and high-quality, affordable childcare options for parents help keep people out of poverty. Maldonado also advocates for equal pay for women and minorities and will fight for policies to prevent workplace discrimination. Del. Maldonado co-patroned HB2115, a policy to support those in need of unemployment compensation.

Delegate Maldonado supports educational policies that will uplift both teachers and students. She supports increasing teacher salaries and advocates for the collective bargaining rights of teachers and other public employees. She supports updates to school infrastructure, including new ventilation systems to provide clean air during the return to in-person teaching during the pandemic. She has voted in support of mental health education in elementary and secondary education. Del. Maldonado has also co-patroned to extend the eligibility for those seeking to obtain the Brown v Board of Education Scholarship.

Delegate Maldonado wants to ensure all Virginians can participate in our fair and free elections. She opposes any effort to create deliberate barriers to voting access. She recognizes that early and mail-in voting were crucial to keeping voters safe and healthy during the 2020 election. She knows that many restrictions to voting access unfairly target minorities and is dedicated to ensuring people of color have equal access to participating in our elections. She co-patroned HB1552 a policy that prohibits personal funds to be used during campaigns, as well as HB2049 which assists those with disabilities on where to vote at their polling location.

Delegate Maldonado is running against Sharon E Ashurst, a resident of Manassas for 33 years. Ashurts believes in funding the police department despite their various violent crimes towards communities of color. She has no plan to combat the growing threat of an abortion ban in the Commonwealth nor does she have a plan to fight the climate crisis we are in.


Due to her support for working families, the environment, voting rights, and criminal justice reform, Delegate Michelle Maldonado is the most progressive choice for Virginia’s 50th District
Close Window