This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Incumbent Republican Delegate Jason Ballard faces a challenge from Democrat Biko Agozino in HD-42.
Virginia’s House District 42 spans parts of Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, all of Giles County, and the independent city of Radford in Southwest Virginia’s New River Valley. In the 2024 election it remained a strong Republican district by comfortable double-digit margins.
Virginia’s House District 42 spans parts of Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, all of Giles County, and the independent city of Radford in Southwest Virginia’s New River Valley. In the 2024 election it remained a strong Republican district by comfortable double-digit margins.
Dr. Biko Agozino, a sociology professor with advanced degrees from Edinburgh and Cambridge, is the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 42nd House District. Running in the November 2025 election, he brings deep academic experience and a progressive platform focused on housing, healthcare, workers’ rights, and environmental justice, supported by endorsements from key Democratic organizations.
Constitutional Amendments
- Voted against a bill to enshrine abortion rights in the Virginia Constitution
- Voted against a Constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to returning citizens
- Voted against enshrining equal marriage rights in the Virginia Constitution
- Voted to raise teacher pay to the national average
- Voted against authorizing public colleges and universities to prohibit guns on school property
- Voted against increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027
- Voted against establishing paid family and medical leave
- Voted against repealing prohibitions on collective bargaining for public employees
- Voted against extending eviction notices for month-to-month housing
- Voted against preserving local housing
Delegate Ballard voted against establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. He is anti-abortion and voted against establishing the right to access and use FDA-approved birth control and requiring insurance providers to cover birth control.
Delegate Ballard does not support gun violence prevention legislation. As such, he voted against a bill to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or possession of assault-style weapons. He also voted against a bill that would require secure storage of firearms in households where children live.
The Opposition
Incumbent Republican Jason Ballard was first elected to serve in the House of Delegates in 2021. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Concord College and a B.S. in Management. He attended West Virginia University for law school and joined the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps upon graduation. He continues to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is a trial lawyer and owns his own firm. He previously served on the Pearisburg Town Council, where he lives with his wife and their three children.
Constitutional Amendments
- Voted against a bill to enshrine abortion rights in the Virginia Constitution
- Voted against a Constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to returning citizens
- Voted against enshrining equal marriage rights in the Virginia Constitution
- Voted to raise teacher pay to the national average
- Voted against authorizing public colleges and universities to prohibit guns on school property
- Voted against increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027
- Voted against establishing paid family and medical leave
- Voted against repealing prohibitions on collective bargaining for public employees
- Voted against extending eviction notices for month-to-month housing
- Voted against preserving local housing
Delegate Ballard voted against establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. He is anti-abortion and voted against establishing the right to access and use FDA-approved birth control and requiring insurance providers to cover birth control.
Delegate Ballard does not support gun violence prevention legislation. As such, he voted against a bill to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or possession of assault-style weapons. He also voted against a bill that would require secure storage of firearms in households where children live.
Recommendation
Based on his support for quality public education, environmental justice, and support for abortion access, Dr. Biko Agozino is the progressive candidate in this race.
Last updated: 2025-09-22
This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Incumbent Republican Delegate Jason Ballard faces a challenge from Democrat Biko Agozino in HD-42.
Virginia’s House District 42 spans parts of Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, all of Giles County, and the independent city of Radford in Southwest Virginia’s New River Valley. In the 2024 election it remained a strong Republican district by comfortable double-digit margins.
Virginia’s House District 42 spans parts of Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, all of Giles County, and the independent city of Radford in Southwest Virginia’s New River Valley. In the 2024 election it remained a strong Republican district by comfortable double-digit margins.
Dr. Biko Agozino, a sociology professor with advanced degrees from Edinburgh and Cambridge, is the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 42nd House District. Running in the November 2025 election, he brings deep academic experience and a progressive platform focused on housing, healthcare, workers’ rights, and environmental justice, supported by endorsements from key Democratic organizations.
Constitutional Amendments
- Voted against a bill to enshrine abortion rights in the Virginia Constitution
- Voted against a Constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to returning citizens
- Voted against enshrining equal marriage rights in the Virginia Constitution
- Voted to raise teacher pay to the national average
- Voted against authorizing public colleges and universities to prohibit guns on school property
- Voted against increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027
- Voted against establishing paid family and medical leave
- Voted against repealing prohibitions on collective bargaining for public employees
- Voted against extending eviction notices for month-to-month housing
- Voted against preserving local housing
Delegate Ballard voted against establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. He is anti-abortion and voted against establishing the right to access and use FDA-approved birth control and requiring insurance providers to cover birth control.
Delegate Ballard does not support gun violence prevention legislation. As such, he voted against a bill to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or possession of assault-style weapons. He also voted against a bill that would require secure storage of firearms in households where children live.
The Opposition
Incumbent Republican Jason Ballard was first elected to serve in the House of Delegates in 2021. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Concord College and a B.S. in Management. He attended West Virginia University for law school and joined the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps upon graduation. He continues to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is a trial lawyer and owns his own firm. He previously served on the Pearisburg Town Council, where he lives with his wife and their three children.
Constitutional Amendments
- Voted against a bill to enshrine abortion rights in the Virginia Constitution
- Voted against a Constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to returning citizens
- Voted against enshrining equal marriage rights in the Virginia Constitution
- Voted to raise teacher pay to the national average
- Voted against authorizing public colleges and universities to prohibit guns on school property
- Voted against increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027
- Voted against establishing paid family and medical leave
- Voted against repealing prohibitions on collective bargaining for public employees
- Voted against extending eviction notices for month-to-month housing
- Voted against preserving local housing
Delegate Ballard voted against establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. He is anti-abortion and voted against establishing the right to access and use FDA-approved birth control and requiring insurance providers to cover birth control.
Delegate Ballard does not support gun violence prevention legislation. As such, he voted against a bill to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or possession of assault-style weapons. He also voted against a bill that would require secure storage of firearms in households where children live.
Recommendation
Based on his support for quality public education, environmental justice, and support for abortion access, Dr. Biko Agozino is the progressive candidate in this race.
Last updated: 2025-09-22
