Montgomery County

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Republican incumbent Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and former Democratic US Representative Abigail Spanberger will face each other in the general election for Governor of Virginia.

The Democratic nominee for Governor, Abigail Spanberger actually fights to expand healthcare and reproductive freedom instead of rolling over when conservatives threaten to restrict abortion rights. She’s committed to investing in clean energy, holding polluters accountable, and reducing energy costs for working families. Her gun-safety agenda goes far beyond “thoughts and prayers,” taking on the NRA head-on instead of cashing their donation checks. Spanberger’s pragmatic progressive vision gives suburban moderates and left-leaners tired of corporate centrism and culture-war theatrics a real reason to show up.

The Opposition

The Republican nominee for Governor, Winsome Earle-Sears is all about slashing taxes for big corporations while telling unemployed workers that losing a job is “no big deal.” She grandstands against critical race theory and “woke” classrooms to score culture-war points instead of tackling real education challenges. By waving her Marine Corps credentials, she sells herself as the ultimate tough-on-crime candidate, conveniently ignoring how lax gun laws endanger communities. Her true believers are MAGA zealots who think banning books, rolling back reproductive freedoms, and erasing civil liberties are more important than looking out for working families.

Recommendation

Due to her advocacy for abortion access, gun violence prevention, and clean energy, Abigail Spanberger is the progressive candidate in this race.

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Democratic Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashmi and Republican John Reid will face each other in the general election for Lt. Governor of Virginia.

The Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor, Ghazala Hashmi is fighting to pump real money into public schools instead of the right’s perennial budget cuts and culture-war book bans. She defends reproductive freedom and Medicaid expansion for working families while conservatives keep dialing back healthcare access and waving anti-abortion placards. Her clean-energy agenda and environmental-justice bills actually target polluters, not the customary GOP handouts to pipeline lobbyists. Dreamers, suburban progressives fed up with partisan hijinks, and anyone who’d trade culture-war theatrics for equity and opportunity will cheer her unapologetic stand for Virginia’s working families.

The Opposition

The Republican nominee for Lt. Governor, John Reid is a self-styled small-government crusader who’ll happily cut taxes for wealthy donors while pretending he’s doing the same for working Virginians. He rails against “woke” curriculum and critical race theory, because apparently teaching actual American history is more offensive to him than runaway inequality. He touts law-and-order credentials and celebrity as a conservative radio host, hawking gun rights like they’re the ultimate public-safety strategy. He even plans to torpedo constitutional protections for same-sex marriage, proving that an openly gay candidate will stab his own community in the back for party unity, the perfect pick for culture-war diehards who prefer corporate giveaways to real solutions for working families.

Recommendation

Due to her advocacy for public education, abortion access, and environmental justice, Ghazala Hashmi is the progressive candidate in this race.

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares faces a challenge from former Democratic Virginia State Delegate Jay Jones.

The Democratic nominee for Attorney General, Jay Jones has pledged to sue the Trump administration every time it infringes on the rights of Virginians. He’s secured victories for abortion access, expanded Medicaid to cover thousands more Virginians, and even wrote anti-price-gouging measures to keep corporate vultures in check. His public-safety plan pairs smart gun-violence prevention and community-based crime interventions rather than recycling the right’s tired “lock ’em up” mantra for political ads. Grassroots progressives, consumer-rights advocates, and anyone sick of endless culture-war stunts will line up behind a candidate who actually puts families over fear-mongering theatrics.

The Opposition

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares cozies up to ICE, shaming local authorities who don’t cooperate with Trump’s policies of mass deportation, because terrorizing immigrant families is apparently his idea of due process. He grandstands on opioid crackdowns but turns a blind eye to corporate-friendly loopholes that keep the drug pipeline flowing. He bills himself as a federalism champion when suing Washington over environmental rules, conveniently ignoring states’ rights whenever big donors flash a check. His true believers are tough-on-crime zealots who think more ICE raids, harsher sentencing, and tax cuts for the wealthy are the pinnacle of compassionate governance.

Recommendation

Due to his advocacy for abortion access, gun violence prevention, and Medicaid coverage, Jay Jones is the progressive candidate in this race.

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Incumbent Republican Delegate Chris Obenshain faces a challenge from Democrat Lily Franklin in HD-41.

Virginia’s House District 41 spans parts of Montgomery County and Roanoke County in Virginia’s southwestern region. In the 2024 election it leaned Republican by narrow single-digit margins.

Democrat Lily Franklin is a Virginia native. She graduated from Northside High School and holds a degree in political science from Longwood University. Her career in politics began with her work in Delegate Sam Rasoul’s legislative office. Franklin was later promoted to chief of staff. 

Lily Franklin has expressed support for HJ 1, which would enshrine reproductive rights in the Virginia Constitution.

Lily Franklin is a former math teacher in Appalachia. She pledges to fight to ensure every child gets a world-class education and supports pay raises for teachers. 

Franklin will fight for affordable homeownership by stopping hedge funds from driving up prices and “pushing for innovative local and statewide solutions”.

She supports investing in infrastructure, programs for small businesses, and connecting the New River and Roanoke Valleys. She pledges to fight for policies that create good-paying jobs so families can build a future at home.

Franklin pledges to fight to protect reproductive rights, expand access to OB-GYNs and birth control, and ensure everyone can get the care they need, when they need it. She believes everyone deserves safe, clean drinking water. She worked to pass critical legislation that set strong limits on dangerous “forever chemicals” (PFAS) in drinking water.

As Chief of Staff to a member of the House of Delegates, she helped pass:
- Microgrants for farmers
- Housing protections for domestic violence survivors
- A first-of-its-kind program that put constituents in charge of the bill-writing process

The Opposition

Incumbent Republican Delegate Chris Obenshain was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2023. He is a U.S. Army Reservist and was commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps; he currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel. Delegate Obenshain has worked in several levels of government, from the local level to Capitol Hill. He lives in Blacksburg with his wife and their three sons. Key legislation:
- 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 to enshrine equal marriage rights in the Virginia Constitution
- Voted against raising teacher pay to the national average
- Voted to increase protections and support for cyberbullying
- Voted against authorizing public colleges and universities to prohibit guns on school property
- Voted against a bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027
- Voted against a bill to establish paid family and medical leave
- Voted against a bill to repeal prohibitions on collective bargaining for public employees
- Voted to establish regulatory bodies to establish a Virginia cannabis industry
- Voted against prohibiting landlords from requiring tenants to pay extra fees
- Voted against establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board
- Voted against establishing the right to access and use FDA-approved birth control
- Voted against requiring insurance providers to cover contraceptives
- Voted against a bill to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or possession of assault-style weapons 
- Voted against establishing regulations for “high-risk” AI
- Voted against authorizing Ranked Choice Voting for certain local elections
- Voted against a bill that would require secure storage of firearms in households where children live

Recommendation

Due to her support for abortion access and quality, affordable public education, Lily Franklin is the progressive candidate in this race.

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.

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.

Biko Agoznio supports increased funding for public education. He advocates for childcare and affordable housing for all. He wants to reduce corporate environmental pollution. Additionally, he supports legal sales of marijuana as a way to generate wealth for farmers and raise hundreds of millions in taxes for education and affordable housing.

Agozino pledges to protect “women’s rights to choose their healthcare” and expand affordable healthcare. He supports a Civil Rights Law for Equal Protection of all.

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

Education
- Voted to raise teacher pay to the national average
- Voted against authorizing public colleges and universities to prohibit guns on school property

Economy and Inflation
- 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

Health and Human Services
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.

Other Issues
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.