House District 017

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.

Virginia’s new 17th District in the House of Delegates encompasses parts of Fairfax County. With almost 60,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Democratic.

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Incumbent Democratic Delegate Mark Sickles faces a challenge from Republican Naomi Mesfin in HD-17.

Virginia’s House District 17 lies entirely within Fairfax County, spanning suburban neighborhoods just outside the Capital Beltway along the Leesburg Pike corridor, including Falls Church, Idylwood, and Seven Corners areas. In the 2024 election Democratic presidential and senatorial nominees carried the district by comfortable double-digit margins.

Incumbent Democratic Delegate Mark Sickles has served in the House of Delegates since 2004. Born in Arlington, he holds a B.S. in Forest Management from Clemson University and two master’s degrees in industrial management and Technology and Science Policy from Georgia Tech. Delegate Sickles is the second LGBTQ person to be elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Committee Assignments: Appropriations (Vice Chair; Health & Human Resources Subcommittee Chair), Health and Human Services (Chair), Privileges and Elections, Rules

Constitutional Amendments
- Co-sponsored a bill to enshrine abortion rights in Virginia’s Constitution
- Co-sponsored a Constitutional Amendment to restore voting rights to returning citizens
- Sponsored a bill to enshrine equal marriage rights in Virginia’s Constitution

Education
- Voted to raise teacher pay to the national average 
- Voted to establish gun-free zones at public schools
- Voted against a “forced-outing” bill and another bill targeting transgender students who play sports
- Voted to increase protections and support against cyberbullying

Economy and Inflation
- Voted in favor of a bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027
- Co-patroned a bill to establish paid family and medical leave
- Co-patroned a bill to repeal prohibitions on collective bargaining for public employees
- Voted to authorize offshore wind-farm energy capacity
- Voted to expand renewable energy tax credits

Health and Human Services
- Co-sponsored a bill to prohibit health insurance discrimination based on gender identity
- Voted in favor of bills to establish the right to access and use FDA-approved birth control and require state health insurance plans to cover all FDA-approved birth control

Other Issues
- Co-sponsored a bill to establish Gun Free Zones in Capitol Square and public institutions of higher education
- Voted in favor of a bill to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or possession of assault-style weapons
- Voted to establish regulations for AI
- Voted to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and possession of assault-style weapons
- Voted to legalize weed in Virginia

The Opposition

As of this writing, we were unable to find information on Republican Naomi Mesfin's priorities or stances.

Recommendation

Due to his continued advocacy for marriage equality, gun violence prevention, and renewable energy, Incumbent Democratic Delegate Mark Sickles is the progressive candidate in this race.

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Democratic Sheriff Sean Casey is running for reelection unopposed in the City of Alexandria.

Alexandria is an independent city on the western bank of the Potomac River, just south of Washington, D.C., encompassing about 15 square miles and home to roughly 160,000 residents. In the 2024 presidential election, Alexandria voters overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates.

Captain Sean Casey, a Democrat, was born in Alexandria and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Virginia Tech. He joined the Alexandria Police Department following college. In 2017, he joined the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, where he was promoted to Captain. He is a member of the Alexandria Democratic Committee and former co-chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee Labor Caucus. 

Casey wants to increase accountability and transparency around police conduct by implementing body-worn cameras on officers. He wants to deepen his relationships with community organizations expanding participation in police reforms. 

Casey will focus on implementing new technology for jail management systems, which will make the facility’s operations safer, more efficient, and more transparent. Casey will work to obtain funding for a coordinator who will ensure that the detention center follows ADA guidelines and supports those who have disabilities. Casey wants to conduct a complete search of the Courthouse Complex to maximize safety measures for anyone who uses the courthouse. The search will identify possible vulnerabilities and areas that can be improved to create a more secure complex. 

Casey supports trade and educational training for inmates to give them skills that would enable them to reintegrate into society. Casey wants to collaborate with the ASO Community Advisory Board to streamline inmate reintegration. This effort includes continuing rehabilitation and reducing inmate fees.

Casey supports legislation that would allow permanent residents to work in law enforcement, which would boost diversity. He advocates for new programs that will nurture the next generation of leaders within the Sheriff’s office. 

Casey wants all sheriffs to receive Crisis Intervention Training(CIT) by 2028. Casey wants to expand awareness of different identities through exposure to cultural diversity, disability awareness, and other trainings that center inclusion. Casey wants to earn accreditation from the state for the Critical Stress Management(CISM) team.

Casey’s success with Project Lifesaver, a program that helps people with cognitive disabilities, will be used as a springboard to launch other initiatives to track and increase enrollment to serve the families of Alexandria. He wants to increase outreach to boost community efforts against gun violence.

Recommendation

Sean Casey is running unopposed and is a progressive candidate.

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Democratic Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter is running for reelection unopposed in the City of Alexandria.

Alexandria is an independent city on the western bank of the Potomac River, just south of Washington, D.C., encompassing about 15 square miles and home to roughly 160,000 residents. In the 2024 presidential election, Alexandria voters overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates.

Bryan Porter has served as Alexandria’s Commonwealth’s Attorney since 2014. He was born in Alexandria, where he attended public schools, and then graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. After receiving his law degree from George Mason University School of Law, he was hired as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney and served as a prosecutor for over 20 years.

Porter created a program called Alexandria Recovery Court that allows non-violent offenders who suffer from drug addiction to receive treatment in the place of incarceration. He created a similar program for people who are mentally disabled to receive mental healthcare rather than incarceration.

Porter advocated for body cameras to be worn by Alexandria police officers to ensure transparency of police conduct. Porter maintained a discovery process for defendants that required an open-file system, and he advocated for ethics training for all employees in his office, including those who were not attorneys.

In an effort to combat gun violence, Porter received a $500,000 grant to fund a three-year program that enhanced prosecution efforts in Alexandria. Porter dismissed the charges of the five young Black men who participated in the Alexandria library sit-in of 1939.

Recommendation

Bryan Porter is running unopposed and is a progressive candidate.