Centerville District

Mary Person is a native of Emporia, Virginia, who has served as an educator in her community for 26 years. She began her career as a teacher of children with autism and is now the Principal of Bellfield Elementary in Emporia. Person is an active member of the NAACP, a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Greensville/Emporia, and a member of the Crater Regional Workforce Development Board. She has also served in various educational and political roles, including eight years as Mayor of Emporia. Person has worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of her constituents, establish scholarships for graduating seniors, and attract more businesses and industry jobs to the area.

Person believes that quality health care should be affordable for everyone. She is in favor of expanding mental health services for adults and children. She believes that prescription drugs should be affordable, saying that “no one should have to choose between getting a prescription filled or eating.” She pledges to advocate for legislation to combat health care inequity.

Educational infrastructure is a top priority for her. She wants to ensure the future of public education and make sure all children succeed. She wants to make sure kids have the social and emotional skills necessary to be successful in school and have qualified teachers in the classroom, especially in rural areas such as the 83rd district. Incentives must be offered to college students to go into the field of education to increase the number of qualified teachers in the field.

She also lists economic development as a top priority. She wants to provide opportunities for our communities to have jobs. She believes that a qualified workforce is essential to economic development, so specialized training for skilled positions is a must. To accomplish this, she pledges to actively recruit prospective companies by meeting with them and explaining the benefits of investing in our district. She pledges to always be the number one advocate for obtaining good paying jobs in our communities.

Of equal importance is public safety. She argues that our communities must be a safe place to live, work, and go to school. She advocates for community policing to allow officers to develop relationships with the community and the community to develop relationships with the officers. She also wants to ensure that officers are properly trained in dealing with mental health issues. She pledges to promote legislation to ensure community safety remains a priority and will also work with local government and police departments to fight for safe communities.

Person’s opponent is incumbent Republican Otto Wachsmann, a Sussex County pharmacist and small business owner. Wachsmann has consistently voted against trans youth, having voted for HB 1387, which limits participation in sports on the basis of sex assigned at birth, and voted for HB 2432, which requires schools to inform parents of students experiencing "gender incongruence". He wants to deny abortion access and voted for HB 212, which would have reinstated the mandatory 24 hour waiting period for individuals seeking an abortion.

Given Person’s commitment to building an equitable society and ensuring the basic needs of all are met, she is the progressive choice in this race. Close Window

Incumbent Democratic Delegate Nadarius Clark was born in Norfolk and attended I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth and obtained his bachelor’s from Virginia Union University. Delegate Clark co-founded the Generation Now Network, an organization committed to faith based activism, advocacy, and education. In 2017, he lobbied in Congress for comprehensive expansion of Medicaid and Medicare. He is currently a radio host on 94.7 The Link and is one of the youngest Delegates in Virginia.

As a native of the Tidewater region, Delegate Clark has witnessed the effects of climate change and rising sea level. He believes the government must take urgent action to address the climate crisis. He opposes the Mountain Valley Pipeline and if elected, will support legislation to stop the construction of new pipelines. He also supports a moratorium on new fossil fuel projects and has vowed not to take campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies.

Del. Clark wants to hold police accountable for the violence enacted on communities. He believes in using police alternatives to community dispute resolution to nonviolent and mental health-related crises. He supports ending qualified immunity, a practice that shields police officers from lawsuits for committing civil rights violations. Clark advocates for racial justice by promoting reparations to the descendants of enslaved people. He also believes in bringing equity to communities ravaged by the drug war by directing revenue from the sale of legalized marijuana to Black and Brown communities.

As a candidate, Delegate Clark pledged to bring access to quality, affordable healthcare for all Virginians. He also wants to focus on inequities in our healthcare system by improving disparities in the COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia and disparities in the mortality rate of Black and Indigenous mothers. As Delegate, he voted against HB 212, which would have reinstated the mandatory 24 hour waiting period for individuals seeking an abortion prior to the procedure.

Delegate Clark has been a staunch advocate for diversity and equality. He voted against HB 1387, which limits participation in women's sports on the basis of sex assigned at birth and also voted against HB 2432, which requires schools to out trans kids to their parents. He voted against HB 753, which allows religious schools to discriminate against faculty and students and voted against HB 127, which makes it illegal for Governor’s Schools to factor diversity into admission processes.

Delegate Clark’s opponent in this race is Mike Dillender, a member of the Board of Directors for the Stonebridge School. In this role, he has hidden behind rhetoric to forward an agenda to blatantly indoctrinate children into the belief that America is inherently and historically a Christian nation. He has pledged to sponsor legislation defunding Planned Parenthood. He wants to put armed guards in every school rather than pass common sense gun violence prevention legislation. He proudly touts an endorsement from Gov. Youngkin.

Due to his support of the environment, racial justice, access to affordable healthcare, and criminal justice reform, Del. Nadarius Clark is the most progressive choice in this race. Close Window

Karen Jenkins is a lifelong resident of the City of Suffolk and currently serves on the Suffolk School Board. Jenkins is a champion for education, public safety, and mental health. During her first term on Suffolk School Board, Jenkins participated in training and workshops to improve policies and procedures for Suffolk Public Schools. She was instrumental in developing business partnerships and programs to enhance student academic achievement and worked closely with state legislatures to gain funding for SPS.

As a mental health professional, Jenkins understands the importance of mental health resources. She pledges to advocate for legislation and funding to bring mental health awareness and resources to the district. Education is also a top priority for Jenkins. Working on the Suffolk School Board and with Suffolk Public Schools, she has a proven track record of prioritizing and putting students at the focus of our education system. In tandem with her focus on education, Jenkins believes that we all deserve to feel safe and have public safety resources available to us in our time of need. She plans to assess and modernize public safety systems in our district to meet our current and future needs. She has also received an endorsement from Planned Parenthood of Virginia.

Jenkins has the opportunity to make Virginia history. She is running for this seat at the same time as her husband, Delegate, Clint Jenkins, seeks the newly created seat in SD 17. If both were to win their respective seats, they would be the first married couple to serve contemporaneously in the state’s history.

Jenkin’s opponent is Republican City Councilman Baxter Ennis, a veteran. Councilman Ennis wants to provide unchecked funding to police. He supports a near-total abortion ban and repeats GOP lies about activists’ positions. He will do nothing about gun violence.

Despite limited available information on Karen Jenkins, the positions that she does advocate and the work she has done for public schools make her the progressive choice in this race. Close Window

Jeremy Rodden is a Democratic candidate with a Master's degree in Education. He has experience as an educator with the School District of Philadelphia, JobCorps, and Together We Can Foundation. Rodden is also experienced in community service, committing time to volunteering in the City of Chesapeake as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children, soft skills educator for disconnected youth, and coach in Chesapeake Little League. Rodden is the co-founder of Pride in the 'Peake, Chesapeake's first annual Pride event.

Rodden believes in a science-driven, issues-focused approach. He plans to vote in favor of issues ranging from protection of abortion access to increased mental health awareness to LGBTQIA+ acceptance to public health emergencies. He wholeheartedly believes that experts should be consulted and trusted for the most up-to-date and accurate advice. He has been endorsed by VA LGBT+ Democrats, the Center for Freethought Equality, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, Roe Your Vote Virginia, and Equality Virginia.

Protecting the environment is also at the top of his priority list. He believes that “climate change is real and it is caused by human actions”. He argues that “we must responsibly take all measures we can to conserve our natural resources, prepare for the results of our actions (such as rising sea levels), and protect our environment for future generations.” His policy stances have earned him endorsements from Eric Holder and the NRDC, Save the Dismal, and Sierra Club.

Rodden is a staunch advocate for public education. He argues that “The most important resources we can provide for our children are the best teachers and staff. By paying them well, listening to their needs as the front-line contacts with our students, and striving for the best working conditions possible for them, we can offer our students the best education.” He is opposed to book banning efforts and calls out Republicans for demonizing teachers.

Rodden believes that government is not meant to be run in the shadows. He wants government transparency across the board and says that “all official activity by members of elected office should be easily available for public scrutiny and participation.” He believes that the Commonwealth is in dire need of campaign finance reform.

Rodden is challenging incumbent Republican Delegate Jay Leftwich, an attorney who has represented the 78th district in the House of Delegates since 2014. Since his election, Leftwich has voted against expanding Medicaid insurance coverage, raising the minimum wage, protecting insurance coverage of abortions, legalizing marijuana, and abolishing the death penalty. He also opposes keeping our communities safe by passing common sense measures to prevent gun violence.

Given his positions on public education, environmental stewardship, civil rights protection, and government transparency, Jeremy Rodden is the progressive choice in this race. Close Window

Incumbent Democratic Delegate Cliff Hayes was born in Chesapeake and has represented the 77th District in the House of Delegates since 2016. With the redrawn district lines, he will now run for the 91st District. He attended Norfolk State University, where he played basketball and completed post-graduate studies at multiple institutes of higher education. He spent his professional career working in information technology and technology policy. He also served as a member of the Chesapeake City Council from 2004 to 2012. He has two college-aged daughters and lives with his wife in Chesapeake.

Serving as the chair of the Joint Commission on Technology and Science, Del. Hayes is a strong advocate for technological developments that boost the economy and protect the environment. He introduced and successfully passed legislation that created a major offshore wind generation facility. His work on this project led him to receive a certificate of appreciation from the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club. Delegate Hayes also voted in favor of the passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which will transition Virginia’s energy grid to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Delegate Hayes has worked to make healthcare affordable and accessible to all Virginians. He voted in favor of Medicaid expansion in 2018, which granted access to affordable healthcare to 400,000 Virginians. Del. Hayes was chief co-patron of a bill that expanded telemedicine services and ensured Virginians could safely see their doctors during the pandemic and beyond. He also voted to make abortion coverage available on the state health insurance exchange. He voted to cap insulin prices at $50, and he introduced and passed a bill to make it easier for pharmacies to distribute marijuana and CBD-based products. He voted no on HB 212, which would have reinstated mandatory waiting periods before a person can have an abortion and voted yes on SB 1276, which repeals the abortion prohibition in Virginia health insurance plans.

Delegate Hayes has supported increased school funding at all levels. He voted in favor of a budget which gave teachers a 5% raise, increased funding for school counselors and nurses, and additional money to ensure schools can safely reopen during the pandemic. Del. Hayes also worked to make higher education more affordable by voting for the Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) program, which makes community college tuition-free for low-and middle-income students who study in certain fields.

As a member of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Del. Hayes has supported bills to ensure racial equity in Virginia. He voted to recognize racism as a public health crisis in the Commonwealth. The caucus also worked to ensure that the tax dollars received from the legalization of marijuana went to the Black and Brown communities that were disproportionately affected by drug enforcement. Del. Hayes also fought for the historical preservation and funding for the maintenance of Black cemeteries in Chesapeake.

Delegate Hayes’ opponent is Republican Thomas Powell. We could not find any information on him at the time of research.

Due to his support of the environment, access to affordable healthcare, public education, and racial justice, Delegate Cliff Hayes is the most progressive choice for the 91st District. Close Window

Democrat and Former Delegate Alex Askew is a Virginia Beach native who was raised by a public school teacher. He worked for nearly seven election cycles on various local, state-wide, and national campaigns. He served as a Chief of Staff for the Virginia House of Delegates, where he helped craft groundbreaking legislation such as the nationwide Ashanti Alert, Medicaid expansion, affordable housing expansion, and school safety initiatives. In his term as the Delegate for the 85th District, he had nine bills signed into law, with 7 of them receiving unanimous bipartisan support. In 2022, he was narrowly defeated and conceded the seat. He is now running to be reelected in the newly-redrawn 95th district.

Fmr. Del. Askew has been a staunch defender of equality. He worked alongside Delegate Dolores McQuinn and sponsored HB1993, which requires state agencies to establish and maintain comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plans in coordination with the Governor’s Chief Diversity Officer. “The comprehensive emphasis on equity-minded legislation throughout the 2021 General Assembly session has been historic,” said Secretary of Administration Grindly Johnson. “This legislation makes Virginia a national exemplar in fostering the business case for organizational effectiveness in our state agencies.”

Fmr. Del. Askew has also been an advocate for common-sense gun violence prevention. He voted for HB 2128, which increases the time for the State Department to complete firearm Background Checks, a necessary step in preventing unsafe gun owners from slipping through the cracks. He also voted for HB 2276, which classifies the manufacture, import, sale, transfer, and possession of certain firearms as a Class 5 felony. These measures are indicative of Fmr. Del. Askew’s commitment to firearm safety and his understanding of the policies that can help prevent tragedies.

Fmr. Del. Askew’s record also shows he is committed to racial and economic justice. As delegate, he passed a law that makes it a hate crime to intentionally make a false 911 call on the basis of race, religion, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or national origin. Additionally, he voted for HJ 555, which restores the civil and voting rights for returning citizens after they have completed their jail sentences. He worked with the Virginia Emergency Management Association to protect minority and other vulnerable communities across Hampton Roads—a region prone to disasters and storm flooding.

He has also been clear on abortion access and healthcare. After Texas passed a horrendously restrictive abortion law in 2021, he said simply: “Repro care is health care. Repro justice is economic justice. Repro rights are human rights.” As Delegate, he voted to repeal the abortion prohibition in Virginia health insurance plans and establish the Reproductive Health Protection Act. His positions have earned him an endorsement from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia.

Fmr. Del. Askew is running unopposed, but because of his position on firearm safety, reproductive rights, and criminal justice, he is still the progressive choice in this race. Close Window

Incumbent Democratic Delegate Kelly Fowler is of Filipino-Mexican heritage and moved to Virginia Beach when her father, who was in the Navy, was stationed there. An engaged member of the community, she used to be an elementary school teacher and now owns a small local real estate company that specializes in military family relocation and advocacy. She and her husband reside in Virginia Beach with their three daughters. Fowler was first elected to represent the 21st District in 2017 and will now run for HD 96 with the redrawn district lines.

Delegate Fowler was motivated to run for office after attending the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. in January 2017.. In 2020, she voted to repeal medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion providers by supporting the Reproductive Health Protection Act. She supports abortion access and voted to make abortion coverage available on the health insurance exchange.

During her time in office, Delegate Fowler voted to give teachers a 5% raise, believing higher teacher pay will reduce high turnover and make it easier for schools to recruit and retain the best teachers. She also voted to increase school funding in the Commonwealth, including money to help schools reopen safely during the pandemic. She also voted to grant in-state tuition to undocumented students in 2020 and make them eligible for financial aid the following year.

Delegate Fowler recognizes the real threat of climate change. She hopes to create long-term solutions to preserving the green spaces in the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake areas. Del. Fowler has patroned legislation aimed at tackling the flooding issues of the 21st District. Additionally, Del. Fowler is in support of clean energy and green jobs and voted for the Virginia Clean Economy Act in 2020, which aims to make Virginia 100% clean energy by 2050.

Delegate Fowler believes in making the promise of democracy real for us all by supporting our fair and free elections. In 2021, she voted for the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, which prohibits discrimination at the polls. She also voted to keep voters safe during the pandemic by removing the signature requirement on absentee ballots during an emergency and establishing drop boxes for voters to leave their ballots. In 2020, she voted to extend the early voting period and to make it easier to vote absentee in Virginia.

Delegate Fowler’s main opponent is Republican Mike Karslake, a business owner affiliated with Business Networks International. He describes himself as politically conservative and has spent 20 years working within the Republican political network. He wants to give police additional funding with no accountability. He will allow gun violence to go unchecked in our communities, and his top priority is to “preserve our religious freedoms”--so long as they support “Judeo-Christian values”.

Independent candidate Nicholas Olenik is also in the running for the race, but we could not find a website or any listed positions at the time of research.

Due to her support of abortion access, public education, voting rights, and the environment, Delegate Fowler is the most progressive choice in this election. Close Window

Michael Feggans is a Virginia Beach native who graduated from Tallwood High School and enlisted in the U.S Air Force after graduation. He values education and has degrees from Virginia Tech, Norfolk State, and the University of Virginia. After 20 years of service in the Air Force, he decided to retire and become a tech entrepreneur in Virginia Beach. With the creation of the new 97th House District, Feggans is running for the House of Delegates to continue serving his community.

Feggans lists “protecting reproductive freedom and women’s rights” as the first priority on his website. He pledges to fight to safeguard and expand abortion access.He has been endorsed by Roe Your Vote Virginia.

He also lists “fighting for common sense gun safety measures to keep our communities safe” as a top priority. As a military veteran and responsible gun owner, he knows how dangerous guns can be in the wrong hands. That’s why he supports common sense solutions to curb gun violence, including expanding background checks, strengthening Virginia’s extreme risk protection order law, and bolstering safe storage requirements to keep guns out of schools and keep our communities safe. Because of these stances, he was endorsed by Giffords PAC.

Feggans pledges himself to protecting our environment and supporting renewable energy jobs to support and combat recurring flooding, sea level rise, and promote resilience in coastal Virginia. He knows that clean energy is crucially important in Virginia Beach as we face the impacts of climate change in our coastal region every day. He believes that offshore wind would bring economic and environmental benefits to this region. His positions earned him an endorsement from Sierra Club and from NRDC Action Fund.

Feggans also promises to support small businesses and entrepreneurs to create an economy that helps families and our community thrive. He says he’ll fight in Richmond to lower the costs of prescription drugs and healthcare and make housing more affordable. As a small business owner, he has personally felt the sting of rising costs and knows that a strong economy starts on Main Street. He will work to modernize processes and help to combat the issues that hold small businesses back. His language focuses on business, but he has earned an endorsement from AFL-CIO and professes support for unions.

Feggans’ opponent is incumbent Republican Delegate Karen Greenhalgh, a Virginia Beach business owner. Del. Greenhalgh became infamous in her 2021 race against Fmr. Del. Alex Askew for sending out an “overtly racist” mailer targeting her opponent. She supports restricting access to abortion by passing medically unnecessary regulations on abortion providers. She opposes the right of workers to form unions and will work to keep the state’s right-to-work law in place. She targets LGBTQ+ youth, having Sponsored HB 1387 to limit participation in women’s sports on the basis of sex assigned at birth and voted for HB 2432, which requires schools to inform parents of students experiencing "gender incongruence".

Because of his stances on healthcare and abortion, environmental protection, and gun safety, Feggans is the clear progressive choice in this race. Close Window

Zachary Coltrain is a 20-year-old college student at Appalachian State University studying music therapy, where he also serves on the Speech and Debate leadership team. He was born in Virginia Beach and raised in this district over the past 19 years. Throughout high school and college, he learned how to articulate thoughts within political spaces and found his passion for speaking out against problems our community is facing.

Coltrain recognizes the importance of advocating for preserving and protecting wildlife and naturally occurring environments in Virginia Beach, particularly in the Pungo area. The district has miles of coastline, a national wildlife refuge, and hundreds of rural agricultural communities that make it lucky to have so much biodiversity. Coltrain understands that it is our responsibility to advocate for the interests of native flora and fauna. He also recognizes that the district relies heavily on the work of private and family farms that support our local community's economy. Therefore, we must balance these initiatives without disenfranchising the hundreds of farmers and preservationists doing their own important work for our ecological communities.

Coltrain recognizes that despite LGBTQIA+, AAPI, and BIPOC communities making their voices heard in the district and across the country, Virginia still lacks many statutory protections for historically marginalized groups. As a member of the queer community in Hampton Roads, Coltrain knows there is love for all individuals throughout the community, but we need to ensure this love and protection is preserved for future generations. He will fight tirelessly to ensure these groups are heard and advocate for additional protections to be codified into law, regardless of his status in the race.

Coltrain believes medical care and related services must be expanded throughout the Commonwealth, especially in rural areas. He understands the importance of expanding rehabilitation services by the state. However, simply defining these jobs in law is not providing equal access to those services. Therefore, Coltrain is committed to ensuring these services are equally accessible to all. He believes that your zip code should not determine your access to healthcare.

Coltrain supports access to abortion and recognizes the recent Supreme Court decision on abortion access to be a major wedge issue. He intends to be a voice for anyone wishing to make decisions regarding their reproductive health. Protecting these rights and allocating accessible resources to all in the Commonwealth should be a core function of the General Assembly. Coltrain wants to join the sitting delegates and expand their ideas until access to resources and reproductive care is universal.

His opponent is Incumbent Republican Delegate Barry Knight. Knight opposes keeping communities safe with common sense measures to prevent gun violence. In 2020, he voted against increasing the minimum wage and establishing the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice. This year, he voted for HB 212, which reintroduces mandatory waiting periods before a person can access abortion care. He voted NO on SB 1276, which repeals the abortion prohibition in Virginia health insurance plans.

Given Coltrain’s stances and record, he is the progressive choice in this race. Close Window

Cat Porterfield is a wife, mother, realtor, and accomplished journalist recognized for her work in military and local news. Her experience involves analyzing school and city budgets, closely monitoring development projects, and immersing herself in the mechanics of community functioning. She plans to inform and engage citizens, prioritize constituents' interests, and be an unbiased voice for her community. Coming from a Navy family and sharing a deep connection to Virginia Beach Public Schools through her son, she brings a personal investment in the community's success.

She has pledged to make no law or put forward any votes restricting a woman’s access to abortion and asserts that reproductive rights are on the ballot in November. Fighting for reproductive rights is the top priority on her website. Her stances have earned her an endorsement from Roe Your Vote Virginia and another from Vote Pro-Choice. Her commitment to affordable healthcare access echoes her position on this issue.

Porterfield supports a multifaceted approach to gun violence prevention that involves several elements: fostering community healing, encouraging positive masculinity, providing summer employment for at-risk teens, employing street intervention experts, utilizing professional violence interrupters, enacting measures to disarm domestic abusers, ensuring scrutiny when a legal gun purchase fails a background check, and establishing accountability measures for law enforcement officers.

Her pledge to protect communities extends to issues of equality. She has called out her opponent for inserting her personal religious beliefs into her politics and promises that she will protect the LGBTQ+ community. She wants to keep Republicans’ hands off schools and teachers and likens their attempts at book banning to the disastrous No Child Left Behind policy. Additionally, she abhors Republicans’ attempts to force gender conformity onto students and teachers.

She understands the importance of sustainable, clean water and acknowledges the threat of sea level rise. She pledges to propose and support measures to decrease water pollution, safeguard wetlands and water bodies, and encourage responsible water usage. Additionally, she aims to boost the adoption of eco-friendly transportation choices. She is committed to promoting sustainable agriculture, including supporting the growth and sale of marijuana. She opposes reversing marijuana decriminalization and intends to aid farmers in entering the industry through programs and incentives akin to tobacco farming support in the past, recognizing marijuana's medicinal value.

Incumbent Republican Delegate Anne Ferrell Tata is a medical sales representative, author, and wife of a Navy veteran. Tata voted for HB 212, which requires reinstating the mandatory waiting period before a person can get an abortion. She was a co-sponsor for HB 1387, which prevents trans kids from playing sports.

Given Porterfield’s stances and record, she is the clear progressive choice in this race. Close Window