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Former Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy represented the 87th District from 2017 to December 2020, when she resigned to make an unsuccessful run for Governor. She is now seeking the State Senate in District 33 in 2023. During her stint as Delegate, she fought to pass Medicaid expansion to 400,000 Virignians. She also voted for a pay raise for Virginia teachers. She co-patroned a bill to increase the grand larceny threshold from $200 to $500. She supports legislation to increase abortion access, affordable public transportation, and criminal justice reform.

As Delegate, Carroll Foy was a strong advocate for building good jobs and ensuring sustainable development. In 2018, she earned the Champion of Enterprise Award from the Virginia Chamber of Commerce for her efforts. Carroll Foy passed bipartisan legislation to give veterans greater access to the capital they need to start and grow a business. She co-sponsored a bill that rewarded companies for creating jobs in underserved communities. Additionally, she passed legislation to give small minority-owned businesses more opportunities to secure contracts with utilities. She passed legislation to provide greater access to coding courses in high school, preparing students for the 21st-century economy. Finally, she passed a bill allowing local school divisions to enter into College and Career Access Pathways Partnerships with community colleges.

Fmr. Del. Carroll Foy has always fought for unions and working families. As a Delegate, she passed groundbreaking legislation that instituted a prevailing wage on all state-funded construction projects, sponsored legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, and passed a bill that cracks down on companies that don't pay their workers. She also sponsored legislation to ensure that workers' compensation covered firefighters who contracted cancer on the job. She co-sponsored legislation repealing the "Comstock rule" that banned the use of Project Labor Agreements, which would help thousands of construction workers get quality health coverage. Their efforts led to the biggest expansion of labor rights in decades.

Fmr. Del. Carroll Foy has spent her career fighting for equal rights. She led the fight to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and has made concrete changes to advance equality for all Virginians. As Delegate, she worked to protect reproductive freedom, helped to lead the Reproductive Health Protection Act, and pushed legislation to establish equality in school dress codes. She also advocated for paid family and medical leave and passed the Pregnant Worker Fairness Act.

Throughout her career, Fmr. Del. Carroll Foy has witnessed the systemic flaws that define the criminal justice system, which disproportionately impact our most vulnerable communities. She has advocated for those who could not advocate for themselves and on behalf of those for whom the justice system is broken. As a Delegate, she sponsored legislation to address cash bail reform, the ban on parole, and the issue of "driving poor," all of which contribute to mass incarceration and cyclical patterns of joblessness and poverty within minority communities. She also sponsored a bill prohibiting the use of neck restraints, such as chokeholds, by law enforcement and passed legislation to repeal the Habitual Drunkard law, which unfairly punishes the homeless and those struggling with substance abuse.

Fmr. Del. Carroll Foy is facing Republican Mike Van Meter in the general election. Van Meter will do nothing to hold police accountable for abuse against the communities they’re supposed to protect. He follows in the footsteps of the worst Republican attacks on public education. He will do nothing to prevent gun violence plaguing our communities.

Given her record of supporting sustainable development, lifting up unions, pursuing equality, and fighting for a fair criminal justice system, Fmr. Del. Carroll Foy is the clear progressive choice in this race.
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Senator Scott A. Surovell has represented Eastern Fairfax County since 2010. Prior to his time in the Senate, Senator Surovell served six years in the House of Delegates. Senator Surovell lives in Mt. Vernon with his wife and four children. He practices law and has dedicated his legislative career to fighting for Northern Virginia’s fair share, protecting consumers, and preserving our environment for future generations.

Senator Surovell has been a voice for reproductive health care access throughout his career. In recent sessions, he voted to repeal the abortion prohibition in Virginia health insurance plans. He voted to establish the Reproductive Health Protection Act and voted against prohibiting state funding for abortion services. Earlier in his career, he voted against requiring an ultrasound prior to an abortion and against defining life as beginning at conception.

Senator Surovell has consistently voted as a criminal justice advocate. He voted against mandatory consecutive sentences of imprisonment, a policy that keeps people locked in a vicious cycle. He voted against requiring school principals to report student misdemeanors to law enforcement. He voted to expand voting rights to release inmates, a move praised by both criminal justice and voting rights advocates. Amongst other policies, he also sponsored a bill to require police to inform drivers on why they are being stopped.

Senator Surovell has also championed civil liberties and rights. In 2020, he voted to prohibit No-knock Search Warrants, a practice derided by civil rights groups. He voted to repeal the state statutory same-sex marriage ban and amend state documents to adopt gender-neutral terms. He voted to prohibit state funding for conversion therapy on minors and amend the anti-discrimination law to include sexual orientation and gender identity, a bill he also co-sponsored.

Gun violence prevention has also been at the top of his priorities. In 2021, he voted to establish gun-free zones on school board property and voted to prohibit the possession of firearms within 40 feet of a polling place. In 2020, he voted to prohibit individuals subject to a protective order from possessing firearms and voted to increase penalties for unsecured firearms. He also voted to require reporting lost or stolen firearms and authorize the temporary seizure of guns from persons posing substantial risk.

Senator Surovell is facing a challenge from Republican Mark Springman. Springman is a typical Republican: he will do nothing to curb police violence and abuse, he will weaken public education and further attacks on trans youth, and believes cutting taxes is a panacea for all economic ails.

Given his record on reproductive health, criminal justice, civil rights, and gun violence prevention, Senator Scott Surovell is the progressive choice in this race.
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Saddam Azlam Salim is a graduate of George Mason University where he received his Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in public and non-profit finance and currently works as a Senior Consultant advising federal clients. Salim is also actively involved in several community organizations. He serves as second Vice Chair on the 8th Congressional District Democratic Committee, the Co-State Director for South Asians for America, and is a founding member of the API Caucus and the FCDC Black Caucus.

One of Salim’s priorities is reproductive rights. Salim pledges to ensure that people have access to reproductive health and education including “high quality and medically accurate sex education in our public schools.” Salim also understands the importance of having community resources and will fight to expand access to abortion in underserved communities. Additionally, Salim plans to bring down the maternal mortality rate by advocating for more resources for prenatal care, especially for people of color. Lastly, Salim has committed to making sure that accurate information regarding reproductive options are made available to patients and that no restrictions are placed on reproductive services or information.

Another issue in Salim’s campaign is LGBTQ+ rights. He promises to oppose all legislation that negatively targets LGBTQ+ communities. Once elected, Salim has plans to add legislation that protects the rights of LGBTQ+ people by adding Virginia to the list of states that include Rainbow Wall legislation. He also has plans to sponsor legislation that codifies the right to have gender affirming care and prohibits anti-trans legislation from other states. Salim promises to be an ally and fight alongside the LGBTQ+ community against all attacks.

This first time candidate also has a plan for climate action in the Commonwealth. Salim understands how crucial it is for Virginia to move towards clean energy. He plans to allow local governments to set energy codes in order to improve energy efficiency and aid in reaching 50% of the Virginia Clean Economy Act Goals.
Salim also supports the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). He promises to oppose any efforts by the Governor to pull out of RGGI and be an outspoken advocate of environmental policies.

Salim is a 2023 gun sense candidate and supports an assault weapons ban as well as legislation for mandatory waiting periods for firearm purchases. He also plans to support legislation that will restrict perpetual domestic abusers from making purchases. He pledges to support legislation that provides early prevention, investing in communities with higher gun violence rates and making sure that they have access to resources such as affordable housing, healthcare, and jobs, so that gun violence is less prevalent in their communities.

Salim’s opponent is Loudon County Supervisor, Republican Ken Reid, a former business owner and author. Reid obtained his M.A. University of Missouri School of Journalism from George Mason University along with an B.A. Rutgers in political science and Espanol. Reid builds his campaign off of his support for state income tax cuts as well as the removal of state interference in prescription medication and medical devices. Reid also shows strong support for the police department, believing that we should increase police funding despite clear and indisputable evidence that police are incapable of de escalating and stopping crime. He opposes environmental initiatives such as RGGI and allowing local government to set energy codes believing them to be “extremist environmental provisions.” Saddam Azlam Salim is the progressive choice for this race due to his advocacy for commonsense gun laws, his dedication to climate action, and his position to protect the LGBTQ+ community from growing attacks. Close Window