Democrats in Virginia have an enormous opportunity this fall. They’ve recruited an unprecedented number of candidates for the state House and have massively expanded the playing field, putting the GOP on defense in every corner of the state. That even includes a key member of Republican leadership.
Several of the most competitive GOP-held seats on the ballot in this fall are in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., an area that’s been trending toward Democrats for years, and fully 10 were carried by Hillary Clinton last year. House District 40 is one of these.
Democrat Donte Tanner is running to unseat Republican House Caucus Chair Tim Hugo. Tanner is an Air Force veteran, a product of Virginia public schools, and a small business owner. As a husband and new father to a baby daughter, Tanner wants his child to grow up in a world where she gets a quality public education. He also wants to make sure she earns equally as much as her male counterparts in the workforce—and that she gets to make her own healthcare choices.
Hugo, meanwhile, has led his caucus as it refused to expand access to Medicaid, voted to defund Planned Parenthood, and supported the infamous transvaginal ultrasound bill. And he’s not just a strident conservative: Hugo is notorious for his extensive use of campaign funds for personal travel, dining out, and cell phone bills. So it was no shock when, earlier this year, he orchestrated the death of a bill that would have banned the personal use of campaign dollars.
And unfortunately, Hugo’s awfully good at bringing in money for himself. His years in Richmond and his position in GOP leadership have allowed him to establish a network of corporate funders and moneyed interests, and Tanner will have to overcome Hugo’s considerable war chest to remain competitive in this race. Fortunately, though, Tanner has shown himself to be a formidable candidate, and he out-raised his well-connected GOP opponent during the last fundraising period—though Hugo still had more than double the cash-on-hand left over for the post-Labor Day campaign sprint.
And while Hillary Clinton won the 40th District by a 53-42 margin, it voted for Mitt Romney 51-46 just four years earlier. What’s more, this seat definitely trends more Republican in odd-year elections: Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe lost this district 51-44. House District 40 is a real pickup opportunity for Virginia Democrats this fall, but flipping this seat will be a challenge.
Tanner, however, is the progressive leader his district deserves, and the predominantly white Virginia General Assembly will benefit mightily from the perspective of another person of color in the halls of power.