Democrats are running in a record-setting 88 seats in Virginia’s 100-member House of Delegates this fall, and one of the most compelling contests is taking place in the 13th District, where Daily Kos has endorsed Democrat Danica Roem in her race against GOP Del. Bob Marshall.
Roem is a journalist by trade and has proven herself to be a tenacious, hard-working candidate focused on the real issues that impact residents of her district. Her signature issue in this race is roads—specifically, the terrible traffic on Route 28 in Prince William County (seriously, it's awful). She's running on this and the many other things her opponent—a virulently anti-LGBT crusader in Richmond—gives short shrift while he's busy grandstanding for his hateful causes.
Roem will work to bring more and better-paying jobs to the district, improve roads, increase teacher pay, and expand health care coverage. She’d also be Virginia’s first openly transgender elected official and will advocate protection of LGBT rights, too, but she understands that this is one issue among many facing Virginians—which seems to be something Marshall forgot a long time ago.
While Roem is an outstanding candidate, her opponent also happens to be someone in special need of ousting from elected office. Marshall has repeatedly achieved national infamy for his extreme stances on issues related to LGBT rights. A few of his greatest hits include:
- Leading the fight in the House this year for an anti-transgender "bathroom bill" that was somehow worse than North Carolina's (it allowed anyone who found someone in the "wrong" bathroom to sue the relevant government authority for failing to prevent such an outrage).
- Fighting to prevent gay soldiers from serving in the Virginia National Guard (claiming that he worried about gay troops spreading STDs) after Congress finally repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
- Successfully derailing the nomination of a highly-respected and qualified judicial nominee who happened to be gay.
- Claiming in national media that LGBT "behavior" reduces one's lifespan "by about 20 years."
- Writing a very stern letter to the chair of the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank in 2011 for flying a rainbow flag next to the American flag during Pride Month, calling it "a celebration of a behavior that is still a class six felony in Virginia" and "an attack on public morals."
- Attempting to legalize anti-LGBT discrimination by any worker or business, public or private.
Marshall isn't a big fan of women, either.
- He's fought against Virginia universities that dispensed the morning-after pill.
- He was a huge supporter of Virginia's infamous forced transvaginal ultrasound bill in 2012 and even took to the House floor to excoriate his party when his colleagues finally buckled under public pressure (and the national aspirations of then-Gov. Bob McDonnell) and dialed back the measure.
- He stands by claims that disabled children can be the result of God punishing women for having abortions. He's tried to allow insurance companies to deny women coverage for contraception.
In short, Marshall is terrible and needs to go, and Roem is an excellent candidate and deserves your support.
Please contribute $3 today to help elect Danica Roem to the Virginia House of Delegates this fall!