Democrats in Virginia have an unprecedented opportunity this fall. Of the 66 GOP incumbents in the 100-seat House of Delegates, 54 of them face Democratic challengers—many for the first time in years.
Several of the most competitive seats on the ballot in Virginia this fall are in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Of the 17 House districts won by Hillary Clinton last fall but currently held by Republicans, 10 are in this region of the state. House District 51 is one of these.
Hala Ayala is running in House District 51 in the D.C. suburbs against Republican Del. Richard Anderson, a four-term incumbent. Ayala is a single mother of two and a cybersecurity specialist who quit her federal job to run for office full-time. She founded the Prince William County chapter of the National Organization of Women and helped organize Virginia for the Women’s March in January. And like many residents in this rapidly growing Northern Virginia district, she comes from a very diverse background: Her father’s roots are Salvadorian and North-African, while her mother is Irish and Lebanese.
Ayala is only the second Democratic challenger Anderson has faced since he ousted a Democratic incumbent in the GOP wave year of 2009. Anderson has used his time in office to further the Republican cause of voter suppression well, working to make absentee voting more difficult. In addition, he’s helped make Freedom of Information Act requests more onerous to fulfill and enforce. He’s also a consistent supporter of extreme anti-choice legislation, including a ban on abortions after 20 weeks.
House District 51 is a prime pickup opportunity for Virginia Democrats this fall, but flipping this seat will be a challenge. While this district has supported Democrats in several statewide elections since 2012, including the presidential contest just last fall, Republican candidates took it in both the 2014 U.S. Senate race and the last gubernatorial election. Anderson’s years in Richmond have allowed him to establish a network of corporate funders and moneyed interests, and Ayala will have to overcome his likely financial advantage to remain competitive in this race.
But Ayala is the progressive candidate her district deserves, and the predominantly white and male Virginia General Assembly will benefit mightily from the perspective of another woman of color in the halls of power.
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