The 100 races for the Virginia House of Delegates this fall are crucial, but they’re destined to receive less national-level love than the Old Dominion’s higher-profile statewide contests. The Democratic National Committee has declared itself “all-in” on Virginia’s gubernatorial race this cycle, and the $1.5 million and staff support it’s pledged will aid Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general as well. But to date, there’s no word of similar support from national Democrats to Virginia’s down-ballot contests.
Grassroots activists can help fill in the gaps. Already this year, the Daily Kos community has raised over $150,000 for state legislative candidates. In these relatively small races, every dollar counts, and Daily Kos donors have already contributed to multiple statehouse wins this cycle. But it’s time to do more.
We’re pleased to expand our list of endorsed House of Delegates candidates to include three more Democrats. Elizabeth Guzman, Cheryl Turpin, and Schuyler VanValkenburg are remarkable candidates who will bring much-needed perspective to Virginia’s capitol. They share a key understanding of the struggles of working families holding down multiple jobs to get by, the importance of public education, and the need to protect our future by combating climate change and local pollution.
Help these three dedicated progressives take the resistance to the Virginia House—donate $3 to their campaigns today!
Elizabeth Guzman is running in House District 31, a seat in Northern Virginia that Hillary Clinton won 54-42, against GOP Del. Scott Lingamfelter, an eight-term incumbent. Guzman, who would be the first Latina elected to the Virginia General Assembly, is a public administrator and social worker. She has a keen understanding of how difficult it can be for a working family to make ends meet: She emigrated from Peru as a single mom in search of a better life for her family and once juggled three jobs. She supports increasing the state’s minimum wage and will advocate for bigger investments in early childhood education programs.
Lingamfelter, on the other hand, favors throwing the state’s weight around to prevent cities and localities from raising their own minimum wage. He’s also a consistent opponent of reproductive rights and co-sponsored legislation that would foster censorship in the state’s public schools.
Cheryl Turpin is vying to unseat seven-month incumbent Rocky Holcomb in House District 85, a seat in Virginia Beach that Trump carried by less than half a point. Daily Kos was proud to back Turpin in a special election this past January, when she lost this historically Republican seat by a surprisingly small margin. Now she’s back for another try, and we’re going to help her finish the job. Turpin is an environmental science teacher, a career that not only makes her an ardent advocate for public education, but also a fighter for policies that combat climate change and promote clean water—two crucial priorities for this coastal community.
In the few short months he’s been in office, meanwhile, Holcomb has supported legislation that protects companies that dump toxins into the Chesapeake Bay and diverts money away from public education and shunts it to private and for-profit schools. Holcomb also voted for the infamous and could-it-have-even-been-more-heinously-named? “Day of Tears” resolution, which called for flags to be flown at half-staff on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Schuyler VanValkenburg is running in House District 72, an open seat in the Richmond suburbs that hasn’t seen a contested election in a decade, even though Clinton won here 49-44. VanValkenburg is a high school government teacher with a first-hand appreciation of the importance of quality, fully-funded public education. He knows that affordable school and vocational training are key to Virginia’s continued success in the 21st-century economy, and he supports expanding Medicaid to ensure as many Virginians as possible have access to health care.
VanValkenburg’s GOP opponent, Eddie Whitlock, is a debt collection attorney who opposes Medicaid expansion and believes the Affordable Care Act should be eliminated entirely. He supports voucher programs that steal money from public education, and he has the highest possible rating from the NRA.
Please give $3 to help elect these three great House candidates!
