Congratulations to everyone who tossed their hat in the political ring in 2018. It is not a decision of the faint of heart to decide to compete in politics at any level. In Virginia, we had a number of spirited contests. We have three great women who will represent Virginia in House of Representatives in 2019: Abigail Spanberger, Elaine Luria, and Jennifer Wexton. These women ran great campaigns and defeated incumbents. Great Work!
In the 1st Congressional District, where I live, Vangie Williams commanded a vigorous and competitive campaign. Thank you, Vangie, and I hope you will take another shot in 2020.
We have elections every year in Virginia. The national talking heads are looking past 2019 and talking about 2020. I’d like to remind everyone that the Virginia House of Delegates was almost flipped last year, and, save for a couple of judges who were visually challenged and failed to disallow a clearly spoiled ballot in the 94th House District race, the House would have had a power sharing arrangement. Additionally, there were a number of other house races that were very close in 2017. In the senate, there are 21 republicans and 19 democrats. So, in 2019, we need to flip two seats in the house and one in the senate.
Courtesy of Herb Jones for Virginia.
In 2019, I am running to flip Virginia’s 3rd Senatorial District. The current occupant of this seat is Tommy Norment, the Senate Majority Leader.
I am a retired soldier with two combat tours in Iraq. I served as the treasurer of New Kent County for three terms. I’m a small business owner, husband, and father. A couple of issues that are important to me are:
- Virginia finally expanded Medicaid this year. Health care is a basic human right. I believe that we have to protect Medicaid expansion, and fully fund the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS). We need leaders who believe every Virginian should have access to quality, affordable health care.
- 90% of my district is rural and without access to high-speed internet or broadband. Children, families, and businesses who live in rural Virginia will fall behind if they don’t have the same access to technology as our more urban neighbors. I think we should explore a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) model to address not only the technology gap in rural Virginia, but all infrastructure needs across the Commonwealth.
- Education is key to the future of our country and our economy. I believe education starts the moment a child is born and continues throughout a persons life. Learning never stops. We need universal pre-kindergarten education and development available for every family. This must include nutritional counseling, emotional, social and physical development. Quality early childhood development greatly reduces the school-to-prison pipeline numbers. We must also invest in our teachers and staff by paying a competitive salary that will attract the best and brightest. We must address the high cost of public colleges and universities. We must make a large investment in vocational and technical training after high school. Businesses have jobs but not enough skilled labor to fill them. This is critical!
I am confident the 2017 and 2018 democratic enthusiasm will carryover into 2019. I hope that you will join me on this adventure. To learn more about me and my campaign please visit my website, www.herbjonesforvirginia.com. I will post a few times a week and look forward to a healthy exchange of ideas.
