WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama today announced his support for a slate of 21 candidates in Virginia legislative races. Since Virginia flipped both the House and Senate from red to blue in 2019, Democrats have passed sweeping progressive changes including protecting reproductive rights, banning anti-LGBTQ discrimination, reopening schools safely during the pandemic, increasing the minimum wage, and enacting commonsense gun safety reform. It’s critical for Democrats to maintain their majority in the Virginia House and build upon the progress already made to uplift Virginia working families.
President Obama also recorded a robocall that will be in the field later this week and a video to energize Democratic voters and get them out to the polls.
“It’s time to vote and everything we care about is on the ballot in Virginia,” said President Obama. “From access to health care to bringing our economy back from COVID-19, there’s too much at stake to sit this one out. And it’s important to vote for Democrats up and down the ticket, so we can actually get things done. In a lot of ways, the people who represent you at the state level have more of an impact on your life than elected officials in Washington. I know, because I got my start in government as a member of the state Senate in Illinois. So don’t wait. Let’s keep Virginia moving forward.”
“In less than two short years, Virginia Democrats have made an outsized impact on millions of Virginia families,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Jessica Post. “They’ve made it a little easier to pay the bills and afford college, have one job instead of two or three by raising the minimum wage, and ensure your children have the tools needed to safely return to school and succeed by investing more in education. Now is the time for us to build upon — not erode — that progress in Virginia by again electing Democrats to the state legislature. As a former state legislator himself, President Obama understands better than anyone how crucial statehouses are to the daily lives of Americans. We will continue to push forward alongside these outstanding Democratic candidates to build healthier and safer communities for all Virginians.”
See the full list of supported candidates below:
Lashrecse Aird (HD-63)
Alex Askew (HD-85)
Joshua Cole (HD-28)
Eileen Filler-Corn (HD-41)
Kelly Fowler (HD-21)
Debra Gardner (HD-27)
Wendy Gooditis (HD-10)
Nancy Guy (HD-83)
Elizabeth Guzman (HD-31)
Dan Helmer (HD-40)
Candi King (HD-2)
Michelle Maldonado (HD-50)
Kim Melnyk (HD-84)
Martha Mugler (HD-91)
Mike Mullin (HD-93)
Finale Norton (HD-100)
Danica Roem (HD-13)
Briana Sewell (HD-51)
Shelly Simonds (HD-94)
Schuyler VanValkenburg (HD-72)
Rodney Willett (HD-73)
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