WASHINGTON — Virginia Republicans spent the 2023 legislative session proposing some of the most extreme legislation the commonwealth has seen in modern times — attacking voting rights, blocking protections for LGBTQ+ Virginians, and pushing dangerous abortion bans. Luckily, Senate Democrats blocked Republicans’ dangerous agenda from becoming a reality while taking bold strides to expand reproductive rights and lower everyday costs. But, in order to fully stamp out Virginia’s MAGA GOP and pass legislation that will move the state forward, the DLCC and Democrats need to protect their Senate majority and retake the House this fall. Coming off a historic midterm year, the DLCC is committed to helping deliver Democratic victories this November in order to ensure abortion access, voting rights, and public education remain protected throughout the commonwealth.
“The Virginia GOP has been crystal clear this legislative session: if Republicans retain control of the House and take the Senate majority, they will move full speed ahead to trample over progress and drag the commonwealth back to the previous century,” said DLCC vice president of communications Gabrielle Chew. “Under Governor Youngkin’s radical leadership, Virginia Republicans have spent 2023 waging war on public schools, voting rights, and abortion access – spewing out some of the most extreme legislation the state has ever seen. Senate Democrats were there to stop the GOP’s agenda in its tracks, but the only way to fully secure Virginians’ fundamental rights is to elect Democrats in droves to protect the Senate and retake the House from MAGA zealots. The DLCC is fired up to keep working with our in-state partners to show the Virginia GOP to the door.”
Virginia Democrats are the only thing standing in the way of the GOP’s extreme MAGA agenda. In this legislative session alone:
- Republicans proposed multiple abortion bans and blocked efforts to protect individuals’ private menstrual health data, while Senate Democrats pushed for a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights across the state.
- Republicans attempted to roll back key environmental protections, while Senate Democrats ensured that clean energy standards were protected.
- Republicans blocked a constitutional amendment that would have repealed the state’s archaic ban on same-sex marriage after Democrats passed the amendment in the Senate.
- Republicans pushed a dozen bills that would target vulnerable trans kids and students, while Senate Democrats blocked each measure and spoke out against GOP attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.
- The GOP tried to undermine public schools by diverting funding to private schools, while Senate Democrats blocked Republicans from meddling in classrooms.
The DLCC is the official Democratic Party committee dedicated to winning America’s state legislatures. Last cycle, the committee raised $50 million to elect state Democrats across the country. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and pass the policies that have the biggest impact on Americans’ day-to-day lives. Coming off a successful midterm cycle, the DLCC is headed straight into another election year, focusing on defending our majority in the Virginia Senate and taking back control of the Virginia House.
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