Virginia State Level House of Delegates Election
All 100 members of the House in the Virginia General Assembly are up for re-election this year. Below is the information on the races that affect Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville, along with the 5 most important races to keep up with.
Currently in Office:
54th District (Parts of Albemarle and Charlottesville) - Katrina Callsen (D)
55th District (Parts of Albemarle, Fluvanna, and Nelson) - Amy Laufer (D)
75th District (Parts of Chesterfield, Prince George, City of Hopewell) - Carrie E. Coyner (R)
71st District (Parts of James City County, New Kent and Williamsburg) - Amanda Batten (R)
89th District (Parts of Chesapeake and Suffolk) - Baxter Innes (R) (retiring)
22nd District (Part of Prince William County) - Ian Lovejoy (R)
86th District (Poquoson, parts of Hampton and York County) - A.C. Cordoza (R)
Current split between Democrats (51) and Republicans (49)
54th District
Experience: Former Chair of the Albemarle County School Board and Former Deputy City Attorney for the City of Charlottesville, current Virginia House of Delegates Member
Top Issues: Affordable Housing (tenant protection, Affordable Housing Trust Fund), reproductive freedom, fixing the criminal justice system (mental health focus, addressing racism)
Katrina Callsen (Democrat)
55th District
Experience: US Peace Corps, teacher, Charlottesville City School Board, Virginia House of Delegates
Top Issues: Aiming to codify abortion, Climate Change (reduce emissions, preserve natural land), gun control (securing firearms and increasing red flag laws)
Amy Laufer (Democrat)
75th District
Experience: Former Chesterfield County School Board, as a Board leader for the Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce, currently in Virginia House of Delegates
Top Issues: Protecting victims of sexual abuse, supporting servicemembers and first responders, aiding addicted students and individuals with disabilities
Carrie Coyner (Republican)
Experience: Part of groups focused on caring for single mothers and increasing healthcare access for kids, she has had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet so she can pay for her children’s healthcare
Top Issues: Universal Pre-K, reduce barriers for special needs children, assist families with care giver costs, raise minimum wage, gun violence solutions, cap cost of prescription drugs, protect LGBTQ+ rights and abortion
Lindsey Dougherty (Democrat)
Polling Prediction
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2024 presidential election: Kamala Harris (Democrat): 52.3%, Donald Trump (Republican): 46.2%
2021 Gubernatorial: The district voted for Republican Glenn Youngkin over Democrat Terry McAuliffe by an 8-point margin.
2023 House of Delegates: Republican Carrie Coyner won reelection in the district.
71th District
Experience: Former Legislative Aide, currently in Virginia House of Delegates and is Caucus Chair for the House Republicans
Top Issues: Improve safety on College Campuses, expand access to mental health care, provide aid to the families of victims of violent crimes
Amanda Batton (Republican)
Experience: Insurance and billing industry, receptionist at elementary school
Top Issues: Affordable housing, reproductive rights, gun control (sensible storage laws, background checks), family care (affordable medical and child care)
Jessica Anderson (Democrat)
Polling Prediction
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Presidential election: In 2024, the district voted for Democrat Kamala Harris by a 51.5% to 46.8% margin.
Gubernatorial election: In the 2021 election, Republican Glenn Youngkin won the district by about 8 points.
Congressional election: In the 2024 U.S. House of Representatives race, the district voted Republican
89th District
Experience: Retired Special Agent and Executive with ICE Homeland Security, Chair of Virginia Human trafficking Commission, member of the Chesapeake School Board and School Safety Task Force
Top Issues: Ensure parents have a voice in children's education, protect classrooms from political agendas, and expand mental health resources for students, eliminating grocery and car taxes, stand with law enforcement and ensure Virginia remains tough on violent crime, oppose efforts in Richmond to force data centers and solar farms into our communities
Mike Limonea (Republican)
Experience: Virginia native, works as a lawyer, leads two Girl Scout troops, serves as the president of the dance moms, and has held various leadership roles in the Ruritan Club
Top Issues: Raising minimum wage, affordable housing initiatives, access to quality healthcare, common sense gun laws, fully funding education system
Karen Carnegie (Democrat)
Polling Prediction
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Presidential election: Kamala Harris (D): 50.1%, Donald Trump (R): 47.2%
This outcome contrasts with the district's vote in the 2016 presidential election, when voters there favored Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton.
In the 2021 gubernatorial election, Republican Glenn Youngkin won the district by more than 7 percentage points.
However, in the 2024 U.S. Senate race, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine performed even better than Harris in the district, winning by over 5 point
22th District
Experience: Manassas City Council (elected at 29), Chairman of the Manassas City Economic Development Committee, current member of the Virginia House of Delegates
Top Issues: Cost of living (lower taxes, eliminate red tape for small businesses), remove gangs, supports smart infrastructure growth
Ian Lovejoy (Republican)
Experience: City of Alexandria’s Dept. of Adult Services manager, public administrator, and the first Latina immigrant to serve in the General Assembly (31st district for 6 years)
Top Issues: Increase minimum wage, anonymous reporting hotline for students, reproductive freedom, marriage equality, increase funding for rural schools and hospitals, red flag laws for guns
Elizabeth Guzman (Democrat)
Polling Prediction
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In 2024, Harris beat trump 49% to 47.9%, and Caine carried the district by a little over 2 points. Guzman, who unseated a longtime Republican in 2017, ran unsuccessfully for senate in 2022.
86th District
Experience: Served in the US Air Force, Vice Chairman of the Hampton Republican Party, currently serving in the Virginia House of Delegates
Top Issues: Healthcare (preexisting conditions are protected), supports the second amendment, oyster restoration in the Chesapeake, opposes tax hikes
AC Cordoza (Republican)
Experience: Lifelong Virginian, electrical nuclear test technician on submarines, certified foster parent, works with at risk boys and mothers
Top Issues: Adequately funding schools, affordable, quality healthcare, fuel economic growth, empower entrepreneurs, and create living-wage jobs, supports reproductive rights
Virgil Gene Thornton (Democrat)
Polling Prediction
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Although the district typically leans Republican, in 2024, Harris eked out a victory over Trump by 1.1 points, and Caine took it by less than 3 points over Cao.
