Tuesday, Nov. 4 is the official election date for Virginia’s state legislators. With the campaign trail coming to its end, it is important that voters have an understanding of who will be on their ballot, what they stand for, and ultimately, whether or not they will fill in the box next to their name. See what is on the ballot for voters in Virginia’s 73rd district.
The two candidates for Virginia governor are Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, and Democrat Abigail Spanberger.
Winsome Earle-Sears: R
-Incumbent Lieutenant Governor
-Former Vice President of the Virginia State Board of Education
-Supports abortion 15-week ban
-Opposed to same-sex marriage
-Policy on crime is to “protect innocent Virginians, prosecute criminals.”
-Employees fired in DOGE layoffs should look for private sector jobs
-Support of public funding in private and charter schools
-Support limiting education about racism
-Support of looser gun control
-Supports funding for mental health initiatives
-Supports local cooperation with ICE
-Support of President Trump’s Tariffs
In office
-Backed House Bill 1508, which diverts a portion of tax dollars into a savings account in which parents can use to pay for private education
-Voted against the Right to Contraception Act
Abigail Spanberger: D
-Former Representative for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District from Jan 3 2019 to 2025
-Former CIA Case Officer
-Support of female reproductive rights
-Supports investment in clean energy
-Supports expansion of LGBTQ+ rights
-Supports increase in officer pay and funding for community policing
-Opposes DOGE layoffs and negative affect on VA economy
-Opposed to using public funding in private schools
-Opposes limiting education on racism
-Stricter “commonsense” gun safety laws
-Supports Medicaid and improvement of rural access to healthcare
-Supports raising the minimum wage
-Opposes President Trump’s Tariffs
In congress
-Supports House Bill 1928, which will cause the raise of minimum wage annually until it reaches 15 dollars
-Proposed using the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to match laid of federal workers jobs with new ones based on skills
-Supported many bills attempting to ban the federal death penalty, such as House Representative 97, House Representative 1124, and Senate 2299
-Supported House Representative Bill 5, which would provide federal anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity in areas of housing, employment, and public accommodations
-Co-sponsored Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2019
-Sponsored bill to expand Medicaid eligibility
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The two candidates for Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor are Republican John Reid and Democrat Ghazala Hashmi.
John Reid: R
-Former broadcast host
-Hopes to eliminate certain taxes, including the car tax, and cutting down on government spending
-Supports preserving Virginia’s historical monuments and heritage
-Opposes abortion
-Opposes raising minimum wage
-Opposes the amendment to repeal VA ban on same-sex marriage
-Strongly defends religious liberty
-Opposed to new restrictions on gun ownership
-Supports stricter enforcement of immigration laws
-Supports “qualified immunities”
-Supports Trump’s tariffs
-Supports deploying the Virginia National Guard in Washington, D.C.
-Supports the use of public funding for private and charter schools
-Supports limiting education about racism and gender identity
-Opposes the tightening of gun regulation
Ghazala Hashmi: D
–Senator in Virginia General Assembly
-Support of raising minimum wage
-Promises to protect abortion access and contraception rights
-Supports expanding access to affordable healthcare, lowering prescription costs, and addressing mental health needs statewide
-Opposes cuts to Medicaid
-Strongly supports defending LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights
-Opposes Trump’s tariffs
-Wants to strengthen economy through creating jobs by investing in workforce development
-Supports fully funding kindergarten through 12th grade schools, hiring more counselors, and ensuring equitable education regardless of ZIP code
-Hopes to expand community college programs and workforce training for developing industries like technology and clean energy
-Supports education about racism and gender identity
-Supports tightening gun regulation
In the Virginia General assembly
-Supported Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
-Sponsored the Virginia Clean Economy Act
– Voted in favor of creating a state-wide code of conduct for police officers
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The two candidates for Virginia Attorney General are Republican Jason Miyares and Democrat Jay Jones.
Jason Miyares: R
-Incumbent Attorney General
-Former Criminal Prosecutor
-Supported use of troops for ICE
-Supported overturn of Roe vs. Wade
-Developed “Ceasefire virginia” in response to violent crime
-In defense of gun rights
-Supports limiting LGBTQ+ rights
In the Virginia General Assembly
-Voted against school gun free zones and assault weapons ban
-Voted in support of 15-week abortion ban
-Voted against expanding Medicaid
-Introduced bill to establish Medicaid work requirements
-Voted against repealing the VA same-sex marriage ban
-Voted against raising the minimum wage
-Voted against Virginia Clean Economy Act
Jay Jones: D
-Former Assistant Attorney General
-Former member of the House of Delegates
-Supports Women’s reproductive rights
-Supports addressing climate change
-Wants to expand network of Attorney General offices,
-Wants to invest in community services such as a dedicated child safety unit and drug trafficking unit
-Wants to tighten gun regulation and target illegal guns
-Supports Medicaid
-Supports expanding LGBTQ+ rights
In the Virginia General Assembly
-Voted in favor of Virginia Clean Economy Act
-Voted to repeal the death penalty
-Voted to prohibit “no-knock” search warrants
-Voted to prohibit based profiling
-Voted to repeal “qualified immunities”
-Voted against expanding financial aid to students regardless of immigration status
-Voted to repeal VA same-sex marriage ban
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The two candidates for the Virginia House of Delegates in District 73 are Republican Mark Earley Jr. and Democrat Leslie Mehta.
Mark Earley: R
-Incumbent Delegate for the House of Delegates
-Opposed to abortion
-Support of tightening immigration and local cooperation with ICE
-Opposed to LGBTQ+ rights
-Supports placing School Resource Officers in Virginia schools
-Supports minimizing tax burden on Virginians
-Supports prioritization of mental health and addiction in Virginia
-Supports fighting the fentanyl crisis
In the House of Delegates
-Voted against bill to establish right to contraceptives
-Voted against constitutional protection of reproductive freedom
-Sponsored Bill 2389, which would prohibit sanctuary policies
-Sponsored Bill 1809, which prohibits trans students from participating in sports outside of their biological sex
Leslie Mehta: D
–Former Legal Director of the ACLU of Virginia
-interim CEO of the International Rett Syndrome Foundation
-Supports workers rights and fair pay through increasing wages
-Supports Tax reforms that would lessen burden on the working class
-Supports female reproductive rights
-Supports expansion of affordable healthcare
-Supports creating affordable housing
-Supports prioritizating funding public schools
-Supports higher education in Virginia becoming more affordable
For more information on previous legislative votes
