UPDATE 3:21 pm – And the winner is…Eileen Filler-Corn. See VA House Dems press release, below.
Delegate Filler-Corn Elected House Democratic Leader
Delegate Filler-Corn to lead efforts to pass meaningful legislation and win Democratic majority in 2019
(Richmond) – The House Democratic Caucus is pleased to announce that Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn will serve as Leader for the 2019 General Assembly session and state legislative elections. The Caucus held the election on Saturday, after Leader David Toscano announced recently that he will resign from leadership as of December 31, 2018. In a show of unity, the Caucus voted to elect the new Leader by acclamation.
Delegate Filler-Corn has represented the 41st District since 2010. Upon being elected Leader, she said, “It is an incredible honor to serve as Leader of the House Democratic Caucus, and I want to thank my colleagues for their faith in me, as well as Delegate Toscano for his years of service as Leader. I know firsthand the value of strong Democratic leadership and constituent service. I served in the House throughout our entire struggle to pass Medicaid expansion, and with our tremendous freshman delegation, we finally achieved it this year. What we do in the General Assembly matters to every Virginian across the Commonwealth, and I am committed to standing up for good legislation and strong Democratic candidates.”
Delegate Toscano has served as Leader since 2011, guiding House Democrats through their historic victories in 2017, in which they flipped 15 Republican seats and control of the House came down to a random drawing. Following the 2017 elections, Delegate Toscano led the Caucus in their successful push to expand Medicaid to more than 400,000 Virginians, after years of Republican opposition.
“Delegate Filler-Corn has shown tremendous leadership in her roles within the Caucus, including as Co-Chair of the Safe Virginia Initiative. I know she will work tirelessly for the Caucus, and Commonwealth, as House Democratic Leader,” said Delegate Toscano.
The House Democratic Leader serves as the public face of the Caucus, guiding policy development, legislative negotiations, and fundraising. The Leader works closely with the Caucus’s robust leadership team, representing the diversity in regions, viewpoints, and personal backgrounds across the Commonwealth.
“Under the leadership of Delegate Filler-Corn, we believe our message of inclusivity will resonate with Virginians, and voters will elect a Democratic majority to the House of Delegates,” said Executive Director Trevor Southerland.
UPDATE 3:03 pm – The third round of balloting is complete ,and it’s still Sam Rasoul in first place, followed by Eileen Filler-Corn. Charniele Herring eliminated. The fourth and final round will determine the new Virginia House Democratic Leader!
UPDATE 2:51 pm – The second round balloting is complete, and Sam Rasoul is still in first place, followed by Eileen Filler-Corn and Charniele Herring. Rip Sullivan is eliminated. On to the third round!
Virginia House Democrats are voting right now to choose their new Leader, replacing Del. David Toscano, who is stepping down as Leader at the end of December. I’ll provide updates if/when I get them. I just received first-round voting results:
- Sam Rasoul
- Eileen Filler-Corn
- Charniele Herring
- Rip Sullivan
- Marcus Simon (eliminated)
Voting now continues until someone gets a majority…
As I prepare to step down as the House Democratic Leader on December 31, and the new leader elected by the #Powerof49 gets ready for 2019, I want to thank everyone who has been part of the long and winding road of these past 7 years.
My family and my law partners have supported me not only in my role serving the wonderful 57th District, but in the very time- and energy-consuming job of caucus leader. I also could not have done this job without the countless contributions by my colleagues, past and present; I know my successor will benefit from that same support.
We Democrats have made big strides since 2011, and I can’t wait to keep traveling this road with my colleagues through the upcoming Session and the most important election of our lives in 2019. #WhenVAElectsDemsGoodThingsHappen Virginia House Democrats #BlueWaveKeepsRisingIn2019
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