The Virginia GOP is panicking about their weak candidates and unpopular policy positions. But they are pinning their hopes on the belief that we are not as energized as we were in 2017.

Let’s prove them wrong.

If we can mobilize and support candidates up and down the ballot, we will have a historic performance that  secures our majority in the General Assembly and sends a message to the world about where we stand as a Commonwealth. Be sure to consider supporting these “Potential Flip” candidates, as in a historic democratic year many of these seats can be firmly in play.

We have four more great candidates to highlight for you in this week’s Flip and Defend-a-District. I hope that you can take a moment to learn more about them and support them however you can.

At Project Blue Dominion, we are committed to uplifting every Virginia Democratic candidate with our Flip and Defend-a-District newsletter. This week, we are highlighting:

With Virginia in the national spotlight, the stakes are higher than ever—and you have the power to help elect Democrats. Every candidate highlighted in this newsletter deserves your support. As we race to election day, we need to stay energized, stay united, and seize this historic opportunity.

Delegate Joshua Cole is seeking what would be his third term in one of the most closely watched races this cycle.

He is one of the four most targeted and closest races for the House Democratic Caucus in the entire state.

In 2019, Joshua became the youngest person and the first Black person elected from the Fredericksburg region to the General Assembly.

After losing reelection in 2021 (the year Youngkin defied the odds and carried the blue-tinged district), Joshua was reelected to the General Assembly in 2023 by less than 2,000 votes. With a razor-thin House majority of one seat, nobody on our team is taking this competitive seat for granted. It is a MUST win.

Joshua knows not only what challenges people face in his district, but also understands what it means to truly serve his constituents. Born and raised in the community he represents, Joshua is a local pastor who understands the struggles of people who are raising a family or simply fighting to stay afloat.

He knows there’s more work to do, and he’s running for re-election to continue to deliver results.

While House District 65 includes all of Fredericksburg, the bulk of the population is actually in Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties.

While 2024 saw comparatively high Democratic performance in the district, Governor Youngkin won the district in 2021 and used that victory to run up his numbers statewide.

Joshua is set to take on local Marine veteran and small business owner Sean Steinway this November. While Joshua has outraised Steinway nearly 2-1, Steinway has still managed to build a sizeable war chest.

As a veteran and father watching his boys grow up in the Shenandoah Valley, Shane Boswell has seen firsthand critical challenges in his community that demand immediate attention from Richmond.

Shane grew up in Virginia, helping his family manage their small business and family farm. He enlisted in the US Navy 11 months after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and served 7 years as an Aviation Maintainer, deploying to the Southern Border and a Joint Service combat tour in Iraq.

Today, Shane’s focus is Workforce Development and Training in the Infrastructure space and is well known in the District as a long time Officer of Elections. On the campaign trail, he is focused on the kitchen table issues he sees GOP leaders ignoring: lowering the cost of living, improving rural healthcare, preserving agricultural heritage, supporting education, and most importantly, listening to all of his neighbors, not just the most powerful.

Like the rest of the statewide Democratic ticket, he has committed to rejecting Dominion influence

Located Southeast of Winchester along the West Virginia border, House District 31 has seen rising Democratic performance since 2021.

While Trump carried the district by double digits in 2024, strong environmental conditions and an equally strong candidate may well bring the seat into play this cycle.

In the November election, Shane is set to take on incumbent GOP Delegate Delores Oates. Oates was elected to the House of Delegates in 2023 after leading the charge on the Warren County Board of Supervisors to defund and shut down the award winning Samuels Library.

In that time, she has been one of the most consistent votes for GOP party bosses in Richmond, voting in lockstep with the party and laser focused on national dog-whistles rather than practical solutions..

A US Army Veteran, teacher, and Fauquier High School graduate, Jacob “Jac” Bennington is running a grassroots campaign that believes in the power of
collaboration and embracing change.

Before his military service, Jac started his career as a church Youth Director in Alexandria. In the Army, he served as a Logistics Officer in Korea and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007, where he served alongside Afghan soldiers.

Upon returning to the US, Jac secured a teaching position at Fauquier County Public Schools in and moved back to his hometown, Warrenton. Seeking additional ways to serve, he joined the Virginia National Guard in 2010, later becoming a Lakota helicopter pilot. Now, he’s running to bring proper representation to the people of Virginia’s 61st House District.

While relatively close to both Washington and Fredericksburg, House District 61 is distinctly rural.

With small towns, active churches, and historic agricultural communities, Democratic victory in the district depends on strong local connections.

Jacob is set to face GOP incumbent Michael Webert in the November election. First elected in 2011, Webert has been an impediment to growth in Central Virginia. He has been a consistent vote for GOP party leaders in Richmond, including key votes on legislation to protect marriage equality, voting access, and reproductive rights in the Commonwealth.

Atoosa Reaser’s family fled Iran during a revolution that took freedom away from many, especially women. They wanted to ensure she could grow up in a free country, where she would have equal access to education and equal opportunity in the workforce.

After graduating from George Mason University Law School, Atoosa chose a career in public service and has made it her mission to give back to the community that has given her so much. She’s called Loudon County home for over 20 years.

Atoosa was first elected to the General Assembly in 2023 and previously served on the School Board representing the Algonkian District. During her first term in the General Assembly, 15 of Atoosa’s bills were signed into law. They focused on ensuring economic opportunity, providing our children with a world-class education, and strengthening public safety.

Additionally she has been a leader on the PTA, a substitute teacher, a merit badge counselor for her son’s Scouts BSA troop, and a volunteer for LINK Against Hunger.

House District 27 runs along the Fairfax/Loudoun border from the Potomac River to Dulles Airport. It contains parts of the Algonkian, Sterling, and Dulles magisterial districts.

While the district is very blue and has come out for Democrats up and down the ballot, Delegate Reaser is putting in the work to talk with constituents, elevate their concerns, and communicate her vision for a second term.

This November, Atoosa will face GOP nominee Junaid Khan. An IT professional who has lived in Loudon for ten years, Junaid is running hard on conservative social issues. While his positions don’t align with those of Loudon voters, he has managed to raise much more money than other NoVa Republicans.

That’s it for Volume 8 of our Flip and Defend-a-District Friday series. We’ll be back next week and every week until Election Day to share more about our great candidates. In the meantime, I encourage you to review this email and future editions to find a candidate or candidates whom you would like to support with your time or financial resources.

Project Blue Dominion is committed to supporting Democratic candidates in every corner of the Commonwealth. Join us. The fight to protect and expand our House majority is on.

Best,

Rip Sullivan