From Del. Rip Sullivan’s Blue Dominion PAC:
Flip-A-District Friday: Volume XIII
Welcome to the 13th issue of our 2021 Flip (and Hold) a District Series
How can there possibly be an enthusiasm gap?
Every Democrat remembers the tied House election that was decided by drawing a name out of a bowl. Every vote matters.
Every Democrat remembers the Republican majority stifling every progressive idea we had. We cannot go back.
Every Democrat knows that the Republicans are eager to roll back everything we have accomplished in the last two years. We cannot let that happen.
We have to protect what we have won, and cannot take anything for granted.
If we show up, we win. It’s as simple as that.
Let’s support these outstanding candidates and send them to Richmond
Vote for them. Give to them. Work hard for them.
House District 78
Meet the candidate: Mel Cornelisse
As an advocate, a small business owner, a wife and mom of two, Mel recognizes that many of us are motivated by the people we care about and work to serve. For some of us, our focus is on our students, for others, our clients or patients. For most of us, it’s also our families and loved ones. As an advocate, Mel has learned to listen to those who are traumatized by having someone taken away by gun violence. Speaking in the General Assembly as a survivor herself, she has listened to opposing viewpoints while acknowledging the commonalities we all share. As a Delegate, she will listen and consider her constituents’ concerns and perspectives, and consistently fight for public health and the safety and welfare of ALL Virginia families.
None of us is an island. If we didn’t know that before Covid-19, we surely know it now. The 2020 election should be seen as a rejection of extreme political divisiveness and a new hope for real leadership and solidarity in the face of an enormous public health crisis. Our efforts going forward must include working together to mend what has been broken by years of inaction and polarization. None of us want to see more gun violence or illness or suffering. We all want health and happiness for our families and loved ones, and protections for our environment that sustains us. Mel understands that we must recognize and compensate for the sacrifices that are made, most often by women, for taking care of children and aging parents. She understands that we must address the racial and income disparities that leave some of our most vulnerable citizens without the healthcare and preventative measures we all need to be safe and well. With a little ingenuity and grit, we can do hard things when we do them together.
About HD-78: For more information please click here.
Contact the Campaign: here
Contribute: here
House District 18
Meet the candidate: Dr. Doug Ward
Doug is the Democratic candidate in the 18th District, which includes Rappahannock (his home county), most of Fauquier and little bits of Culpeper and Warren counties.
After college he joined the Peace Corps and served for three years teaching junior high school in a small village in Liberia, West Africa. That experience convinced him that he wanted to pursue a career helping others, so he decided to go to medical school. After that he did a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the NIH. Then he began a private practice in Washington DC, specializing in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. While HIV is now an easily treated condition, he was doing it through the worst years of the 80s and 90s when it truly was a plague. Although just a private practice, he has done a lot of clinical research and is nationally considered one of the thought leaders in HIV care.
Over the years Doug and his husband have progressed from weekenders to full time residents in rural Rappahannock County, and they love the country life.
Doug became involved in politics and became familiar with the record of the current delegate for the 18th district, Michael Webert. In the recent past the Democratic majority in the legislature has passed an extensive list of significant bills: Medicaid expansion (as a physician a very important one for Doug), the Virginia Clean Energy Act, voting rights, ratifying the ERA, broadband expansion, same-sex marriage, raising the minus wage, gun control, etc. Michael Webert voted against every single one of these bills. These are all issues that can improve the quality of life for residents of rural Virginia, and Doug’s opponent has done his best to obstruct all of them. Doug is in the race to protect the progress we have made, and to continue the progressive agenda.
HD-18- For more information on the district please click here.
Contact the Campaign: here
Contribute: here
House District 24
Meet the Candidate: Sam Soghor
Sam lives in Amherst and is a volunteer research assistant at the Historical Society in town. He is also a member of the Superintendent’s community advocacy committee and is working toward getting quality internet access at home for all students in the county. Sam is a dad who’s looking out not just for his family but for all families in the school district, and he is always calling the County Board of Supervisors, School Board, and other elected officials offering his help and representing his neighbors’ concerns.
There is a lot of anger on both sides of the political divide in the 24th and the nation. It’s tempting for people to shy away from the conflict and not get involved with the vitriol that comes from the extreme partisanship. But, ultimately, Sam answered the call with peace and love in his heart
Sam wants to make sure that all students and businesses in the 24th have reliable internet access in their homes and offices. Many students in the District have missed school because they were unable to attend class virtually. If elected, Sam will fight to bring broadband access to every child.
Sam believes if we’re going to improve our society, we have to do it together by finding common ground. Ronnie Campbell, however, does not believe in finding common ground. He was the only member of the House of Delegates to vote against a bill that would expand broadband to underserved areas of the Commonwealth. Sam understands that we can’t have leadership that neglects our students and workers. The 24th doesn’t have a voice in Richmond and if you send Sam, he will have a seat at the table. If Sam is your delegate, he will be there for everyone.
Why is there even a question of trusting Virginia’s election system? Is it because our current Delegate sent a letter to the Vice President of the United States asking for Virginia’s votes to be decertified? Ronnie Campbell voted against the current budget, thereby voting against an 8% raise for law enforcement and a 5% raise for teachers. Campbell is clearly the wrong person to represent the 24th district.
About HD-24- For more information on the district please click here
Contact the campaign: here
Contribute: here
House District 16
Meet Chance:
Virginia politics matter, which is why Chance Trevillian is running for Delegate in Virginia’s 16th district. He is a strong community advocate who works at a local community college and believes it is time to put rural Virginia first. He often says, “when the government is employed with people of good character who genuinely want to help others and positively improve their lives, it can be a force for good.”
Chance believes that all Virginians should have a living wage by instituting a 15 dollar minimum wage. He knows climate change is an existential threat and we need big, bold action to address it. In Richmond, he will vote to halt the production of any new pipelines and work to halt Virginia’s oil production. Chance is a progressive who supports the Green New Deal and will vote to end Right to Work.
Education is the foundation of our society, which is why Chance has an education forward platform. If elected, he will increase the budget for our district and increase pay for teachers and school staff, lead Preschool initiatives to prepare our children to start elementary school, and fight for programs to keep parents engaged in student life. Chance recognizes that COVID-19 has affected the education workforce and would support getting teachers back to work and paid above the national average. So, take a chance on Chance Trevillian.
About HD 16-For more information on the district please click here.
Contact the campaign: here
Contribute: here
That’s it for Volume XIII of our Flip-a-District Friday series. 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 defend and expand our majority is on.
Best,
CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE TO BLUE DOMINION PAC
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