See below for a powerful launch video – along with a statement and list of endorsers (including former Rep. Jennifer Wexton and former VA Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn) – from former VA Del. Wendy Gooditis, who today is announcing her candidacy for U.S. House. You may recall that Gooditis was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates – in a tough, purple district in which she unseated incumbent Del. Randy Minchew (R) by four points – in the “blue wave” (and “year of the woman”) election of 2017, representing portions of Loudoun, Clarke and Frederick counties. While in the House of Delegates, among other things Del. Gooditis:
- “introduced House Bill 569, which requires the state to issue an annual report to lawmakers about its progress and activities on suicide prevention.”
- “introduced four bills to combat child abuse. Those bills would change Virginia’s definition of child sexual abuse, maintain records of child abuse investigations for three years, make clergy of all religious denominations mandated reporters of child abuse, and penalize those who expose children to domestic violence”
- “served as Chief Co-patron of a red flag bill that would allow courts to temporarily remove guns from people who pose an immediate risk to themselves or others”
- “voted to pass Medicaid expansion in the Virginia General Assembly in March 2018, expanding health care access to 400,000 Virginians”
Gooditis was then reelected in November 2019, again over former Del. Randy Minchew (by 5 points); then again in November 2021, that time narrowly (by 2 points) over Republican Nick Clemente. Then, in March 2023, Gooditis announced that she would not be running for reelection – the reason being, frankly, that she was really screwed by redistricting, with her district becoming MUCH redder…thanks to the redistricting amendment which Gooditis had voted against, and which was a badly misguided idea all along.
So anyway, back to Gooditis’ announcement for Congress; the big question, of course, is which U.S. House district Gooditis ends up running in. In her announcement, she clearly is focused on Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA06, which includes Clarke County and the Shenandoah Valley), so that’s clearly who she is focused on replacing in Congress. To be sure about the districts, though, first Virginia House and Senate Democrats will have to pass a new redistricting amendment (that should happen in the next week or two); then that amendment has to be approved by voters (in the spring – April, probably?); and at that point (or earlier) we’ll see the new U.S. House map – whether it’s 10D-1R or 9D-2R, and what the new districts look like. For her part, Gooditis lives in Clarke County, which is between Loudoun County and Frederick County in the northwestern tip of Virginia, so one question is whether Clarke would be part of a district represented by incumbent Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10); another is whether Roanoke (where Beth Macy – running in VA06, also against Ben Cline – lives) might somehow end up in a district that includes Clarke County; or…other possibilities? See here for some sample maps that have been floating around.
Anyway, good luck to Wendy Gooditis; she’d certainly be an excellent addition to Virginia’s U.S. House delegation; the question is, will redistricting *help* her this time around, as opposed to what happened to her back in 2023?
“In her launch video, Wendy discusses her brother, Brian’s, battle with mental health and the struggle to get him the health care that was needed to save his life. When Wendy’s brother Brian died too early in life after failing to receive the health care he desperately needed, Wendy knew the system had failed him. That was the moment Wendy decided to run for office to ensure other families could be spared similar tragedies.
In her first election, Wendy flipped a Republican seat from a longtime incumbent that no one thought could be won. She went on to beat multiple self-funding Republicans to hold her seat and vote in the House of Delegates to expand Medicaid, get mandatory reporting of child abuse, and pass gun safety laws.
‘President Trump and Ben Cline have attacked our health care, our jobs, and our democracy, and they are hurting families across Virginia,’ said Wendy. ‘I feel that pain personally. I lost my brother Brian to his battle with mental health after he struggled to receive the health care he deserved. That’s why I ran for the House of Delegates seat that everyone thought was impossible to win, and that’s why my first fight was to expand access to mental health care and Medicaid for over 400,000 Virginian families and veterans.. Donald Trump and Ben Cline are attacking that progress. I’m stepping up to run for Congress because I have the personal and legislative experience to get to work reversing Trump’s Medicaid cuts, bringing back your healthcare tax credits, and defending our democracy on Day 1. For me, working to better the lives of Virginians is personal. And this is an emergency.'”
Wendy is endorsed by:
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- Former Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton
- Former Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn
- Senator Adam Ebbin
- Senator Dave Marsden
- Delegate Paul Krizek
- Vice Mayor Dany Fleming
- Supervisor Juli Briskman
- Former Delegate Ken Plum
- Former Delegate Debra Rodman
- Former Mayor David Smith
- Former Sheriff Tony Roper
About Wendy:
Wendy Gooditis is the daughter of two union members, a former public-school teacher, and a former Virginia Delegate from western Virginia. Watching her brother, Brian, die too early in life after struggling to get him proper health care was the catalyst that Wendy needed to get off the sidelines and take a more direct approach to changing the system that had failed her brother. Wendy flipped a Republican district in a Republican portion of the Commonwealth in 2017, with grassroots support and the courage to speak about how our elected officials were failing us. Wendy went on to win two more nailbiter elections, in 2019 and 2021, against self-funding candidates who spent millions of dollars to unseat her. As a Delegate, she worked to provide healthcare coverage to 400,000 Virginians and helped pass a law for the mandatory reporting of child abuse. Wendy lives in Clarke County with her husband Chris, where they have raised two children.
Also:
“I am supporting Wendy in her campaign to flip the 6th CD because I have seen her deliver for her community so many times before,” said former Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “This fight is deeply personal to her. When I worked with Wendy in the General Assembly in Richmond, she was a key voice and vote as we expanded Medicaid and secured healthcare coverage for hundreds of thousands of Virginians. Right now, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are attacking communities across our Commonwealth and trying to reverse the progress we fought so hard to achieve. This is an emergency, and I know that Wendy has what it takes to defend our democracy and continue the fight in Washington.”
“I am proud to endorse Wendy Gooditis for Congress in Virginia’s 6th District,” said Former Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn. Wendy is a proven, tested leader who has won tough races and knows how to deliver results for Virginians. She has the experience and backbone to stand up to extremism and protect our democracy when it matters most. In Congress, Wendy will fight to restore health care tax credits and expand access to affordable, quality health care for families across Virginia. She has spent her career showing up for people and never backing down from hard fights, and I am proud to support Wendy’s campaign and call her a friend.”
