Virginia Beach, District 2
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Election Day is Tuesday, November 4th
The Virginia Progressive Voters Guide compiles the information that allows you to make informed decisions about the races on your ballot, based on your values. Please share this guide with your friends and family.
Federal
The Opposition
The Republican nominee for Governor, Winsome Earle-Sears is all about slashing taxes for big corporations while telling unemployed workers that losing a job is “no big deal.” She grandstands against critical race theory and “woke” classrooms to score culture-war points instead of tackling real education challenges. By waving her Marine Corps credentials, she sells herself as the ultimate tough-on-crime candidate, conveniently ignoring how lax gun laws endanger communities. Her true believers are MAGA zealots who think banning books, rolling back reproductive freedoms, and erasing civil liberties are more important than looking out for working families.Recommendation
Due to her advocacy for abortion access, gun violence prevention, and clean energy, Abigail Spanberger is the progressive candidate in this race.The Opposition
The Republican nominee for Lt. Governor, John Reid is a self-styled small-government crusader who’ll happily cut taxes for wealthy donors while pretending he’s doing the same for working Virginians. He rails against “woke” curriculum and critical race theory, because apparently teaching actual American history is more offensive to him than runaway inequality. He touts law-and-order credentials and celebrity as a conservative radio host, hawking gun rights like they’re the ultimate public-safety strategy. He even plans to torpedo constitutional protections for same-sex marriage, proving that an openly gay candidate will stab his own community in the back for party unity, the perfect pick for culture-war diehards who prefer corporate giveaways to real solutions for working families.Recommendation
Due to her advocacy for public education, abortion access, and environmental justice, Ghazala Hashmi is the progressive candidate in this race.The Opposition
Incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares cozies up to ICE, shaming local authorities who don’t cooperate with Trump’s policies of mass deportation, because terrorizing immigrant families is apparently his idea of due process. He grandstands on opioid crackdowns but turns a blind eye to corporate-friendly loopholes that keep the drug pipeline flowing. He bills himself as a federalism champion when suing Washington over environmental rules, conveniently ignoring states’ rights whenever big donors flash a check. His true believers are tough-on-crime zealots who think more ICE raids, harsher sentencing, and tax cuts for the wealthy are the pinnacle of compassionate governance.Recommendation
Due to his advocacy for abortion access, gun violence prevention, and Medicaid coverage, Jay Jones is the progressive candidate in this race.House District 098
Virginia's House District 98 is located entirely within the City of Virginia Beach's Southeast coastal region. In the 2024 election it remained Republican by double-digit margins.
Cheryl Smith will support HJ 1, which would enshrine reproductive rights in the Virginia Constitution and HJ 9, which would repeal the Commonwealth’s defunct same-sex marriage ban and guarantee marriage equality for LGBTQ+ Virginians.
Cheryl Smith was a teacher for 38 years. She believes that public funds must stay in public schools. She advocates for funding to provide free breakfasts and lunches for any student in need of assistance. She wants Virginia legislators to step up to ensure at-risk students have every opportunity to succeed.
Smith acknowledges that many Virginians struggle to find decent, affordable housing and that wages haven’t kept up with the cost of living increases. She wants to make it easier and cheaper to apply to rent an apartment. She advocates for securing SNAP benefits and keeping local food banks funded.
Smith wants to guarantee quality health care for pregnant people. Additionally, she wants to protect doctors and healthcare workers from prosecution or losing their jobs for providing care.
Smith pledges to “always vote to support legislation that helps improve the lives of our veterans and our military families.”
The Opposition
Incumbent Republican Barry Knight was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2009. He is a lifelong agricultural entrepreneur and has served on several boards related to agriculture and pork production, such as Tidewater Pork Producers, Virginia Pork Board, and Virginia Beach Farm Bureau. He holds an honorary Doctorate from Old Dominion University. He and his wife live in Pungo and have three sons and four grandchildren.Delegate Knight voted against Constitutional Amendments to enshrine abortion rights, restore voting rights to returning citizens, and enshrine equal marriage rights in Virginia’s Constitution.
- Voted against raising teacher pay to the national average
- Voted for a “forced outing” bill targeting transgender students
- Voted against increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027
- Did not vote on a bill establishing paid family and medical leave
- Did not vote on a bill to repeal prohibitions on collective bargaining for public employees
- Voted against establishing a regulated and taxed Virginia cannabis industry
- Voted against prohibiting landlords from requiring tenants to cover extra fees
- Voted to establish frameworks for preserving local housing
- Voted against establishing the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act
- Voted against establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board
- Did not vote on a bill establishing the right to access and use FDA-approved birth control
- Did not vote on a bill requiring insurance providers to cover birth control
- Voted against a bill that would require secure storage of guns in households where children live
- Did not vote on a bill establishing regulations for “high-risk” AI
- Did not vote on a bill establishing Ranked Choice Voting for certain local elections
Recommendation
Based on her advocacy for quality public education, protecting abortion access and providers, and affordable housing, Cheryl Smith is the progressive candidate in this race. It is also worth noting that Delegate Knight did not vote on several key bills.City of Virginia Beach
Republican incumbent Leigh Henderson. Henderson has served as Virginia Beach’s Treasurer since 2019. She was the first woman elected to the position. Henderson holds a B.S. in Accounting and a B.S. in Finance from Old Dominion University. She and her husband have four children.
Under her leadership, funding cuts were made to various programs and services. She supports tax cuts for the wealthy few implemented by the Trump Administration.
Recommendation
Republican incumbent Leigh Henderson is running unopposed. There is no progressive candidate in this race. We encourage you to write-in a candidate of your choice, and remember to vote in every race on your ballot.
Republican incumbent Leigh Henderson. Henderson has served as Virginia Beach’s Treasurer since 2019. She was the first woman elected to the position. Henderson holds a B.S. in Accounting and a B.S. in Finance from Old Dominion University. She and her husband have four children.
Under her leadership, funding cuts were made to various programs and services. She supports tax cuts for the wealthy few implemented by the Trump Administration.
Recommendation
Republican incumbent Leigh Henderson is running unopposed. There is no progressive candidate in this race. We encourage you to write-in a candidate of your choice, and remember to vote in every race on your ballot.
Democrat Suzanne Seidel Richmond is a lifelong Virginian. She has 18 years of experience as an attorney and has served as a trial prosecutor, a public defender, and an appellate attorney for the Commonwealth. She is a single mom and mother of three boys.
She has urged voters to vote yes on a referendum to preserve Virginia Beach’s 10-1 voting system, noting that going back to at-large voting has been found to be unconstitutional. She advocates for the city to invest in its citizens over “lining the pockets of developers.”
Richmond supports commonsense gun laws and wants to establish a Veterans Treatment Docket. These dockets would help facilitate accountability, treatment, and reintegration while addressing PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and substance use.
Democrat Suzanne Seidel Richmond is challenging Incumbent Colin Stolle. Incumbent Republican Colin Stolle was first elected to the seat in 2013. Governor Youngkin appointed him to the Virginia State Crime Commission in 2024. During his time as Commonwealth’s Attorney, an autistic black man, who suffered brain injuries as a child, was sentenced to 50 years in jail for a non-fatal car accident. In response to a pardon request, Stolle wrote a five-page letter to then-Governor Ralph Northam to aid in keeping the man incarcerated.
Due to her commitment to gun violence prevention and advocacy for fair representation under Virginia Beach’s 10-1 voting system, Suzanne Seidel Richmond is the progressive choice in this race.
Portions of this recommendation have appeared in earlier versions of the Progressive Voters Guide.
Democrat Suzanne Seidel Richmond is a lifelong Virginian. She has 18 years of experience as an attorney and has served as a trial prosecutor, a public defender, and an appellate attorney for the Commonwealth. She is a single mom and mother of three boys.
She has urged voters to vote yes on a referendum to preserve Virginia Beach’s 10-1 voting system, noting that going back to at-large voting has been found to be unconstitutional. She advocates for the city to invest in its citizens over “lining the pockets of developers.”
Richmond supports commonsense gun laws and wants to establish a Veterans Treatment Docket. These dockets would help facilitate accountability, treatment, and reintegration while addressing PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and substance use.
Democrat Suzanne Seidel Richmond is challenging Incumbent Colin Stolle. Incumbent Republican Colin Stolle was first elected to the seat in 2013. Governor Youngkin appointed him to the Virginia State Crime Commission in 2024. During his time as Commonwealth’s Attorney, an autistic black man, who suffered brain injuries as a child, was sentenced to 50 years in jail for a non-fatal car accident. In response to a pardon request, Stolle wrote a five-page letter to then-Governor Ralph Northam to aid in keeping the man incarcerated.
Due to her commitment to gun violence prevention and advocacy for fair representation under Virginia Beach’s 10-1 voting system, Suzanne Seidel Richmond is the progressive choice in this race.
Portions of this recommendation have appeared in earlier versions of the Progressive Voters Guide.