Welcome to the eigth edition of the 2023 Flip and Defend-A-District Series.
Last week billionaire Republican megadonor Thomas Peterffy sent another $1 million to Governor Youngkin’s PAC, which immediately ended up in the hands of Virginia’s GOP. Youngkin continues to raise historic amounts of money for Virginia’s GOP, almost exclusively from out-of-state donors. We cannot let Youngkin buy his agenda into Virginia’s legislature. We must continue to fight for our values and raise money for Democratic candidates, like the ones listed below, to ensure our Commonwealth will not be run by backward-looking politicians.
The candidates Project Blue Dominion features in our Flip and Defend-A-District series are the Democrats—incumbents and challengers—who Virginians need to elect to gain the majority in the House of Delegates. The stakes are high and the power to elect Democrats lies in your hands. It is the time, donations, and activism of Virginia voters that will determine our future. I hope you will join us in seizing this historic opportunity.
House District 52
Meet the candidate: Jennifer Woofter
For almost two decades, Jennifer has run her own business, helping organizations save money and increase profitability through better management of environmental and social risk. She has personally worked with more than 200 businesses in the United States and around the world to reduce carbon emissions, eliminate abusive labor conditions in the supply chain, and partner with communities to create vibrant local economies.
She began her career and political experience as a staffer for the US Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, where she worked on bipartisan issues of fraud, waste, and abuse in government agencies, civil service reform, and regulations oversight.
Actively involved in the local community, Jennifer sits on the Lynchburg City School’s Equity Task Force and the University of Lynchburg’s Bias Education Response Team (BERT). She has served on the Boards of the League of Women Voters of Lynchburg, the James River Arts Council, and ROSEL's List, a nonprofit dedicated to identifying, mentoring, and electing women to positions of leadership in Central Virginia.
Jennifer is a tireless advocate for Virginia families, first as a foster parent and now as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer in the foster care system. She lives in Lynchburg with her husband and their three children.
As a sustainability consultant, Jennifer finds win-win solutions that drive economic growth and protect local communities. As a Delegate, she'll work to make Virginia a place that’s great for families and safe for our kids.
About House District 52:
HD-52 is a newly drawn district that (finally!) reverses the previous racial gerrymandering that diluted our political power. The new district puts the City of Lynchburg back into a single district, plus a small slice of neighboring Campbell County. While a "lean red" district, Tim Kaine won in the 2018 Senate race, and recent disappointment over the MAGA Republican takeover of City Council has Democrats fired up like never before.
Why winning is critical:
A Democratic victory in Lynchburg plants another seed in deep-red rural Virginia, expanding our influence beyond the Urban Crescent and creating momentum to win all across the Commonwealth. And it gets us one step closer to flipping the House of Delegates blue!
Who Jennifer is up against:
The current incumbent is Wendell Walker, who was first elected in 2019 after long being involved in the Lynchburg Republican City Committee. You might know him as the guy who accidentally voted *for* the Equal Rights Amendment (and had to have them fix the vote tally afterwards) and who had to kill his own bill to remove a Democratic segregationist statue. Or maybe you know him from his bill (HB1387) to harass trans kids who want to play school sports or his bill (HB1395) that tried to define life as "beginning at conception" and revoking any provisions that allow for ANY abortions in Virginia (or HB2278, which attempts to ban abortions after 15 weeks). Still not ringing a bell? What about his series of gun bills (HB1395/HB1801, HB1427, HB1428, and HB1570 ) that attempted to remove the required permits for persons who carry a concealed handgun, revoke local authorities' right to prohibit the possession or carrying of guns in public places (like community centers and highway rest stops), and allow people to carry loaded semi-automatic rifles in public places. He's also tried to limit absentee voting (HB1499), create workarounds for school vouchers (HB1508), cut in half the number of days to appeal an unemployment claim rejection (HB1639), and enable delays for the transition to renewable energy (HB2130). And if that's not enough, he doesn't care about efforts to whitewash history in the classroom, but he wants Virginia SOLs to include teaching about the "dangers and victims of communism" (HB1816).
Contact the campaign: Here
Contribute: Here
House District 26
Meet the candidate: Kannan Srinivasan
Kannan is a Senior Finance and Analytics professional with more than 30 years of experience in building and growing successful companies that have created thousands of jobs. During the midst of the pandemic, he provided committed financial leadership for Jose Andres Restaurants Group. Kannan currently serves as Chair of the Virginia Medicaid Board– appointed by Governor McAuliffe and Governor Northam. Kannan is also on the Board of the GW Heart & Vascular Institute and Loudoun Free Clinic. In addition, he and his wife Jay support 8 free clinics in VA. He also served as a Commissioner on the Loudoun Economic Development Advisory Board. Kannan will bring his business expertise and experience to:
1. Pass common-sense gun safety laws
2. Defend safe and legal abortion care
3. Invest in public education
4. Expand affordable healthcare access
5. Improve infrastructure and lower tolls
Kannan's parents were school teachers who instilled a very strong sense of public service. Kannan is a grassroots volunteer, community leader, and a long-time Democratic activist in Loudoun.
Who Kannan is up against:
His Republican opponent is a threat to abortion rights, LGBTQ rights and public education. Loudoun deserves to elect Kannan as he will always fight for women’s reproductive freedom, gun safety laws, affordable healthcare, and the progress for all Virginians.
Contact the campaign: Here
Contribute: Here
House District 13
Meet the candidate: Marcus Simon
Marcus Simon is a lifelong resident of Fairfax County, where he currently resides with his wife Rachel, and two children, Emily and Zachary. Early in his public service career, Marcus served as an officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, earning the rank of Army Captain and serving as a prosecutor and also as a part time Special Assistant United States Attorney. He is a co-founder of the Law Firm of Leggett, Simon, Freemyers & Lyon and EKKO Title, a real estate settlement, title, and escrow company.
First elected to the House of Delegates in 2013, Marcus currently serves on the following four House Committees: Courts of Justice, Finance, Public Safety, and Communications, Technology & Innovation. He also serves as the Deputy Floor Leader of the House Democratic Caucus. He's proud of his work in expanding voting rights, protecting our communities with common sense gun violence prevention initiatives, addressing the student loan debt crisis, and prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The new 13th House District, which encompasses the majority of his former district, includes the entire City of Falls Church and parts of Fairfax County.
Who Marcus is up against:
David Crance is a military veteran who now works in the hospitality industry. He is running as a Libertarian and strongly supports a limited government in all forms regardless of the issue. A political newcomer without any experience in policy making, David's social media reflects his conservative leanings and raises concerns about his ability to effectively represent community interests.
Contact the campaign: Here
Contribute: Here
House District 99
Meet the candidate: Cat Porterfield
Cat Porterfield is a wife, mother, Realtor, and award-winning journalist with a background in print journalism, specifically military and local news coverage on government bodies and education. She has a Chief of Naval Information Award from the Department of the Navy and a Thomas Jefferson Award from the Department of Defense, both for her news reporting.
She has been married for almost 20 years to a U.S. Navy veteran and son of a Navy Commander who grew up in Virginia Beach. She is the daughter of a disabled US Marine and Korean War Vet, one of the “Chosin Few,” having survived the battle that ultimately took 17,833 American service members' lives. He died of a service-related injury when she was 19. As a military spouse, she understands the sacrifices and needs of our service members and what the military community brings to her district and our Commonwealth.
In this newly created 99th House of Delegates District, Cat will work to maintain and grow the excellence of our public school system, support affordable housing initiatives, address the disparity in the availability and affordability of healthcare, protect the delicate coastal environment, and work to create a Commonwealth poised for the future.
When elected as delegate, Cat will use the seat to keep citizens informed and engaged. As an everyday Virginian and community watchdog, she will likely never have the need to abstain or state a conflict, making her a powerful voice for her constituents.
Cat resides in the North End of Virginia Beach with her husband, 17-year-old son, a Shitzu, and a Puggle. She has two grown daughters, a grandson, and a granddaughter who have all called the 99th District home.
About House District 99:
The newly drawn HD-99 is located in southeast Virginia, representing a portion of Virginia Beach, and covers our ocean resort, Chesapeake Bay shoreline, and a majority of the southeastern portion of the city. The Republican incumbent from the previous 82nd District is running to keep her seat in the new 99.
What is at stake:
Cat Porterfield’s incumbent opponent is on board with Governor Youngkin’s extreme agenda to ban abortion, dismantle public education, and kill green energy and environmental protections. It is essential to the future of Virginia that Democrats gain control of the House of Delegates again. As part of a powerful Virginia political family and a Youngkin insider, her opponent is a formidable fund raiser. But Cat is a formidable candidate and leader. Your support is essential to help her protect reproductive rights, public schools, voting rights, and the environment. Consider contributing to her campaign.
Who Cat is up against:
Cat's opponent, Anne Ferrell-Tata is a far-right Christian extremist who believes she is in a battle of good against evil because God “told her to run” for this seat. In a recent interview, she said Virginia Beach’s iconic King Neptune Statue is an "evil idol of a foreign god." We must reject this minority extremism in a democracy.
Contact the campaign: Here
Contribute: Here or make checks out to Friends of Cat Porterfield for 99, 219 B 57th St., Virginia Beach, VA, 23451.
House District 2
Meet the candidate: Adele McClure
Adele McClure is the daughter of a resilient early childhood educator and the daughter of a Filipino immigrant who served in the U.S. Army. She is an advocate for justice, an LGBTQIA+ activist, and a long-time Arlington community leader and civic volunteer. Adele’s lived experiences combined with her policy expertise and experience in the state legislative and executive branches make Adele ready to hit the ground running on the first day. She would serve as both the first Black person and the first Asian person to represent Arlington County in the Virginia General Assembly. Adele McClure is running to represent the needs of the people in Arlington and build upon the progress that we’ve made together.
About House District 2:
Adele is running for an open seat in Arlington's newly drawn House District 2 along the metro corridor. The district encompasses Ballston & Virginia Square (part), Clarendon, Courthouse, Rosslyn, Pentagon City, and Crystal City (and surrounding neighborhoods).
Contact the campaign: Here
Contribute: Here
That’s it for Volume VIII 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 take back the majority is on.