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Congress

Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below congressional districts on your ballot.

  • Virginia’s 5th congressional district is the largest in the Commonwealth. It contains parts of Albemarle County, Bedford County, and Hanover County, as well as all of Lynchburg, Pittsylvania County, Campbell County, Charlottesville, Danville, Louisa County, Halifax County, Amherst County, Mecklenburg County, Powhatan County, Fluvanna County, Goochland County, Prince Edward County, Buckingham County, Nottoway County, Appomattox County, Nelson County, Amelia County, Lunenburg County, Charlotte County, and Cumberland County. The district has been reliably Republican outside of the 2008 election. Incumbent Bob Good (R), won the district in 2020 with just over 52% of the vote. 

    This election will be held on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Bob Good (R), who has held the District 5 seat since 2021, will face John Throneburg (D), an ordained minister.

    Josh Throneburg (D), is an ordained minister and small business owner based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Together with his wife, they own Nooks & Crannies, an eco-friendly cleaning buisness. Prior to moving to Charlottesville, he was a minister in Massachusetts. He mentions his role as a father as a driving force behind his desire to serve. Throneburg comes from a farming family and grew up in a small town in Illinois. Dismantling systemic racism, investing in rural areas, and climate change are among his top priorities.

    If elected, Throneburg hopes to join the House Committee on Natural Resources. To address climate change, he believes individuals and corporations can be incentivized to switch to renewable energy sources. He also sees this as a way to create jobs and uplift rural communities. He includes salary matches, housing assistance, affordable healthcare, pension support, and priority job placement as part of a just transition for fossil fuel workers. Throneburg is in favor of placing taxes or fines on the country’s largest carbon emitters as a response to the economic costs associated with climate change.

    Throneburg supports abortion access and believes protections should be enshrined in federal law to prevent states from interfering with safe and accessible abortion care. He also supports policy that expands resources for families, like paid family and medical leave and Medicaid expansion to cover pregnant people through pregnancy and the first year postpartum, as well as federal adoption subsidies. He supports sustainable funding streams for community-based organizations, noting their positive affects on the maternal mortality rate for people of color. He believes private insurance companies should cover the full range of contraceptive methods at no cost to patients.

    As the father of one Black daughter and one biracial daughter, Throneburg emphasizes his commitment to racial justice and equity. One way he aims to address this is through housing justice. He favors zero- or low-interest loans for homebuyers of color to counter effects of redlining. Additionally, he calls for investing in HBCUs through direct granting programs, extending Pell Grants to HBCU students, and free community college for everyone. He also sees racial justice as a need for criminal justice reform. He wants to studythe federal decriminalization of marijuana and would push for accountability and transparency in law enforcement.

    Throneburg advocates for LGBTQ+ protections and supports the passage of the Equality Act, which would guarantee equal protection in employment, housing, credit, and education among other areas. It would also prohibit discrimination in public spaces. He also supports passing the Safe Schools Improvement Act, which deals with bullying and harassment. He wants to prohibit child welfare agencies that receive federal funds from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. He opposes use of the “gay/trans panic” as a defense in trial. He pushes collecting data to research economic well-being of LGBTQ+ Americans.

    Throneburg is facing incumbent Bob Good (R), a former fundraiser for Liberty University and Campbell County Supervisor. Good opposes transgender bathroom policies and sanctuary cities. He was criticized for racist comments made regarding Afghan refugees. He considers himself, “unashamedly 100% pro-life,” and introduced legislation to recognize National Pregnancy Center Week. He also believes that classrooms should have cameras.

    Due to his commitment to racial and environmental justice, support for abortion access, and his stance on LGBTQ+ rights, Josh Throneburg is the more progressive candidate in this race.

  • Endorsed By: SEIU
  • The 9th district is the second-largest congressional district in the Commonwealth and covers much of the southwestern part of Virginia. It includes the counties of Franklin, Washington, Montgomery, Henry, Tazewell, Wise, Smyth, Pulaski, Carroll, Wythe, Russell, Lee, Scott, Buchanan, Patrick, Giles, Grayson, Floyd, Dickenson, Bland, and Craig, as well as the cities of Radford, Bristol, Martinsville, Galax, and Norton, and parts of Bedford County and Roanoke County. The 9th district has been reliably Republican for over twenty years. Incumbent Morgan Griffith ran unopposed in the 2020 election.

    This election will be held on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Morgan Griffith (R), an attorney from Salem, has held the District 9 seat since 2011 and is running against Taysha DeVaughan (D) who is the president of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and a Virginia Council on Environmental Justice gubernatorial appointee.

    Taysha DeVaughan (D), is a resident of Wise County and a 2018 graduate of University of Virginia-Wise. She started her career as an organizer and is an active member of her community. DeVaughan is a former president of Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and chairs the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice as a governor’s appointee. She is a coordinator for Appalachian Community Fund. She has signed the American Promise Pledge to advance the For Our Freedom Amendment, which seeks to take big money out of elections.

    As chair of the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice, DeVaughan believes that environmental development must coincide with economic development. She views protecting the environment while strengthening the economy as a way to create sustainable jobs. She sees new businesses and retraining of the workforce as key elements to a just transition. DeVaughan supports the Environmental Justice 4 All Act. She also recognizes the challenges of Native American communities and how environmental issues impact their well-being. DeVaughan has also worked to bring attention to flooding issues, even assisting in mutual aid efforts.

    DeVaughan believes everyone should have access to quality affordable healthcare. She maintains that access to quality affordable healthcare creates healthy and sustainable communities. Issues she recognizes include provider shortages, infrastructure limitations, and long distances to access care. To combat those issues, she supports services such as telehealth, healthcare workforce programs, and clinics that expand overall access. She believes more can be done in federal investments to support long-term sustainability of hospitals, recovery, and mental health facilities.

    DeVaughan understands the need for economic justice and supports workers rights, as well as programs that make everyday life more affordable. She has voiced her support for unions, celebrated the first unionized Starbucks in Appalachia, and praised young workers for organizing and winning their vote to unionize. She supports the Inflation Reduction Act, which puts a cap on insulin for Medicare recipients and places a 15% minimum tax on the largest US corporations. She also looks at funding allowing the IRS to hire 87,000 employees by 2031, as a way for taxpayers to receive their return more quickly.

    DeVaughan opposed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and believes that everyone should be able to make healthcare decisions for themselves. She notes the impact the overturning will have on marginalized communities who already have issues accessing quality healthcare. She participated in events that supported abortion access. DeVaughan has also assisted in fundraising for abortion funds. She believes abortion is healthcare and praises abortion funds and organizations that help increase access by assisting with resources for travel, housing, and procedure expenses.

    DeVaughan is facing incumbent Congressman Morgan Griffith (R). Griffith voted against the Inflation Reduction Act. He believes there is a crisis at the border and wants to crack down on illegal immigration. He wants to revitalize coal communities by increasing coal production. He believes the Environmental Protection Agency is an overreaching agency.

    Due to her commitment to environmental justice, her support for abortion access and affordable quality healthcare, and workers rights, Taysha DeVaughan is the more progressive candidate in the race for Virginia’s 9th Congressional District.

  • Endorsed By: SEIU