Richmond County
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Election Day is Tuesday, November 7th
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. All research in this guide was conducted July through September of 2023. Please share this guide with your friends and family.
Senate District 025
Jolicia Ward is an accomplished activist, advocate, and healthcare professional. She is a former candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates in District 99. Ward is passionate about supporting working families and small and local business owners. She has a bachelor's degree in mass communication from The University of Virginia, College at Wise, and a master's degree in Entrepreneurial Management from Stratford University. She is affiliated with the Democratic Committee, the American Red Cross, and the United States Service Organization.
Ward believes that public education is the cornerstone of children's development. She is committed to providing high-quality educational opportunities for all Virginians by fully funding public education, prioritizing teacher support and fair compensation, universal access to pre-K programs and affordable childcare services, affordable and enriching after-school programs, and regular meetings and events that bring together schools, parents, and community members to discuss educational priorities, and fostering community engagement. Ward believes that education needs to aim to do more than prepare young people to contribute to and benefit from an inclusive and sustainable future.
As a healthcare professional, Ward believes that access to quality healthcare is a fundamental right and is committed to ensuring that all residents, regardless of where they live, have access to excellent healthcare. She will focus on removing barriers, strengthening healthcare infrastructure, promoting telehealth services, and making healthcare more affordable and comprehensive. Ward proposes investing in the development and improvement of healthcare infrastructure in rural areas, promoting telehealth services, increasing affordability, strengthening mental health services, and investing in the development and training of healthcare professionals.
Ward believes in the importance of personal choice when it comes to reproductive healthcare decisions. She advocates for policies that protect and uphold these personal choices, including the right to access safe and legal abortion services without unnecessary restrictions.
Ward believes that affordable and sustainable energy is essential for the well-being and economic prosperity of the community. She is committed to lowering energy costs for consumers in Virginia and challenging the dominance of large energy corporations. Her plan revolves around encouraging renewable energy sources, creating a more diverse energy market, and protecting the environment. She proposes supporting and incentivizing the development of renewable energy infrastructure, enhancing regulatory oversight of the energy sector, empowering communities to develop their energy projects, and creating a more affordable and sustainable energy market that benefits consumers and contributes to economic prosperity.
Jolicia Ward is facing incumbent Republican Senator Richard Stuart. Senator Stuart has served in the State Senate since 2009. He has consistently voted for bills aimed at creating barriers to abortion access. He has also consistently voted against commonsense gun violence prevention laws. Additionally, he voted against a bill to create transgender-friendly student policies.
Because of her commitment to progressive policies and values, Jolicia Ward is the progressive choice in this race.
Jolicia Ward is an accomplished activist, advocate, and healthcare professional. She is a former candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates in District 99. Ward is passionate about supporting working families and small and local business owners. She has a bachelor's degree in mass communication from The University of Virginia, College at Wise, and a master's degree in Entrepreneurial Management from Stratford University. She is affiliated with the Democratic Committee, the American Red Cross, and the United States Service Organization.
Ward believes that public education is the cornerstone of children's development. She is committed to providing high-quality educational opportunities for all Virginians by fully funding public education, prioritizing teacher support and fair compensation, universal access to pre-K programs and affordable childcare services, affordable and enriching after-school programs, and regular meetings and events that bring together schools, parents, and community members to discuss educational priorities, and fostering community engagement. Ward believes that education needs to aim to do more than prepare young people to contribute to and benefit from an inclusive and sustainable future.
As a healthcare professional, Ward believes that access to quality healthcare is a fundamental right and is committed to ensuring that all residents, regardless of where they live, have access to excellent healthcare. She will focus on removing barriers, strengthening healthcare infrastructure, promoting telehealth services, and making healthcare more affordable and comprehensive. Ward proposes investing in the development and improvement of healthcare infrastructure in rural areas, promoting telehealth services, increasing affordability, strengthening mental health services, and investing in the development and training of healthcare professionals.
Ward believes in the importance of personal choice when it comes to reproductive healthcare decisions. She advocates for policies that protect and uphold these personal choices, including the right to access safe and legal abortion services without unnecessary restrictions.
Ward believes that affordable and sustainable energy is essential for the well-being and economic prosperity of the community. She is committed to lowering energy costs for consumers in Virginia and challenging the dominance of large energy corporations. Her plan revolves around encouraging renewable energy sources, creating a more diverse energy market, and protecting the environment. She proposes supporting and incentivizing the development of renewable energy infrastructure, enhancing regulatory oversight of the energy sector, empowering communities to develop their energy projects, and creating a more affordable and sustainable energy market that benefits consumers and contributes to economic prosperity.
Jolicia Ward is facing incumbent Republican Senator Richard Stuart. Senator Stuart has served in the State Senate since 2009. He has consistently voted for bills aimed at creating barriers to abortion access. He has also consistently voted against commonsense gun violence prevention laws. Additionally, he voted against a bill to create transgender-friendly student policies.
Because of her commitment to progressive policies and values, Jolicia Ward is the progressive choice in this race.
House District 067
John Quincy Smith currently lives in King George County and was raised in a working-class family in Ohio. Following military service that included a deployment to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam conflict, the GI Bill helped him to earn a Ph.D. in history from Ohio State. He continued to serve as a Department of Defense civilian with the U.S. Air Force as a historian with assignments in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. and deployments to Southwest Asia. After retiring from the role of Air Force Senior Historian, he and his wife, Grace, moved to King George County, where Grace works as a special education teacher at King George Elementary School.
Smith wants to build a robust regional economy for everyone, with controlled development to protect the environmental integrity of the Northern Neck region. This stance earned him an endorsement from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC)..
He also supports commonsense gun legislation. His policy positions earned him the 2023 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction. He wants to defend voting rights, and supports increased funding to build quality public education. His desire to protect reproductive rights and access to abortion earned him an endorsement from Roe Your Vote Virginia and from the Committee to Protect Healthcare.
Smith’s opponent in this race is Republican Hillary Pugh Kent, a conservative businesswoman. She’d rather blindly increase funding for law enforcement than do anything to hold them accountable. She’s a COVID-19 conspiracy theorist who believes the pandemic was overblown because we handed the government the reins. Independent Richard Kenski is also in this race, but at the time of research we could find no information on him.
Because of his support for building strong healthcare that supports abortion access, his push to protect the environment, and his commonsense gun control positions, John Quincy Smith is the progressive choice in this race.
John Quincy Smith currently lives in King George County and was raised in a working-class family in Ohio. Following military service that included a deployment to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam conflict, the GI Bill helped him to earn a Ph.D. in history from Ohio State. He continued to serve as a Department of Defense civilian with the U.S. Air Force as a historian with assignments in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. and deployments to Southwest Asia. After retiring from the role of Air Force Senior Historian, he and his wife, Grace, moved to King George County, where Grace works as a special education teacher at King George Elementary School.
Smith wants to build a robust regional economy for everyone, with controlled development to protect the environmental integrity of the Northern Neck region. This stance earned him an endorsement from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC)..
He also supports commonsense gun legislation. His policy positions earned him the 2023 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction. He wants to defend voting rights, and supports increased funding to build quality public education. His desire to protect reproductive rights and access to abortion earned him an endorsement from Roe Your Vote Virginia and from the Committee to Protect Healthcare.
Smith’s opponent in this race is Republican Hillary Pugh Kent, a conservative businesswoman. She’d rather blindly increase funding for law enforcement than do anything to hold them accountable. She’s a COVID-19 conspiracy theorist who believes the pandemic was overblown because we handed the government the reins. Independent Richard Kenski is also in this race, but at the time of research we could find no information on him.
Because of his support for building strong healthcare that supports abortion access, his push to protect the environment, and his commonsense gun control positions, John Quincy Smith is the progressive choice in this race.