Stafford County leaders will meet with Virginia Delegates and Senators during an annual dinner at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 29, 2023, to discuss the county government's legislative wishlist.
At the top is adding Stafford to the list of Northern Virginia jurisdictions that get extra state funding for schools in a program called "cost to compete," or COCA. The state created the fund to help boost teacher pay for those working in Northern Virginia -- the most competitive market in the state.
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Hillary Clinton posted to Twitter today, urging Democrats to organize and flip three seats in the House of Delegates.
The former First Lady reminded her followers that Democrats only need three seats to regain control of Virginia’s House of Delegates.
Clinton: “There are no off-years! Democrats only need to flip three seats to regain control of the Virginia state House. Plug in with @onwardtogether groups and friends like @swingleft, @runforsomething, @dlcc, and more to learn how to help.”
Republicans had controlled the 100-member House of Delegates since 2022 when the party won a three-seat majority in the same election that saw Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Republican Lt. Winsome Sears, and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares sweep the commonwealth’s only statewide offices.
There are several competitive House of Delegates races were watching in our area. In Prince William County, House District 21 encompasses the Sudley and Bull Run areas west of Manassas, out to Gainesville. Republican John Stirrup, a former Prince William Board of County Supervisor member, and political newcomer Josh Thomas, a Democrat, is seeking the seat.
House District 22 encompasses the area south of Manassas and west out to Nokesville, Republican Ian Lovejoy, a former Manassas City Councilman, and political newcomer Travis Nembhard are vying for the seat.
Neither district has an incumbent.
In Stafford County and Fredericksburg, were watching Districts 64 and 65, both with no incumbents. In the 64th, it’s Republican Paul Milde, a former Stafford County Supervisor and political newcomer Leonard Lacey. The district spans a swath of the middle of Stafford County.
In the 65th, Democrat Josh Cole is looking to regain a seat in the House of Delegates after losing in 2021 to Republican Tara Durant. Cole faces Republican Lee Peters, a political newcomer.
Durant is the Republican nominee for the 27th Senate District — of the most closely-watched races in the state — and is not seeing election to the House of Delegates. Durant faces Democrat Joel Griffen and Stafford County Supervisor Monica Gary, running independently.
Former Stafford County Supervisor Paul Milde declared his candidacy to represent the House of Delegates District 64, wholly contained within Stafford County, in the Virginia House of Delegates. Milde will seek the Republican nomination.
Leonard Lacy, a chaplain at the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office and former Virginia State Trooper, also announced his campaign and will run as a Democrat.
District 64 is new to Stafford County in 2024, following the Virginia State Supreme Court’s political redistricting process of 2021.
“Virginia, like our nation, is confronting challenges we haven’t seen in forty years. The rising cost of living, spurred by energy policies that fuel inflation, is reducing our quality of life. Lengthy school closures and a politicized curriculum have harmed our children’s education. Reduced penalties for violent crimes and early release for violent criminals have made all of us less safe. All of these crises make it that much more difficult to resolve our region’s long-standing transportation needs.
“Virginians elected Governor Youngkin to reverse the direction Democrats in Richmond and Washington were taking us. He’s made tremendous progress in reversing our decline. Now, we need representatives in Richmond who are committed to finishing the job by enacting sensible energy policies, recommitting our schools to educating our children in life skills instead of woke politics, supporting law enforcement’s efforts to combat crime, and addressing our region’s unique transportation needs. I have the proven experience to be that representative in the House of Delegates.
In 2o21, Milde ran and lost his re-election bid for the Aquia District seat on the Stafford Board of Supervisors, where he served from 2005 until 2016.
“As a conservative, I know how to be fiscally responsible in addressing these challenges. On the Stafford Board of Supervisors, I oversaw our county’s job growth rating soar to first in the state. I successfully fought to reduce personal property taxes while strengthening our bond ratings to AAA. And I led the effort to repeal the BPOL tax, which reduces job growth by burdening small and family-owned businesses.
“As Delegate, I will be a strong voice for our conservative principles and traditional values in Richmond. I’ll support sensible energy policies that will reduce our cost of living. I will fight the woke liberals’ agenda by getting politics out of our classrooms. I will ensure our police are funded and respected. I will oppose tax increases and wasteful spending schemes. I’ll support Governor Youngkin’s efforts to reduce abortions and fight the liberals’ unending efforts to undermine 2nd Amendment rights.
“Virginia has been a national leader before and, with strong conservative leadership, can be again. I am ready to serve my Stafford neighbors in Richmond and will work tirelessly to earn their support.”
The 64th District in the Virginia House of Delegates is wholly contained within the borders of Stafford County. Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
