Peninsula’s incumbent delegates face challenges
While many local races are unopposed, Peninsula voters will have a choice on Election Day about their representation at the state level.
Incumbents for all of the House of Delegates seats on the Peninsula — many of them Democrats — are facing challengers.
In the 91st House District, incumbent and Democrat Martha Mugler has been challenged by Republican candidate A.C. Cardoza and the Libertarian Party’s Charles West. In the 92nd district, longtime Del. Jeion Ward, a Democrat, will face Republican Benjamin Siff. Del. Mike Mullin faces Republican
Jordan Gray in the 93rd district. In the 94th district, Republican Russ Harper has challenged Democrat Shelley Simonds. The 95th district race is between Del. Marcia Price, a Democrat, and David Wilson, a Republican. In the 96th district, Republican Del. Amanda Batten’s challenger is Democrat Mark Downey.
All of the constitutional office races — commonwealth’s attorney, treasurer, commissioner of the revenue and sheriff — are unopposed in Hampton and Newport News.
In Hampton, Anton Bell will serve as the commonwealth’s attorney, Chris Snead as treasurer, Ross Mugler as commissioner of the revenue and Karen Bowden. In Newport News, Howard Gwynn, Marty Eubank, Tiffany Boyle and
Gabe Morgan will serve in those offices respectively.
91st House District
In the 91st House District, which includes the eastern half of Hampton, all of Poquoson and three precincts in York County, Democrat incumbent Martha Mugler is challenged by Republican A.C. Cardoza and Libertarian Charles West.
Mugler, who served for more than a decade on the Hampton School Board, makes education policy and the environment top priorities. A member of the House Education, Finance and Counties, Cities and Towns committees, she pushed unsuccessfully for a measure requiring Virginia teachers to be compensated at or above the national average, but was successful with measures on tax credits for research and development work, and tightening regulation of credits for controlling sediment and nutrient flows into state waters.
Cardoza wants to freeze the gas tax increase, reform the Virginia Employment Commission and work with the Hampton Roads Workforce council to connect employers and workers. He said Virginia needs to prioritize mental health services and said he would push to increase funding for community services boards and for the state to work with community partnerships. He said he supports pay increases for teachers, bus drivers, and school counselors.
West said his top priorities include government transparency and stepped up anti-corruption efforts. He also wants to expand school choice for families and teachers and would ensure that every law enforcement officer in Virginia is equipped with a body camera.
“I decided to run as I was on the way to work after voting in 2020,” he said, adding “I have had enough of seeing my friends and neighbors forced to choose the least worst candidate year after year.”
92nd House District
Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton is facing a challenge from newcomer Benjamin Siff, a Hampton resident in the 92nd district, which includes parts of Hampton and a small section in Newport News.
Ward, 67, a middle school teacher, was elected in 2004. In her 17 years in office, this is her first time running opposed. She is the chair of the labor and commerce committee. She also serves on the communications, technology and innovation, transportation and rules committees.
Ward traditionally focuses on education, but earlier this year introduced a house bill aimed at raising minimum increments first to $9.50 an hour, which went into effect May.
“My priority is giving people a living wage,” Ward said.
The measure provides for wage earners to receive an $11 minimum beginning in January. Two groups not included were farm and tipped workers, something she said will need to be reintroduced in the General Assembly.
“I want to see it finished,” Ward said. “Virginia has done some good things, but we have to keep going.”
Other priorities include the “passage of clean energy and climate-change laws that will reduce global warming and move America toward energy independence,” Ward states on her website.
Siff, 22, a graduate of the University of Kentucky who plays the trumpet, says his top priority is crime and supporting law enforcement.
“We must be proactive in preventing crime from happening by supporting community initiatives like after-school programs and community centers which provide guidance and alternativestoat-riskindividuals,” he said in an email.
Siff says he’s also prioritizing education, which for him means protecting students and requiring more transparency with schools with reporting misdemeanors against students to law enforcement.
93rd House District
Del. Mike Mullin, D-Newport News, is challenged by Republican Jordan Gray in the 93rd district, which includes northern Newport News, adjacent precincts in York County, the city of Williamsburg and eastern James City county.
He is chairman of the House criminal law subcommittee and sponsored the bills that abolished Virginia’s death penalty and that allow circuit courts to issue emergency orders protecting incapacitated adults from individuals accused of acts of violence against them. He has pushed reforms of juvenile delinquency law, including a measure saying disruptive behavior in school should be addressed by school disciplinary codes rather than by a criminal charge of disorderly conduct as well as a measure that ended a requirement that school principals report some misdemeanor offenses to police.
He said he wants to put significant funds into teacher pay and schools, as well as mental health services and addiction treatment. Mullin said he also wants to push for paid family and medical leave for all Virginians.
Gray said it is time to rethink education across Virginia by promoting parental involvement in their children’s education and provide a true teacher pay raise, and criticized Mullin’s incident reporting bill saying it ended the mandatory reporting of sexual battery and stalking in public schools, citing as an example of what was wrong with the measure a case in Loudoun County that involved a felony that was reported to the county sheriff the day it occurred.
“I think it is important for our elected officials to be held accountable, and we have to remind them they are not representing themselves but rather representing the people who elect them,” he said.
He said the General Assembly must focus on reducing tax burdens specifically on small businesses and cut senseless regulations that slow or deter growth and minimize profits and on building trust between police and citizens.
96th House District
It’s a rematch in the 96th District, where Democrat Mark Downey, a pediatrician, challenges Republican Del. Amanda Batten, who took office two years ago.
The district, which includes most of James City County and about half of York County, has been in Republican hands since 1992. But it was close in 2019 — with Batten winning 52.5% to 46.4%.
Batten, a legislative aide for Del. Brenda Pogge for six years, ran when her boss stepped down. Her experience “allowed me to jump right in without any sort of learning curve,” she said. “I know exactly how we can best assist constituents with obtaining help from state agencies and other entities around the Commonwealth.”
The pandemic has been challenging, Batten said, contending that virtual meetings instead of real conversations led to some faulty legislation last year.
“I think we’re going to have to do some cleanup work,” she said. She also said she would work for new legislation to constrain the governor’s power to issue executive orders that last indefinitely.
Downey, for his part, said continued health care reform is his top priority. “My top priority is ensuring that every Virginian has access to high quality, affordable, and complete healthcare coverage, which includes vision, dental, hearing, and mental health coverage,” he said.
“It doesn’t look like we’re going to get done with this pandemic anytime soon,” Downey added. “So it’s good to have a physician, a pediatrician, in the General Assembly to help guide policy and decision making.” Residents he’s talked to, he said, “appreciate the fact that I look at the data and the science and evidence and look out for their families and kids. That’s why I think it’s a close race.”
“We’re optimistic that this is the time that the district will finally elect a Democrat,” Downey said.