Meet the southside Hampton Roads candidates
NORFOLK — Democrat Phil Hernandez was on stage flanked by fellow political candidates, answering questions from the Norfolk State University community while on the other side of the city, Republican Andy Pittman presented to a crowd at the East Ocean View Civic League meeting.
It was just another night in the lead-up to the Nov. 7 election as both Pittman and Hernandez campaign to represent the north end of Norfolk in the newly redrawn House District 94. The seat, which leans Democrat, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, is one of 140 up for election this year in the General Assembly. Republicans currently hold the House, while Democrats have a majority in the Senate.
Both city natives have things in common despite their political differences. Each sees himself as the natural choice for the commonsense voter and felt compelled to run to ensure a good future for their children and future generations.
Hernandez, a policy and advocacy expert with the Commonwealth Institute, said he'd like to use the state's budget surplus first to invest in education and then find ways to reduce tax loads on families. He'd also push the state to fulfill the promise in it's constitution to ensure a quality education for students.
“The problem is we haven't had state lawmakers who have lived up to that promise and so I'm hoping to right the ship, making sure we're investing in the next generation of young people,” Hernandez said at a South Bayview Civic League meeting last week.
He'd support adjusting the income tax rate to have higher earners pay more and using the proceeds to offset cuts for lower earners and establish a child tax credit. On health, Hernandez said he'd support the bipartisan drug pricing review board that failed to
pass in the General Assembly last session and he'd move to enshrine the state's current abortion policy into the state's constitution so the procedure couldn't be curtailed the way it has in other southern states.
Pittman, a private attorney, wants more investment in police resources to bring down response times and bring up staffing levels. He'd support reinstating the authority of police to pull over vehicles for minor traffic violations like broken taillights, a practice the General Assembly did away with in 2020 amid criticism it can perpetuate racial disparities in the justice system. Pittman argues that would make it easier to catch people who commit more significant crimes.
On economic development, Pittman called for a flexible, regional approach to establishing corporate tax rates so different Virginia regions can compete for business against the states they border.
“We want people to be able to get good-paying jobs, to stay here and put roots in the community and so that they have something to pass on, but they can build up themselves and it benefits the community and it increases the overall tax base,” Pittman said.
a couple miles into Suffolk from Portsmouth, the ground game will be essential to returning to the House of Delegates. He and his campaign team had knocked on roughly 40,000 doors, Clark said at his campaign headquarters in downtown Suffolk Saturday.
Clark said he has multiple family ties to Suffolk and goes to church there. Moving to the district was a natural progression, he said, after redistricting put him in competition for the same seat as Del. Don Scott, the House minority leader.
Clark said though the new district is more rural and less urban than his previous District 79 seat, he's heard similar concerns from voters in both areas including on health care, education, equity and public safety. Clark said he also wants to see more discussion in the General Assembly about preventing gun violence, especially after losing two family members in the last year.
“Gun violence is something we really have to tackle,” Clark said. “I lost family last year to gun violence; I lost an 18-yearold cousin who was shot in his head.”
Dillender, a veteran Navy captain who unsuccessfully ran for office in 2021, said he's also been busy, with his team reaching about 20,000 voters through door-knocking. Dillender said he wants Virginia to be the most veteran-friendly state and supports reducing the state tax implications of veterans' retirement pay. He also wants more transparency in health care, especially in areas like billing, and strengthening the hand of providers in efforts to get treatment for patients. An advocate of school choice, he said public schools do need more funding, but parents should still have the choice to send their child to another school in or outside their district.
“I don't want people to grow up in an environment where your future is predicated what ZIP code you live in,” he said.
House District 89
Another battleground in southside Hampton Roads spans southeast to Suffolk and the state line from northeast Chesapeake. The 89th House District will be decided by voters that VPAP estimates lean Republican by 3.2 points.
Democrat and mental health worker Karen L. Jenkins is seeking to win that district against retired Army officer Republican N. Baxter Ennis.
Other House districts in Hampton Roads are less competitive, but political parties have sought out candidates to put on the ballot anyway. Even if it's unlikely a party will win a particular race, there is a strategy in putting up an opposing candidate to keep people in the habit of voting — which could be important for national senate and house races, gubernatorial elections and the presidential race, said Rich Meagher, a political science professor with Randolph-Macon College.
Another reason Meagher says political parties should put up an opposing candidate — even if the chances of winning are slim — is that they could step up to the plate if an unexpected scandal or shocking turn of events taints the reputation of the frontrunner.
“Things change and can change dramatically between the time you're doing primaries and putting up candidates and the fall,” he said.
House District 88
Del. Don Scott, the House Minority Leader who was first elected in 2019, is running to represent the new House District 88 the encompasses much of Portsmouth against Republican James M. “Jim” Wright, a retired certified public accountant.
The district is heavily Democratic, according to VPAP, favoring Democrats by roughly 30 points based on past elections.
Scott is an attorney and said the party's agenda this year includes introducing legislation on paid family leave and a state minimum wage of $15 an hour. Wright said he'd support a 0% corporate tax rate and an abortion ban from conception with an exception if the pregnancy put's a mother's life at risk.
District 92, where retired teacher Michael L. Durig is challenging Democrat Bonita Grace Anthony. The district includes north Chesapeake and south Norfolk, which is over 52 points in favor of Democrats, according to VPAP.
Anthony, a university administrator at Virginia State University, said she'd support more investment in public schools and Durig said the budget surplus is a sign that more can be done to cut taxes.