More than ever before, women have been running in both blue and red states to represent their districts and to fight the issues of their (future) constituents. This is no different in Virginia, and not to brag, but we have some of the strongest, most diverse, and the most intelligent women in politics who are either running competitive races, or are already in office. Whether they’ve been in office and are currently serving their districts or if they’re fighting their way to a seat in office, here are five truly bad ass women in Virginia politics who you should be keeping up with this year.
1) Jennifer Wexton
Jennifer Wexton is a lawyer currently running against Barbara Comstock (R) in Virginia’s 10th congressional district. Originally from Leesburg, Virginia, Wexton has been serving the Northern Virginia area for almost two decades.
How is she a total bad ass?
Wexton lost against Jim Plowman for Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney in 2011, but she didn’t let that stop her political career. In 2014, she ran against John Whitbeck to represent the 33rd District in the Virginia Senate and won and was re-elected in 2015. During her time in politics, she has supported bipartisan legislation that supported health care accessibility, job creation, and combatted the opioid epidemic that is affecting all parts of Virginia.
Wexton received her J.D. from the College of William and Mary in 1995 and from there, she has shown interest for mental health issues, child abuse, domestic violence, among countless other issues in her legal work. In addition to this, Wexton has repeatedly defended victims of rape and sexual assault. When she’s not being a total babe in politics, she’s a mother to her two sons and two labrador retrievers.
2) Leslie Cockburn
Leslie Cockburn is a Yale graduate who running to represent Virginia’s 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
How is she a total bad ass?
Cockburn has won the Robert F. Kennedy Award, two George Polk Awards, two Columbia Dupont journalism awards, and two Emmys for her work in Journalism. Covering issues from the financial meltdown to radical jihad, she has made her mark in journalism from producing for CBS News to acting as a Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton.
As a candidate in the 2018 election, Leslie is utilizing her previous work in investigative journalism to hold Washington accountable. Not only is she fighting for issues such as environmental protection and combating opioid addiction, but she aims to represent students, women, immigrant families, amongst many others.
3) Kathy Tran
Delegate Kathy Tran represents the 42nd District of Virginia. She ran for office in 2017 against Lolita Mancheno-Smoak and is the first Asian-American Women elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.
How is she a total bad ass?
Delegate Tran (VA-42) and her family came to the United States from Vietnam before she turned one and she aims to give all of her constituents a chance at the American Dream. Aiming to provide opportunities for immigrants and refugees, Kathy has worked for the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Immigration Forum. However, what makes her a total badass is the fact that she’s a full-time mom, whether she’s in session in Richmond or not.
Before the election, Tran would bring her infant daughter with her to canvass her district. After she won her race, she proved that motherhood truly is a full-time job when made the decision to breastfeed her daughter on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates. Now, along with other female delegates, she hopes to make the Virginia Capitol more accommodating to all mothers.
4) Abigail Spanberger
Abigail Spanberger is a UVA alum who is currently running against David Brad to represent Virginia’s 7th District in the House of Representatives.
How is she a total bad ass?
Before she made the decision to run for office, Spanberger joined the CIA and worked as an Operations Officer, traveling abroad and representing and protecting the United States. She later worked with universities to assist them in becoming more diverse and strived to make college more financially accessible. Now, as candidate in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, she aims to alleviate debt following graduation and is a strong supporter in skills/career training for those who do not choose to pursue a four-year degree. In addition to being a strong supporter of college students and youth in general, she also prioritizes equality in all of her platforms.
Spanberger has received endorsements from Foreign Policy of Amera, Moms Demand Action, and Planned Parenthood. Oh, and she’s casually endorsed by Barack Obama
5) Danica Roem
Danica Roem is the current delegate for the 13th district in the Virginia House of Delegates. She won against former-delegate Bob Marshall on a platform of fixing Route 28.
How is she a total bad ass?
Along with being a major advocate for job creation and raising teacher salaries, Delegate Roem is the first transgender woman in the General Assembly. Not only did she win against an incumbent who had been elected thirteen times, but her opponent had been openly opposed to LGBTQ+ issues throughout his time in office. As a matter of fact, Marshall proposed a state bill that would allow anyone with a government issued-license or registration to be able to refuse services to people within the LGBTQ+ community and neglected to use Roem’s preferred pronouns.
Not only was this a major victory for Roem herself, but she has paved the way for others within the LGBTQ+ community to run for office in the future, as well as individuals within many other marginalized groups. And that is incredibly bad ass.
Now what?
All of these women are incredibly powerful women in their field. Simply by running for office, these five women are showing Virginia and the rest of the United States that it doesn’t matter if you’re a lawyer, a journalist, a teacher, a mother, black, Asian, transgender, etc. These women, amongst many others, are showing us that women are more than qualified to be in office and we’re ready to take our seat at the table.
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