RVA Mag

Richmond, VA Culture & Politics Since 2005

Menu

Projecting A Clear Message

|

Topics: , , , , , , , ,

In Chesterfield County, one couple with strong feelings about the current political climate have begun to express themselves through signs and projections on the front of their house.

A Chesterfield man named Tim Barry — no, not that one — has turned his home into a giant political projector screen.

From a tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg after her death to a declaration that “Breonna Taylor Deserved Better” to a projection of Biden’s infamous retort to Trump — “Will you shut up, man?” — Barry’s unashamed political messaging has drawn both support and disdain from his neighbors. 

Tim and Lauren Barry have been involved in politics for a long time, having both worked for political campaigns in the past. Tim now works in public relations for a professional organization. They live in their Chesterfield home with their two young daughters.

Barry says that the first night they projected an image, Ruth Bader Ginsburg had just passed away. 

“That was sort of the impetus to start the projections. We were talking about how upset we were about the justice passing, and the plans the Republicans were making to replace her, and we were upset,” Barry said. “We were angry about the way things were going. We knew we had to do something, and this was something we could do using our combined skills.”

Barry says that his wife, Lauren, is the person who creates the graphics that they project on the house. 

“My wife is a really talented graphics artist,” Barry said. “I do the messages, and she makes them look amazing.”

The projections are not the Barrys’ first political display, however. Earlier in the year, the couple became caught in a battle with the county over a sign in their yard. 

Tim and Lauren erected three large yellow letters in their yard after the killing of George Floyd in May. The letters — which spelled out “BLM” — have been a source of conflict between the Barrys and Chesterfield county officials. A zoning ordinance in the county prohibits residential signs from occupying over 14 square feet of space.

Most of their neighbors, however, have been supportive. The Barrys received a note from one local resident that read, “Goodness… Can I tell you how much this BLM sign means to me?” The note described the lettering as a “huge sign of hope.”

“Our feedback has been 95 percent positive,” said Barry. 

Another neighbor, speaking to Channel 8 News in Chesterfield, said she was surprised that the sign was so “in-your-face,” and said she wished that it said ALM — all lives matter. 

The letters are still securely fastened to Barry’s trees, and he has no intention of taking them down. The process to appeal the county’s decision may take several months, Barry said. 

Unlike the BLM letters in the yard, there are no county ordinances against the projector images. The Barrys start the projector at sundown, and take the image down before they go to bed around 10:30 P.M. Unless it’s raining, they project images every night. 

Tim Barry said that he is afraid of drawing too much attention to the house, in fear that someone who doesn’t like their message will retaliate. 

“I don’t want to go in and make it contentious,” Barry said. “We are genuinely afraid that someone might do something to us.”

However, the house is already gaining popularity. According to Barry, at one point the house had its own instagram page with around 2,500 followers.

Local and state politicians have supported Barry’s messaging behind the scenes as well. When the county first sent a letter to the Barrys, warning them to take down their BLM sign, Tim Barry reached out to state Senator Ghazala Hashimi to ask for support.

“She put us in touch with a senior person from the county,” said Barry. “I’ve kept her office updated on what we’re doing.”

When Barry wanted to put up a projection image in support of congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, he informed her office beforehand so they could give permission. Barry says that other politicians have commented on photos of the house on Facebook.

“People are definitely noticing it,” Barry said. “But no one has asked us to put them up there.”

There was one more thing we had to ask Barry about. Readers of RVA Mag may notice that he shares a name with local musician Tim Barry. Barry says that he’s familiar with the musician, and that he’s encountered people who were disappointed that he wasn’t the other one.

“One time I went and got my hair cut at the barbershop, and people thought it was going to be him,” Barry said. “When I walked in, they were disappointed.”

Photos courtesy Ed Holten and Tim Barry

Democratic Lawmakers Reflect on Historic General Assembly Session

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the first session in over two decades with the governor’s office and both houses under Democratic control, the General Assembly passed extensive legislation affecting everything from LGBTQ rights to gun control and marijuana decriminalization.

Virginia lawmakers passed over 1,200 new laws in two months, a variety of them in the final days of the 2020 session, which expanded into Sunday evening to accommodate the backlog of legislation.

This session has been the first time since 1994 that the Democrats have controlled both chambers of the General Assembly along with the governor’s office. The House passed 746 of 1,732 bills introduced, while the Senate passed 543 of 1,096 bills introduced, excluding resolutions, according to the Legislative Information System. The number of bills sponsored in the House led to long sessions in both chambers and left the Senate grappling with an approaching deadline. 

In eight weeks, starting with a vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, Democrats worked to overturn close to 30 years of Republican dominance over issues such as gun control, reproductive rights, and voter rights.

They also passed new measures such as empowering localities with the authority to remove or contextualize war memorials and adding LGBTQ protections from discrimination in housing and employment, as well as a ban on conversion therapy for minors, becoming the first Southern state to pass such legisation. 

Seven out of eight major gun control measures supported by Gov. Ralph Northam are on the way to the governor’s desk for his signature. The legislation includes bills that limit handgun purchases to one per month, a background check on all firearms sales, and extreme risk protection orders, also known as the red flag law. 

House of Delegates begins on Sunday March 8, 2020 after lawmakers agreed to an extension of the session the night before. (Photo by Chip Lauterbach/Capital News Service)

Other legislation that passed in the homestretch included decriminalization of marijuana, but efforts to legalize marijuana were squashed, to the dismay of advocates. The decriminalization bill does away with the criminal penalty for simple marijuana possession, instead instating a $25 civil penalty for a person caught with not more than 1 ounce of marijuana. The Senate amended the bill from the original amount of not more than a half ounce.

“For far too long our approach to cannabis has needlessly saddled Virginians, especially African Americans and people of color, with criminal records,” Attorney General Mark Herring said in a statement. “Those days are over.” 

Herring, who pushed for the legislation, said there were 29,000 marijuana possession arrests in 2018. He also said decriminalization is an important first step toward legal, regulated adult use. 

Lawmakers reached a compromise to increase the minimum wage, with a bill that gradually increases the wage to $9.50 in 2021, $11 in 2022 and up to $12 in 2023. Following these raises, the measure is to be brought before the General Assembly for a future vote that must pass by 2024 in order to guarantee that the wage can reach $15 by 2026.

Democrats also pushed through an amended bill that allows access to collective bargaining for public employees — such as teachers and firefighters — in localities where local governments choose to participate. Sens. Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, and Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, criticized these policies, which they said create hurdles for enterprises. 

“We’ve just crushed the small business atmosphere,” DeSteph said in a video posted on Facebook. “CNBC had us as the No. 1 place to do business. We’re going to be in the 20s after this. It’s a very sad day for the commonwealth.” 

Freshman Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Richmond, who defeated one-term incumbent Glen Sturtevant in November, reflected back on her first session.

“It’s been incredible, I have immersed myself in all the issues and critical pieces of legislation that we have had,” Hashmi said. “We have been able to pass some very important bills this year, for immigrant rights and for education, focusing on teachers and higher education, I’ve really enjoyed the work and am looking forward to coming back next year.”

In the House, Democrats held 55 seats to the Republican’s 45 seats. Democrats ushered changes that Del. Lee Carter, D-Manassas, felt will be instrumental in improving the lives of Virginians.

“With the partisan change in both chambers, the question coming down here was: ‘What kind of majority are we going to be?’” Carter said. “Whether we were going to be the type of majority that stood unequivocally for working people, against corporate interests, and decided to make lives better for the people that desperately needed it, or if we were going to be a majority that was content to merely not be as bad as the Republicans.”

Carter said that he was happiest with the outcome of his bill that capped the price of insulin at $50 for a month’s worth.

“I introduced the bill with the cap at $30, the Senate put it at $50,” Carter said. “I’m hoping that the governor will put it back down to $30 or even lower, so we can get some relief to those people who have health insurance but their deductibles and copays are too high for them to be able to afford their insulin products.”

Senators entering chambers waiting for Saturday’s session to begin. (Photo by Chip Lauterbach/Capital News Service)

Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, looked back on her third session in the General Assembly with pride, joking that she was able to pass 13 bills for the 13th District. Roem was pleased that her bill, HB 1024, which would establish a statewide cold case database, passed the Senate on the final day of this year’s session.

“This will allow reporters, as well the public in general, to look up every missing persons case, unidentified persons case, and every unsolved homicide in the state that is at least five years old,” Roem said. “This is a huge win for government accountability and transparency.”

Some legislation that moved through the House met resistance in the Democrat-majority Senate, where moderate Democrats sided with Republicans. Three moderate Democrats tipped a Senate panel vote to continue HB 961, the assault weapons ban sponsored by Del. Mark Levine (D-Alexandria), until the next session. 

On Saturday, citing concerns of minority profiling, Senate Democrats helped vote down HB 1439, which would have made not wearing a seatbelt in any seat of a vehicle a primary offense. 

Some Republicans also advanced legislative reform. Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, passed a measure that will remove suspension of a driver’s license for nonpayment of fines. Stanley also supported a bill granting tenants the power to make repairs on their property and deduct the costs from their rent, with conditions.

Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn issued a statement saying that Democrats were celebrating a “historic, legislative session.”

“This General Assembly session has been historic in the extraordinary progress the House of Delegates has made for Virginians in every corner of the Commonwealth,” Filler-Corn said. “In November, voters called for swift, impactful action to make their communities safer and more prosperous. We have delivered on that mandate.” 

Multiple House and Senate Republicans did not respond to a request for comment. 

Written by Chip Lauterbach, Capital News Service. Top Photo by Chip Lauterbach, Capital News Service.

Ghazala Hashmi: From Personal Crisis to Senate Victory

|

Topics: , , , , ,

For Ghazala Hashmi, the first Muslim to serve in Virginia’s state Senate, her victory in this month’s election is a fortuitous opportunity to make progress for Virginia’s more vulnerable communities.

“It was back in 2017 that I had a moment of personal crisis,” said Ghazala Hashmi, who defeated incumbent Republican Glen Sturtevant in the race for Virginia Senate District 10 earlier this month. 

“I was faced with the Trump Muslim ban, and I had to make a decision for myself about whether or not I belonged in this country anymore,” Hashmi said. 

While Hashmi is not from one of the seven countries affected by President Donald Trump’s 2017 executive order that became known as a Muslim travel ban, she was concerned it was an indicator that Muslims were not welcome in the U.S.

For Hashmi, a lifelong educator who immigrated to the U.S. from India at age 4, becoming more politically engaged was the way to prove that she and members of other marginalized groups were welcome in the country. Now, after an election that has increased the number of women in the General Assembly to a record 41 out of 140, she will be the first Muslim to serve in Virginia’s Senate. 

Hashmi’s campaign against Sturtevant, who has represented the 10th District since 2016, was not her first political experience. 

“I had always volunteered for political campaigns,” Hashmi said, noting that she had previously volunteered for Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, the 2018 campaign for Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, , and Del. Dawn Adams’, D-Richmond, 2017 campaign. 

“I had gotten a sense of what the local landscape was like in terms of voters and volunteers and the infrastructure of campaigning,” Hashmi said. 

Ghazala Hashmi
Ghazala Hashmi (Photo by Susan Shibut, VCU-CNS)

Despite her work on campaigns in the past, Hashmi characterized running her own campaign as “a huge challenge.” She said she and her husband primarily ran the campaign since its launch in December 2018, until Philip Stein was brought onboard as campaign manager in March. 

From the inception of the campaign until August, Hashmi worked full time as an administrator at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond. After her resignation, she was able to devote more time to campaigning, such as fundraising or knocking on doors.

“It wasn’t fun,” Hashmi said of simultaneously working full time and running a campaign. “Starting in September, a great deal of stress was just taken off my shoulders, and I was really able to focus on the campaign. And that was an important step for me to take.” 

Looking forward to her first legislative session, Hashmi — who taught English for over a decade at Reynolds — is prioritizing education policy. 

“Restoring funding to education is a top priority,” she said. “I know that’s something I share with many of my Democratic colleagues, and we want to move forward quickly in making sure our budget reflects the educational needs of our communities.” 

Deirdre Condit, associate professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, said on Election Day that Hashmi’s win over Sturtevant is a landmark change in Virginia. 

“It’s a really important descriptive representation but also policy and ideology shift for many people in the state,” she said. 

Ghazala Hashmi in a classroom
Virginia Senate candidate Ghazala Hashmi of the 10th District engages with a classroom of VCU students to encourage youth voting in the upcoming state election. (Photo by Susan Shibut, VCU-CNS)

With Democrats leading state government for the first time in a generation, Hashmi said she hopes there will be less political gridlock standing in the way of progressive legislation. She noted that bills pertaining to climate change, gun safety, and protecting the rights of women and other vulnerable communities will be prioritized. 

“I have been a member of this community for three decades now and really have an understanding of the families and the needs that are apparent in so many different segments of the community,” Hashmi said. “That perspective is going to be critically important in the Senate.”

Hashmi defeated Sturtevant with 54% of votes. In one of the most expensive races in the state, Hashmi outraised Sturtevant $2.6 million to $2.4 million, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Written by Jimmy O’Keefe, Capital News Service. Top Photo by Susan Shibut, VCU-CNS

Hashmi’s Election Draws Racist Comments on Facebook

|

Topics: , , ,

Virginia state Senator-elect Ghazala Hashmi will be the first Muslim to serve in Virginia’s legislature, and a lot of racists on social media just can’t stop crying about it.

Days after Virginia’s legislative elections, racist comments continued to flood news stories about Ghazala Hashmi becoming the first Muslim American to serve in the state Senate, with hundreds of Facebook users linking her to terrorism and saying it was a “sad day” for Virginia.

Reactions ranged from “amazing news” to “why did we let this happen,” according to an analysis of about 3,000 comments posted to five news articles on Facebook.

More than 40 comments said Virginians “forgot” about the 9/11 attacks, while many others used anti-Muslim slurs referring to Hashmi. However, many people posted objections to such remarks and celebrated Hashmi’s election.

Hashmi’s win in District 10 helped Democrats flip the Senate in Tuesday’s election. For the first time in more than 25 years, Democrats will control the General Assembly and the governor’s office — much to the chagrin of Republicans.

All major news outlets in the Richmond area — CBS 6 (WTVR), ABC8 (WRIC), NBC12 (WBBT) and the Richmond Times-Dispatch — posted stories on Facebook about Hashmi’s victory. Within moments, those articles attracted comments, many of them disparaging.

At least two people called Hashmi a “towel head,” referring to the headscarf many Muslim women wear. “Where is her rag on her head,” one person posted.

“I think a whole lot of people need a dose of 9/11 history,” a woman wrote. “What this country has forgotten or not been taught is disgraceful.”

Another comment questioned whether Hashmi, as a Muslim, could take the oath of office.

Richmond resident Mallory Shepard rebuked the man who posted that: “‘One nation under god’ doesn’t specify which god, you pillock.”

In an interview on Facebook, Shepard said, “The specific comment I replied to was focusing on her religion being an issue, which showed the unfortunate reality that Islamophobia is still alive and well in my home state.”

Shepard was among many Facebook users who called out offensive comments and expressed support for Hashmi.

“Y’all really call us snowflakes but can’t handle when someone who isn’t white is elected because somehow anyone brown is responsible for 9/11?” a woman wrote. “Its 2019 but ok boomer.”

A man who posted 10 times told one Facebook user, “I’d rather have a million Muslims in my country than garbage like you. If I were the owner of a business I would never speak about politics like that and come out racist.”

Capital News Service downloaded and perused the comments on five Facebook articles posted Tuesday night and Wednesday. About 1,660 people had posted approximately 2,980 comments.

One man posted comments critical of Hashmi on all five stories. “Be prepared to defend your right to bear arms, friends,” he wrote in reply to WTVR’s story.

Commenting on the ABC8 story about Hashmi, another multiple commenter wrote, “No such thing as a muslim-AMERICAN. Either you are a muslim, or you are an AMERICAN.”

Several people suggested that Hashmi was part of a plot to “destroy America from within.”

“Dumbasses this is how they get foot into our country,” a woman posted on WTVR’s Facebook page. “You who voted her in you just doomed us way to go.”

“Sad day for Virginia. Yet not unexpected,” a man added. “My lovely state of Virginia has become so liberal it makes me want to puke. Did anybody forget who tried to destroy us on 9/11? Pretty sure it was the Muslims … just saying. Trump 2020!”

Other people expressed dismay at the bigotry they were reading on Facebook.

“It is truly, truly sad so many people feel compelled to write such bitter and hateful statements on the basis of religion and ethnicity,” one man posted.

Dozens of comments mentioned guns.

“Get prepared Va — buy your gun now,” a woman posted on WTVR. “Because before its over with we are all going to need to protect ourselves.”

On WTVR’s video of Hashmi’s acceptance speech, a man warned government officials not to try to take his weapons. “You have no idea how pissed off the right is.”

Another man posted 23 comments — more than anyone else — on both WTVR and ABC8. He adamantly defended Hashmi.

“So many people posting Negative comments about this woman’s faith, so many of you posting about 9/11 and about the Enemy Within,” the man wrote. “The only Terrorist that I’ve read about in the last year are the ones in this picture.”

He attached to his comment an image showing the faces of 18 white men who have carried out mass killings. The photo was titled, “Still Scared of Muslims? You Must Be Trying To Be Stupid.”

Written by Hannah Eason and Sravan Gannavarapu, Capital News Service. Top Photo by Susan Shibut.

Opinion: We Have A Blue Virginia. What Will We Do With It?

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , ,

GayRVA Editor-In-Chief Marilyn Drew Necci has an extensive wish list for our new Democratic General Assembly, one that starts with LGBTQ civil rights and goes a lot farther from there.

Well, it’s finally happened — no matter how your mom or your Trump-loving former high school classmates feel about it, Virginia has become a blue state. Our governor is a Democrat, our Congressional representatives are mostly Democrats, and on Tuesday, we voted to give Democrats control of both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. This might change at some point in the future, but at least for the next two years, Democrats are in the driver’s seat when it comes to making the laws in Virginia.

Tuesday brought us all sorts of progressive election results. All five of Virginia’s LGBTQ representatives in the General Assembly were re-elected, which makes Danica Roem, as of two years ago the first transgender person elected to statewide office, now the first transgender person to be RE-elected to statewide office. Her fellow Delegate Dawn Adams also became the first lesbian to be re-elected in the General Assembly.

Farther down the ballot, openly LGBTQ candidate Karl Frisch won a seat on the Fairfax County School Board, defeating an opponent who used anti-LGBTQ rhetoric throughout the campaigning process. In Virginia Beach, former Hampton Roads Pride President Michael Berlucchi was elected to the vacant City Council seat he’d previously been appointed to last May.

Meanwhile, in the West End, Ghazala Hashmi defeated Glen Sturtevant and his “Save Our Neighborhood Schools” campaign to become the first Muslim woman to serve on Virginia’s state Senate. Hashmi is one of two new female state Senators, who along with four new female Delegates pushes the total of female General Assembly members to 41 out of 140 — the highest it’s ever been.

In the House Of Delegates, four new African American delegates, only one of whom is succeeding a previous African American representative, swelled the membership of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus to 23. Of the four Democrats who have already announced their candidacy for the next session’s Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, only one is a white man, while two are black and two are women. Since the position has only ever been held by white men, there will likely be more history made when the coming session’s Speaker of the House is sworn in.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the horse race when discussing elections like these, especially when they go your way. But of course, getting representation is only half the battle. What must come next is major progress on a variety of issues that affect LGBTQ Virginians and other underrepresented minorities in our state.

For years, Equality Virginia has been pushing the General Assembly to pass a variety of much-needed LGBTQ civil rights bills, and the Republican leadership in the House Of Delegates has consistently stood in the way. Here’s a list of reforms attempted in past years, some of which passed in the Senate, none of which were ever allowed to reach a floor vote in the House Of Delegates:

  • Adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes covered by hate crime laws
  • Prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment (currently public employees enjoy this protection, but employees of private businesses do not)
  • Prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in housing
  • Modernization of the process through which transgender people can change the gender markers on legal documents including birth certificates
  • Prohibiting health care companies from withholding trans-related health care from their transgender clients
  • Removing the Marshall-Newman amendment to the Virginia State Constitution, added in 2006, that defines marriage within Virginia as solely between one man and one woman (this may not seem important now, but with Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, one legal decision on SCOTUS’ part could easily make it all too relevant again)

Two years ago, I wrote an admittedly fiery editorial in which I blamed the entire situation on gerrymandering that prevented the will of a majority of Virginians from being reflected in our state’s legislature. I was angry at the time, but based on what’s happened in the two years since that editorial, it seems I was also right — court decisions over the course of 2018 and 2019 paved the way for a redrawn district map that commentators widely agree was crucial in bringing Democrats back to legislative power.

Now that the changes have been made and the votes have been counted, it’s time for our legislature to bring more good news to Virginia’s LGBTQ community. As Equality Virginia’s Executive Director, James Parrish, stated in response to the Democrats’ electoral victory, “Virginia’s voters were loud and clear and elected a pro-equality majority in the House and Senate. We look forward to working with the 2020 General Assembly to pass nondiscrimination protections for LGBT Virginians in employment, housing, and public spaces like stores or restaurants.” In that sentiment, Parrish speaks for us here at GayRVA as well.

Newly re-elected Delegate Danica Roem, for one, stands ready to make sure that these protections come to Virginia at long last. “We have a mandate from the people to pass nondiscrimination (bills) that are comprehensive and inclusive of all our LGBTQ constituents,” Roem told the Washington Blade. “We will be getting that done.”

But there are a good many more progressive issues that we’d all like to see taken up by our new Democratic legislative majority. Governor Northam brought up several of them in a post-election cabinet meeting on Wednesday. He began with guns, a hot-button topic that has had particular relevance in Virginia over the past year due to the Virginia Beach municipal building shooting and the still-lingering fallout of Unite The Right in Charlottesville. The Republican-controlled General Assembly closed a special session called for by Northam this summer to focus on gun legislation after 90 minutes, infuriating many Virginians who want to see action taken on the issue of gun violence.

During the cabinet meeting yesterday, Northam listed a number of legislative items he’d like to see passed in the General Assembly this year. Among them were universal background checks for gun buyers, reinstating the one-handgun-a-month rule, requiring reporting of lost or stolen guns within 24 hours of their disappearance, and a ban on weapons with high-capacity magazines and bump stocks. “They’re pieces of legislation that will save lives, they’re also pieces of legislation that Virginians agree with,” Northam said, according to the Virginia Mercury. “We’ll at least start with those.”

Northam also said that he wanted to give local governments the chance to decide what to do with their Confederate monuments, an issue with relevance in Richmond (the statues on Monument Avenue are currently under state control) as well as Charlottesville and Norfolk. Northam also stated that he wants to increase Virginia’s minimum wage, and work to decriminalize marijuana.

Here at GayRVA (and RVA Magazine), we’d love to see all of those things happen. Indeed, to truly fulfill the promise our newly Democratic state legislature brings to us, these things need to happen. For Virginia’s LGBTQ population and for many other marginalized communities, they will make a significant difference to our quality of life here in the Commonwealth. Let’s get it done.

Top Photo via VCU-CNS

Candidate Debates Spotlight Closely Contested General Assembly Races

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , ,

With control of the General Assembly at stake, Republican incumbents Kirk Cox and Glen Sturtevant faced their Democratic challengers, Ghazala Hashmi and Sheila Bynum-Coleman, in contentious debates last week.

Republican incumbents fighting to keep seats in the 10th Senate and 66th House Districts debated Democratic challengers Wednesday night. Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, elected to the district in 1989, faced opponent Sheila Bynum-Coleman. Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Richmond, in his first Senate re-election campaign, debated challenger Ghazala Hashmi. 

A crowd of around 100 people filled Studio A of Virginia’s home for Public Media, and more tuned in to hear the debate live on-air. The candidates answered questions submitted by the audience in addition to ones written by hosts ChamberRVA and VPM.

Cox, who was elected unanimously as Speaker of the House in 2018, and Bynum-Coleman, now in her fourth political bid for a House district win, fielded questions on a variety of issues including budget priorities, housing, health care, gun control, climate change, and civil rights.

Bynum-Coleman, a small business owner, said she was inspired to run for office by her son, who has a learning disability. 

Bynum-Coleman and Cox agreed that education is a top legislative priority. Bynum-Coleman seeks to increase teacher pay as well as funding for schools and trade programs.

Cox, a retired teacher, also wants to raise teacher salaries to the national average. He added that he would focus on building the state’s cash reserve — currently over $1 billion — in the 2020 budget session.

“We have worked extremely hard to build that reserve against the recession,” Cox said. “I would like to build that reserve further.”

Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, moderator Craig Carper, and Democrat Sheila Bynum-Coleman at the candidate forum on Wednesday. Photo via CNS

Both candidates agreed that Virginia should remain ranked No. 1 for business, but Bynum-Coleman emphasized that the state should focus on workers. 

“I’m a small business owner, and we also have to make sure that Virginia is No. 1 for workers,” Bynum-Coleman said. “We’re talking about corporations versus people.”

Both candidates voiced support for LGBTQ non-discrimination protections. Cox said “discrimination should be against the law,” even though bills such as HB 2067 and HB 2677 to end anti-LGBTQ discrimination in work and housing did not make it past Republican-led House sub-committees in the regular legislative session. Cox said that state employment decisions should be merit-based. 

On the same issue, Bynum-Coleman said legislators should put measures in place so no one is discriminated against based on gender or sexual orientation.

Candidates were asked if they believe in climate change. Cox did not directly respond yes or no, but did say the state needs to be smart about alternative sources, that he has worked very hard on clean water and coastal flooding issues and that he’s against taxpayers absorbing costly energy tax policies.

Bynum-Coleman said she believes in climate change and wants the state to go beyond federal government requirements to ensure clean water and clean air. She talked multiple times about “stopping the chemicals that are going into our water.”

In response to defining common-sense gun legislation and gun regulation, Cox recognized that gun violence is a “serious problem” but sidestepped a direct answer to the question on restrictions. He pointed to the “constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens” and that Virginia has a lower crime rate than states with “more aggressive measures” for gun control.

Bynum-Coleman, whose daughter was shot in 2016, “wholeheartedly” wants universal background checks, which she said has support across the political spectrum and even among “a group of National Rifle Association members.” She also said she wants to ban bump stocks.

About two-thirds of the crowd remained for the second debate between Sturtevant and Hashmi. Sturtevant began by stating that his main priority is “continuing to be an independent voice for this district.” Sturtevant referenced a $25,000 donation that Gov. Ralph Northam made to Hashmi’s campaign via The Way Ahead PAC, saying that the donation “bought her silence” during the governor’s blackface scandal earlier this year.

“Governor Northam is not on the ballot in November 2019,” Hashmi said. “If we’re going to make decisions on who is right for this district, about who is right for Virginia, we need to be focusing on the issues that concern the voters in this district.”

Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R- Richmond, moderator Craig Carper, and Democrat Ghazala Hashmi at the candidate forum on Wednesday. Photo via CNS

Hashmi and Sturtevant had different views on whether Richmond’s Confederate statues should remain in place along Monument Avenue. Sturtevant supports leaving the monuments but adding historical context.

“I don’t think that just tearing down statues is the right way forward,” Sturtevant said. “Future generations will forget what was done here — and why — and America’s original sin of slavery.”

Hashmi, a professor at Reynolds Community College, countered his point by saying she teaches history through facts, but she doesn’t “teach history through Confederate monuments.” 

“What kind of a message do we send to visitors to our city when we have edifices that glorify a Confederate past?” Hashmi said. 

The Senate candidates differed on Medicaid and gun control, but both acknowledge climate change.

“I actually don’t believe in climate change … I believe in climate crisis,” Hashmi said. Sturtevant said he also believes in climate change, but said that there is no need to “destroy Virginia’s economy” while addressing climate change.

Sturtevant cited taxes as a reason he was opposed to Medicaid expansion, but he does not support rolling it back. Hashmi said expanding access to Medicaid is “an important first step” on lowering the costs of health care and wants to ensure access to health care “for all Virginians.”

Sturtevant said gun control is a mental health issue. Hashmi wants common sense gun safety and action in the General Assembly

The 66th District was one of 25 House districts redrawn earlier this year after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that the previous map was racially gerrymandered. Chesterfield County voters account for 78 percent of the district, which also includes the cities of Colonial Heights and Richmond. The 66th District is projected to be 32 percent more favorable to Democrats than in the past, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Republicans have held the 10th District — which voted for Democrats in the 2018, 2017, and 2016 elections — since a special election in 1986 — 33 years. Chesterfield and Richmond voters make up the bulk of the district, in addition to Powhatan County.

Cox has accrued the largest war chest of all House candidates, raising over $1.1 million. Bynum-Coleman has raised $470,308 in the same period.

Sturtevant has outraised Hashmi, $759,637 to $607,821, according to VPAP data from the end of August. New campaign totals will be released Oct. 15.

ChamberRVA and VPM will again partner for a 12th Senate District debate Oct. 18 at the VPM studio. Incumbent Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico squares off against challenger Del. Debra Rodman, D-Henrico.

Written by Jason Boleman, Capital News Service. Top Photo: Supporters meet with Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, and Democrat Sheila Bynum-Coleman after the candidate forum on Wednesday, via CNS