Ahead of the 2025 state legislative session, Dels. Katrina Callsen and Amy Laufer launched their respective reelection campaigns. Both Charlottesville-area delegates have been endorsed by state Democratic party leaders, including Speaker of the House of Delegates Don Scott and state Sen. Creigh Deeds.
Callsen gathered supporters at the Virginia Discovery Museum on December 29 to kick off her bid for reelection. In her freshman term, Callsen worked on bipartisan legislation, including a bill to formalize kinship care in Virginia. If reelected to represent the 54th District, she said health care, affordable housing, the environment, and education would be her top priorities.
Del. Amy Laufer formally announced her bid for reelection in a January 2 press release. The 55th District—which includes parts of Albemarle, Louisa, Nelson, and Fluvanna counties—is one of the only rural areas represented by a Democrat in the state legislature.
“We’ve got so much work to do in strengthening and investing in our public schools, finding ways to make health care more affordable and accessible, protecting our environment, creating more affordable housing, defending women’s rights, as well as the rights of our most vulnerable community members,” said Laufer in her campaign announcement.
The Virginia General Assembly convenes for its first session of the year on January 8.
Meanwhile, former Charlottesville-area congressman Denver Riggleman is considering a run for governor, according to a January 1 interview with The Washington Post. The one-time Republican representative said he would run as an independent and has begun putting together an exploratory committee.
If Riggleman enters the gubernatorial race, he will likely face expected-Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger, who he endorsed in her 2022 bid for reelection to Congress. Both the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial races currently have only one candidate—Spanberger and John Curran, respectively—but there’s still time for others to make a run at either party’s primary.
Racing ahead
Dashad Cooper formally announced his candidacy on January 3 for the Charlottesville City School Board. He previously ran for City Council, coming in fourth in the three-seat race in 2023.
Three board seats are on the ballot this November, with the terms of Emily Dooley, Vice Chair Dom Morse, and Chair Lisa Larson-Torres all expiring at the end of 2025. In a joint statement released January 4, Dooley and Larson-Torres confirmed their intent to run for reelection.
At press time, Morse had not indicated whether he would seek another term.
