By Kristin O’Donoghue
Virginia’s House of Delegates plays a vital role in the state’s lawmaking—the chamber’s 100 representatives are responsible for both originating legislation and voting on the state Senate’s bills. In 2019, Democrats took control of the House for the first time since 1998. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the House 55 to 45.
Four House of Delegates districts include parts of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. This year, all four of the area’s incumbents are hoping to secure another term. Each of the sitting reps won their races by at least 18 percent last time around. Refresh your memory on the delegates, and meet their challengers, below.
25th district
Chris Runion (R)
Previous experience: House of Delegates member, 2020-present
A conservative Republican from the Shenandoah Valley, Runion says he’ll “stand firm” for Second Amendment rights and abortion restrictions. Runion’s a business owner with an accounting background, who says he was initially compelled to run for public office to bring some “fiscal sanity” to Richmond. In 2021, Runion sponsored a bill that allows people to apply for concealed handgun permits virtually, since courts were closed during the pandemic.
Jennifer Kitchen (D)
Previous experience: community organizer from Augusta County
Kitchen is running for office because she believes rural communities across the commonwealth have been devalued and ignored. Her top priority is expanding broadband internet access to rural communities, and she also hopes to expand Medicare and increase education funding. She’s emphasized her outsider status, casting herself as a working class alternative to the legislature’s standard fare. Kitchen challenged Runion in 2019, and lost by 18 percent.
57th district
Sally Hudson (D)
Previous experience: House of Delegates member, 2020-present
Hudson, an economist and UVA assistant professor of public policy, became the first woman to represent Charlottesville in the House of Delegates when she was first elected in November 2019. Hudson hit the ground running in her first session, using her economic background to focus on fiscal policies, such as unemployment and energy costs. In the 2021 session, she introduced HB 1900, which makes it more difficult for landlords to evict tenants, and forces landlords to pay tenants back in the case of an illegal eviction.
Philip Andrew Hamilton (R)
Previous experience: works in sales for AT&T, writes a blog at HamiltonHistoricRecords.com
Hamilton is the first Republican to mount a campaign in the deep-blue 57th District in 16 years. His top priorities are “keeping government small” by curbing emergency powers of the governor and supporting term limits for federal, state, and local legislators, and “making businesses better” in a post-pandemic economy. When he announced his campaign, he said he’d introduce a bill to repeal the new legislation allowing localities control over their own monuments.
58th district
Rob Bell (R)
Previous experience: House of Delegates member, 2002-present
Bell, a former prosecutor and longtime delegate, represents chunks of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, and Rockingham counties. As delegate, one of Bell’s focuses has been imposing harsher penalties on those guilty of sexual assault, domestic violence, and sexual crimes against children. During his term, Bell has received awards from the Virginia State Police, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the American Conservative Union. In 2021, Bell introduced a bill that expanded the eligibility for drivers to get a special communication needs indicator placed on their vehicle registration. The bill passed unanimously.
Sara Ratcliffe (D)
Previous experience: 30 years of campaign work, including a full-time position on Barack Obama’s 2008 team
Touting her “rural roots and Virginia values,” Ratcliffe hopes to bring her experience in advocacy to build a better 58th District. Ratcliffe says she’s felt a lifelong calling to “look out for those whose voices are not heard in government,” and intends to focus on health care, empowering small businesses, and finding better solutions to public safety concerns that involve social workers and mental health professionals rather than armed police.
59th district
Matt Fariss (R)
Previous experience: House of Delegates member, 2012-present
Described on his website as “first and foremost a Christian man,” Fariss has represented the largely rural 59th District for almost 10 years. Before entering politics, Farris co-owned and served as vice president of the Lynchburg Livestock Market, managing farms and ranches, and operating a retail store. Farris boasts staunch anti-abortion views and opposes government regulation of property and excessive taxation. In the 2021 session, Fariss introduced an unsuccessful bill that would have made it a felony to steal parts from motor vehicles.
Ben Moses (D)
Previous experience: UVA hospital critical care physician and anesthesiologist, U.S. Army doctor
Originally from San Antonio, Moses served as an army doctor before coming to UVA, where he’s worked for the past 10 years. Moses serves as a faculty senator at UVA, and volunteers at various community organizations including Habitat for Humanity and PACEM. If elected, he says he’ll advocate for health justice as a right for all Virginians, support a move toward renewable energy, and fight for equitable funding for rural Virginia schools.
