For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023
Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org
Slate of candidates commit to bold, climate action and putting environmental protection first
RICHMOND – This fall, all 140 seats in the General Assembly will be on the ballot in pivotal elections that will determine whether Governor Youngkin’s regressive, MAGA agenda moves forward with allies at the legislature committed to rolling back generational progress on climate action, or if his attacks on our Virginians’ clean air and water will continue to run into a Brick Wall.
As an organization with a goal of securing a Conservation Majority, Virginia LCV is working hard to elect environmental champions to the House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia. To-date, Virginia LCV has endorsed 57 candidates ahead of this year’s legislative elections who, like most Virginians, are all committed to our vision of a Virginia where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians.
“Governor Youngkin’s extreme MAGA agenda would set Virginia back decades in the fight for a liveable future. When Youngkin wants to keep our state tied to harmful fossil fuels, roll back our state’s best tools to address climate change amidst record heat, and let polluters off the hook, we’re backing candidates for the General Assembly who are committed to taking serious climate action, putting our environment first and standing up for the Virginia communities that are on the frontlines of the climate crisis,” said Michael Town, executive director of Virginia LCV.
To earn a Virginia LCV endorsement, candidates must complete a candidate questionnaire; new candidates with no voting history also go through an interview process with staff and the organization’s board of directors, who ultimately vote on all candidate endorsements. It should be noted despite our outreach to their campaigns, no Republican candidates opted to complete our questionnaire or go through our endorsement process.
The following candidates have completed this process and received Virginia LCV’s endorsement so far in the 2023 election cycle:
House of Delegates
Kimberly Pope Adams (D) – District 82
Rob Banse (D) – District 30
Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D) – District 5
David Bulova (D) – District 11
Betsy Carr (D) – District 78
Nadarius Clark (D) – District 84
Laura Jane Cohen (D) – District 16
Joshua Cole (D) – District 65
Karrie Delaney (D) – District 9
Michael Feggans (D) – District 97
Lily Franklin (D) – District 41
Debra Gardner (D) – District 76
Susanna Gibson (D) – District 57
Dan Helmer (D) – District 10
Phil Hernandez (D) – District 94
Charniele Herring (D) – District 4
Patrick Hope (D) – District 1
Karen Jenkins (D) – District 89
Karen Keys-Gamarra – District 7
Amy Laufer (D) – District 55
Candi Mundon King (D) – District 23
Paul Krizek (D) – District 16
Alfonso Lopez (D) – District 3
Michelle Maldonado (D) – District 20
Marty Martinez (D) – District 29
Adele McClure (D) – District 2
Travis Nembhard (D) – District 22
Sam Rasoul (D) – District 38
Don Scott (D) – District 88
Briana Sewell (D) – District 25
Marcus Simon (D) – District 13
Shelly Simonds (D) – District 70
Irene Shin (D) – District 8
Rip Sullivan (D) – District 6
Josh Thomas (D) – District 21
Luke Torian (D) – District 24
Kathy Tran (D) – District 18
Vivian Watts (D) – District 14
Rodney Willett (D) – District 58
Senate of Virginia
Jennifer Boysko (D) – District 6
Creigh Deeds (D) – District 11
Adam Ebbin (D) – District 39
Barbara Favola (D) – District 40
Angelia Williams Graves (D) – District 21
Joel Griffin (D) – District 27
Ghazala Hashmi (D) – District 15
Clint Jenkins (D) – District 17
Mamie Locke (D) – District 23
Dave Marsden (D) – District 35
Monty Mason (D) – District 24
Jeremy McPike (D) – District 29
Stella Pekarsky (D) – District 36
Russet Perry (D) – District 31
Danica Roem (D) – District 30
Aaron Rouse (D) – District 22
Scott Surovell (D) – District 38
Schuyler VanValkenburg (D) – District 16
About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.