Flip-a-District Friday VOLUME IX
Welcome to Volume IX of the 2019 Flip-A-District Friday series. With September just around the corner, campaigns are in full swing throughout Virginia. We have just 74 days until Election Day, and every moment counts.
DISTRICT 76
Meet the candidate: Clint Jenkins
Clint Jenkins was raised in the heart of the 76th District and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School. After graduating Clint enlisted in the U.S. Army and proudly served his country. Upon returning to Suffolk, he earned his B.A. at Saint Leo University and continued his graduate studies at Southeastern Baptist Theology Seminary. Clint and his wife, Karen, met at the Oak Grove Baptist Church in Suffolk. The proud parents of three daughters, they will be celebrating their 32nd wedding anniversary this year.
After working for a time as a Subcontracts Administrator for BAE Systems Shipyard, Clint became the Shipyard's Ethics Officer. While employed in the ship repair industry, Clint began working part-time as a real estate agent. Today, he manages a local real estate company with his daughter, Ashlin.
Clint has been serving his community his entire life, staying active in local civic leagues, churches, and various other community organizations. He has also been a leader in the local Democratic Party, serving as the Suffolk Coordinator for the 77th House of Delegates District and the DPVA’s Chair of the 3rd Congressional District.
Clint’s involvement in his community has been defined by a strong commitment to service. He knows the needs and concerns of the people of the 76th District because he has seen and heard them firsthand. He is committed to representing his constituents with honesty, integrity, and transparency.
House District 76:
Federal courts ordered that the 76th District be redrawn this year, markedly changing its partisan make-up. While it was about 43.9 percent Democratic during the 2017 election, the newly drawn district has a likely Democratic performance of 57.5 percent. This is a key red-to-blue district -- it will be hard to take the majority in the House without picking up seats like the 76th.
Incumbent Delegate Chris Jones (R) has not faced a challenger since 2005, and he is likely a bit rusty on the campaign trail. He didn't have a public Twitter or Facebook account until a few months ago, for example.
Jones has been fundraising consistently from corporations and high dollar donors. Only three of his top ten donors are individuals, and one of those three people is a top lobbyist for Dominion.
Clint Jenkins, on the other hand, is running a true grassroots campaign, having received 119 small dollar donations this year, and 27 contributions over $100. Jones, meanwhile, has received just 11 small dollar donations, and 102 contributions over $100 from companies like Dominion and Virginia Natural Gas. Jones has amassed quite the war chest over his approximately 20 years as a Delegate, so Democrats will need to continue rallying behind Jenkins if we want to take back this seat in November.
The 76th District includes parts of Suffolk and Chesapeake Cities. Click here for more district details.
Just one example of why Jones must go:
Chris Jones uses his seniority in the Virginia Republican Party to kill great bills and promote bad ones in the Appropriations Committee, which he has chaired since 2014. He refrains from weighing in on issues much of the time, but has cast selective deciding votes during his tenure that reveal where his priorities are.
- In 2019, Jones was the deciding vote to kill a commonsense bill that would have prevented the personal use of campaign funds by politicians like him.
- In 2018, he backed a highly partisan bill that would remove the Governor's authority to appoint U.S. Senators in case of a vacancy.
- In 2017, Jones supported a pair of pro-charter school bills that would strip much-needed funding away from existing school districts. Both bills were ultimately vetoed by then-Governor McAuliffe.
- In 2016, he voted to de-fund organizations that provide family planning services.
- In 2014 and 2015, Jones was a key and consistent voice in blocking then-Governor McAuliffe's plan to expand Medicaid in Virginia. He is now inexplicably trying to claim credit for Medicaid expansion, but his years of resistance reveal his true colors on the issue.
Jones' conservative views simply do not reflect those of the 76th District, and it's time for him to be retired.
Contact the campaign here.
Contribute here.
District 22
Meet the candidate: Jennifer Woofter
For over a decade Jennifer has run her own business, helping organizations save money and increase profitability through better management of environmental and social risk. She has personally worked with more than 100 businesses in the United States and around the world to eliminate abusive labor conditions in the supply chain, reduce harmful pollution from manufacturing facilities, and partner with communities to create vibrant local economies.
She began her career and political experience as a staffer for the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, where she worked on issues of fraud, waste, and abuse in government agencies, civil service reform, and regulatory oversight.
Today, Jennifer runs her small business and continues to consult with other companies. She is also a facilitator for Co.Starters, a nationwide program building entrepreneurial ecosystems, and an adviser with the Small Business Development Center. To date, she has trained more than thirty entrepreneurs in Central Virginia.
Actively involved with the local community, Jennifer has served as a Board Member on the James River Council for the Arts and Humanities (JRCAH) since 2015. She is also a facilitator for Bridges to Progress, a multi-year initiative to build economic vitality in under-served areas. Jennifer sits on the Lynchburg City School’s Equity Task Force and is the co-chair of ROSEL's List, a nonprofit dedicated to identifying, mentoring and electing women to positions of leadership in Central Virginia.
Jennifer is a tireless advocate for Virginia families, first as a foster parent and now as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer in the foster care system. She lives in Lynchburg with her husband and their three children in a historic home with a mini-farm in the back. They can frequently be found fostering puppies and kittens from the Lynchburg Humane Society.
House District 22:
The 22nd District typically leans Republican, but Jennifer Woofter is giving incumbent Delegate Kathy Byron (R) a run for her money. Woofter has received 318 individual contributions in 2019 totaling $58,805, while Byron has received just 35 donations with a sum of $37,452 (and only one of those was a small-dollar donation). Despite Jennifer's great numbers, however, Byron still has a nearly two-to-one cash advantage, so Democrats will have an uphill climb here.
The district includes Bedford, Campbell, and Franklin Counties as well as parts of Lynchburg City. Click here for more district details.
Just one example of why we must defeat Byron:
When she's not praising ultra-conservative former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) or Ben Carson or Donald Trump, Byron is busy solidifying her legacy as the new Bob Marshall in the House of Delegates. Obsessed with being "a leader in the effort to fight those who want to advance the liberal social agenda," Byron proudly authored the 2012 anti-choice, mandatory transvaginal ultrasound bill. As terrible as the bill ended up, she wanted to go even farther than what then-Governor Bob McDonnell proposed.
She hasn't shown any growth on social issues since 2012:
- In 2016, Byron lashed out against the U.S. Supreme Court for overturning bans on same-sex marriage. She wrote that she "will continue to support measures that reinforce" "traditions of Western Civilization on the issue of marriage."
- In 2018, she played an instrumental role in killing a bill before her subcommittee that would have required equal pay for equal work for women.
- In 2019, Byron helped to kill the ERA. Enough said.
Byron's radically conservative views are past their expiration date, and Virginia's 22nd District deserves better.
Contact the campaign here.
Contribute here.
District 64
Meet the candidate: Michele Joyce
Michele Joyce is a longtime resident of Smithfield, where she and her husband have raised their two daughters. She is best described as a "problem solver." Michele has a background in physics and has worked at Jefferson Lab as a computer scientist in Newport News for 20 years, writing software for the Lab’s particle accelerator. For the last decade, Michele has been a volunteer, community leader and advocate, helping hundreds of residents in rural areas of HD-64 find affordable access to health care.
Michele spent much of her childhood overseas (Iran, India and Indonesia) as the daughter of diplomat for the State Department. Her family moved back to the U.S. in time for her to complete high school in Northern Virginia. Michele graduated from William & Mary in 1993 with her B.S. in Physics.
After witnessing a neighborhood family fall victim to a flawed health care system, she decided it was time to play an active role in helping her community through engaging people. Her last decade of advocacy work has been guided by the belief that our democracy is stronger when everyone is engaged in the political process because we have more in common than we do different from one another.
During her time as a community organizer, Michele fought and campaigned for the passage of the Affordable Care Act. When the ACA was implemented in 2014, she became a volunteer Health Care Navigator, traveling throughout the District, educating the public about the new law, and helping over 100 families in Isle of Wight County find quality, affordable health care.
In addition to her work as a Health Care Navigator and community advocate, Michele has been actively involved with Smithfield Public Schools as a parent and is a Board Member with the Greater Hampton Roads Diaper Bank. Michele lives in Smithfield with her husband, Pete, daughter Hailey, a rising second year at UVA, daughter Julia, a rising junior at Smithfield High School and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Sir Isaac Fig Newton.
House District 64:
The 64th District is light red, with Senator Tim Kaine taking 44 percent of the vote in 2018. It includes parts of Isle of Wight, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex Counties, and a large piece of Suffolk City. Incumbent Delegate Emily Brewer (R) has a fundraising advantage, but Michele is working hard to win over voters every day. Click here for more district details.
Just one example of why we must defeat Brewer:
Brewer is a typical Republican, offering unremarkable platitudes on her website about "cutting red tape" and "keeping your taxes low." She toes the party line in subcommittee and votes 91 percent with her caucus on the floor.
While she's not a flame-thrower, Brewer still casts deciding votes in the wrong direction. For example, she helped to kill bills that would:
- Reduce suicide in the juvenile justice system.
- Require localities to adopt and establish policies for the operation of a body-worn camera system.
- Ban private prisons in Virginia.
Brewer has not shown much appetite to break with her party as a freshman Delegate, and it seems unlikely she'll have an epiphany anytime soon. The 64th deserves a representative who will show up for the district, not a political party, when push comes to shove.
Contact the campaign here.
Contribute here.
District 55
Meet the candidate: Morgan Goodman
Morgan is a lifelong Virginian who lives with her husband Mike and their children Madison and Mason in Mechanicsville. Morgan is on the PTA Board and serves as a co-leader for her daughter's Girl Scout Troop. She is active in the community and has volunteered with her children's school, the Ronald McDonald House, and local litter clean-up events. When she is not on the campaign trail, Morgan and her family enjoy going to football games, visiting state and local parks, and attending some of the many festivals and local events in communities throughout the Commonwealth.
Morgan has a Bachelor's Degree in Marine Biology and a Master's Degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Policy. She has spent her career working to protect the environment through her work for non-profit organizations, the federal government, and now the state government. Morgan will continue working for common-sense environmental protections in the General Assembly. She believes that a healthy environment is imperative for a healthy workforce and healthy economy.
Morgan is running to bring the voice of the people of the 55th District to the General Assembly in Richmond. She will work to ratify the ERA, decrease the student-to-counselor ratio in schools, expand internet access to rural areas, and preserve natural resources in the 55th District and throughout the Commonwealth. Morgan will be responsive to all constituents, work tirelessly to seek solutions, and focus on the issues that matter to people of Hanover, Caroline, and Spotsylvania Counties. She believes that with common sense and common decency we can find common ground to move Virginia forward.
House District 55:
The 55th District leans red, but Morgan has done a great job of out-raising incumbent Delegate Buddy Fowler (R) this cycle. With over eight times the number of small-dollar donors as her Republican opponent this year, Morgan is ready for a rematch with Fowler, whom she took on in 2017.
The district includes parts of Hanover, Caroline, and Spotsylvania Counties. Click here for more district details.
Just one example of why we Fowler must go:
Fowler serves on the Privileges and Elections Committee, to which all voting-related matters are referred. In this role, he has consistently voted to kill bills that would promote voter participation, and he has pushed stricter voter ID bills and other proposals that would make it harder to vote.
Fowler introduced a particularly baffling bill in 2017. HB1428 would have required anyone voting absentee to mail or fax a copy of their license or other form of identification used for voting with a copy of their absentee ballot. How is a registrar supposed to verify from looking at the picture on a faxed license that the person is in fact who he or she claims to be? The whole point of a voter ID law, according to Republicans, is for poll workers to make sure that the person standing in front of them hoping to cast a vote is the same person on the photo ID.
Fowler's bill would have placed unnecessary burdens on localities that have high rates of absentee voting for no apparent reason. It was vetoed by then-Governor McAuliffe -- you can read his veto statement here.
Contact the campaign here.
Contribute here.
That's it for Volume IX of our Flip-a-District Friday series. I encourage you to review this email and future editions to find a candidate or candidates whom you would like to support with your time or financial resources.