The Virginia General Assembly was established by the British colonial governor in 1619 and is the oldest continuously operating legislature in the western hemisphere. It comprises two houses: the Senate is the upper house and the House of Delegates is the lower.
This year, all one hundred seats in the House of Delegates stand for election.
Delegates must be at least twenty-one years old and residents of the district they wish to represent. They serve two-year terms with no term limits. Currently, the Democratic Party holds a 51-48 majority and there is one vacant seat.
26th District
Incumbent Delegate JJ Singh (D-26th) is challenged by Ommair Butt (R) for the 26th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.
The 26th District encompasses an area running from the far southeast corner of Loudoun County straight north to Croson Lane in Brambleton. Its western edge roughly follows Northstar Boulevard (in the south) and Evergreen Mills Road (in the north), and its eastern border runs roughly through the middle of South Riding and along the western property line of Dulles Airport.
Communities in the district include Brambleton, Stone Ridge, and the western half of South Riding.
Incumbent: JJ Singh (D)
Incumbent Delegate JJ Singh (D-26th) stands for reelection as the Democratic Party nominee to represent the 26th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. Singh is nearing the end of his first partial term; he was elected in a January special election after former Delegate Kannan Srinivasan (D-26th) resigned to seek election to the Virginia Senate.
Singh has worked as an underwriter for Ascendus, director at LNWA & Arbor Management, and president of Retreat Hotels & Resorts. He also served in public-sector roles as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, credit analyst for the White House Office of Management and Budget under President Barack Obama (D), policy advisor to Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), and member of the Loudoun County Economic Development Advisory Commission.
Singh’s headline priorities for the district are defending our freedoms, fighting to lower costs, protecting our community, and building a clean economy. These are mostly fine, but some of the descriptions beneath these headlines are astoundingly backwards.
Under “defending our freedoms,” Singh speaks only about protecting “reproductive freedom” (a ghoulish euphemism for abortion) and codifying “abortion access into Virginia’s Constitution.” The right to life is the first and most fundamental human right; all other rights and freedoms rest upon it. Wrapping his advocacy for abortion in platitudes about freedom is wrong and insulting. And under “protecting the community,” Singh offers vague promises to impose on Virginians’ self-defense rights. You cannot protect a community—and the people in it—by limiting their ability to protect themselves.
In these cases, the descriptions don’t just misalign with their headlines, they run completely against them. In the rest, we find little more than empty promises about price reduction, unscientific nonsense about climate change, and opposition to electric transmission lines.
Challenger: Ommair Butt (R)
Ommair Butt (R) stands as the Republican Party nominee to challenge incumbent Delegate JJ Singh (D) for the 26th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Butt is an information technology and software implementation professional who has worked on federal projects for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This work included “highly sensitive projects at the Pentagon.” He also says he has a “deep passion for service and a lifelong commitment to empowering others” and that he works “across industries, faiths, and communities” to bridge divides and foster dialog.
If elected, Butt promises to strengthen education and protect parental rights, foster economic growth, preserve Loudoun County’s beauty and promote “responsible growth,” encourage civic engagement, improve transportation and infrastructure, enhance public safety, defend constitutional freedoms, support retired public servants, and secure schools and places of worship.
In marked contrast to his opponent, the headlines and the descriptions beneath them on Butt’s campaign website are in general agreement with each another. There is no Orwellian “newspeak” here . . . but there isn’t much of anything else either. He offers no details about what specific policies he supports or how he plans to accomplish his goals. He also demonstrates muddy thinking on the right to property, which is the third human right, and supports “responsible growth,” which is just a euphemism for improper interference with what businesses and individuals do with their own property. That is not the government’s job.
Butt also expresses opposition to the same electric transmission line project that Singh opposes. Infrastructure improvements should not be held hostage by politicians pandering to local NIMBYs.
Conclusion
Incumbent Delegate JJ Singh (D-26th) has a compelling personal story and seems like a nice enough guy, but he is badly misguided about some of the most basic principles of human rights and political liberty. The three fundamental human rights are life, liberty, and property—in that order. It is difficult to take a candidate seriously when they get the first one wrong.
Ommair Butt also seems like a nice enough guy, but he offers so few policy details that I can’t offer much analysis. His sparsely-described positions are more coherent than Singh’s, but still include contradictions. He says he wants infrastructure improvement but opposes electric transmission lines (which are infrastructure). He says he wants to “protect all our rights” while advocating polices that interfere with property rights.
As frustrating as that is, Butt’s errors on matters of property rights and infrastructure are minor compared to Singh’s broader rejection of higher rights that are more essential for a safe and just society, including the rights to life and self-defense.
Vote Ommair Butt for the 26th District in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Other Districts
I make the following recommendations for contested races in other districts. I have evaluated each race and candidate individually according to the same general criteria described in the endorsement article above.
Please note that there are two “Special Statements” this year. One appears in the list and affects the race in the 27th District. The other is a general statement at the end of the article.
- 1st District: Incumbent Delegate Patrick Hope (D-1st) is challenged by Bill Moher (R). I recommend voting for Bill Moher.
- 2nd District: Incumbent Delegate Adele McClure (D-2nd) is challenged by Wendy Sigley (R). I recommend voting for Wendy Sigley.
- 3rd District: Incumbent Delegate Alfonso Lopez (D-3rd) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 4th District: Incumbent Delegate Charniele Herring (D-4th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 5th District: Incumbent Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 6th District: Incumbent Delegate Rip Sullivan (D-6th) is challenged by Kristin Hoffman (R). I recommend voting for Kristin Hoffman.
- 7th District: Incumbent Delegate Karen Keys-Gamarra (D-7th) is challenged by Cassandra Aucoin (R). I recommend voting for Cassandra Aucoin.
- 8th District: Incumbent Delegate Irene Shin (D-8th) is challenged by Indira Massey (R). I recommend voting for Indira Massey.
- 9th District: Incumbent Delegate Karrie Delaney (D-9th) is challenged by Nhan Huynh (R). I recommend voting for Nhan Huynh.
- 10th District: Incumbent Delegate Dan Helmer (D-10th) is challenged by David Guill (R). I recommend voting for David Guill.
- 11th District: Incumbent Delegate David Bulova (D-11th) is challenged by Brandon Givens (Forward) and Adam Wise (R). I recommend voting for Adam Wise.
- 12th District: Incumbent Delegate Holly Seibold (D-12th) is challenged by Nelson Figueroa (R). I recommend voting for Nelson Figueroa.
- 13th District: Incumbent Delegate Marcus Simon (D-13th) is challenged by Sylwia Oleksy (R). I recommend voting for Sylwia Oleksy.
- 14th District: Incumbent Delegate Vivian Watts (D-14th) is challenged by Eric Johnson (R). I recommend voting for Eric Johnson.
- 15th District: Incumbent Delegate Laura Jane Cohen (D-15th) is challenged by Saundra Davis (R). I recommend voting for Saundra Davis.
- 16th District: Incumbent Delegate Paul E. Krizek (D-16th) is challenged by Shelly Arnoldi (I) and Richard Hayden (R). I recommend voting for Shelly Arnoldi.
- 17th District: Incumbent Delegate Mark Sickles (D-17th) is challenged by Naomi Mesfin (R). I recommend voting for Naomi Mesfin.
- 18th District: Incumbent Delegate Kathy Tran (D-18th) is challenged by Ed McGovern (R). I recommend voting for Ed McGovern.
- 19th District: Incumbent Delegate Rozia Henson (D-19th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 20th District: Incumbent Delegate Michelle Maldonado (D-20th) is challenged by Christopher Stone (R). I recommend voting for Christopher Stone.
- 21st District: Incumbent Delegate Josh Thomas (D-21st) is challenged by Greg Gorham (R). I recommend voting for Greg Gorham.
- 22nd District: Incumbent Delegate Ian Lovejoy (R-22nd) is challenged by former Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (D-31st). I recommend voting for Ian Lovejoy.
- 23rd District: Incumbent Delegate Candi King (D-23rd) is challenged by James Tully (R). I recommend voting for James Tully.
- 24th District: Incumbent Delegate Luke Torian (D-24th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 25th District: Incumbent Delegate Briana Sewell (D-25th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 26th District: See long-form endorsement above.
- 27th District: Incumbent Delegate Atoosa Reaser (D-27th) is challenged by Junaid Khan (R). For the reasons described in the special statement below, I strongly recommend voting for Junaid Khan.
- SPECIAL STATEMENT: Atoosa Reaser previously served on the Loudoun County School Board representing the Algonkian District. She was complicit in COVID-19 closures, adopting racist curricula, participating in cover-ups relating to sexual assaults, protecting a lying superintendent and giving him a taxpayer-funded “golden parachute,” and refusing to release a board-commissioned investigative report (details here). Placing her again in a position of public trust is unconscionable. Shame on the Democratic Party for nominating her (twice!). Shame on the 27th District for electing her. Shame on the 27th District if they reelect her now.
- 28th District: Incumbent Delegate David Reid (D-28th) is challenged by Janet Geisler (R). I recommend voting for Janet Geisler.
- 29th District: Incumbent Delegate Marty Martinez (D-29th) is challenged by Scott Thomas (R). I recommend voting for Scott Thomas.
- 30th District: Incumbent Delegate Geary Higgins (R-30th) is challenged by John McAuliff (D). I recommend voting for Geary Higgins.
- 31st District: Incumbent Delegate Delores Oates (R-31st) is challenged by Shane Boswell (D). I recommend voting for Delores Oates.
- 32nd District: Incumbent Delegate Bill Wiley (R-32nd) is challenged by Jon Lucci (D). I recommend voting for Bill Wiley.
- 33rd District: Justin Pence (R) and Cathy Rec (D) stand as candidates for an open seat. I recommend voting for Justin Pence.
- 34th District: Incumbent Delegate Tony Wilt (R-34th) is challenged by Andrew Payton (D). I recommend voting for Tony Wilt.
- 35th District: Incumbent Delegate Chris Runion (R-35th) is challenged by Jena Crisler (D). I recommend voting for Chris Runion.
- 36th District: Incumbent Delegate Ellen Campbell (R-36th) is challenged by Makayla Venable (D). I recommend voting for Ellen Campbell.
- 37th District: Incumbent Delegate Terry Austin (R-37th) is challenged by Andrew Hartless (D). I recommend voting for Terry Austin.
- 38th District: Incumbent Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-38th) is challenged by Maynard Keller (I). I make no recommendation.
- 39th District: Incumbent Delegate Will Davis (R-39th) is challenged by Eric Klotz (D). I recommend voting for Will Davis.
- 40th District: Incumbent Delegate Joe McNamara (R-40th) is challenged by Donna Littlepage (D). I recommend voting for Joe McNamara.
- 41st District: Incumbent Delegate Chris Obenshain (R-41st) is challenged by Lily Franklin (D). I recommend voting for Chris Obenshain.
- 42nd District: Incumbent Delegate Jason Ballard (R-42nd) is challenged by Biko Agozino (D). I recommend voting for Jason Ballard.
- 43rd District: Incumbent Delegate Will Morefield (R-43rd) is challenged by Mary Sumner (D). I recommend voting for Will Morefield.
- 44th District: Incumbent Delegate Israel O’Quinn (R-44th) is challenged by Cindy Green (D). I recommend voting for Israel O’Quinn.
- 45th District: Incumbent Delegate Terry Kilgore (R-45th) is challenged by Josh Outsey (D). I recommend voting for Terry Kilgore.
- 46th District: Mitchell Cornett (R) and Jamie Hendry (D) stand as candidates for an open seat. I recommend voting for Mitchell Cornett.
- 47th District: Incumbent Delegate Wren Williams (R-47th) is challenged by Yvonne Rorrer (D). I recommend voting for Wren Williams.
- 48th District: Incumbent Delegate Eric Phillips (R-48th) is challenged by Barbara Hancock (I) and Melody “Mel” Cartwright (D). I recommend voting for Eric Phillips.
- 49th District: Gary Miller (D) and Madison Whittle (R) stand as candidates for an open seat. I recommend voting for Madison Whittle.
- 50th District: Incumbent Delegate Thomas Wright (R-50th) is challenged by Trudy Bell Berry (I) and Earnadette Powell-Farrar (D). I make no recommendation.
- 51st District: Incumbent Delegate Eric Zehr (R-51st) is challenged by Joy Powers (D). I recommend voting for Eric Zehr.
- 52nd District: Incumbent Delegate Wendell Walker (R-52nd) is challenged by Risë Hayes (D). I recommend voting for Wendell Walker.
- 53rd District: Incumbent Delegate Tim Griffin (R-53rd) is challenged by Sam Soghor (D). I recommend voting for Tim Griffin.
- 54th District: Incumbent Delegate Katrina Callsen (D-54th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 55th District: Incumbent Delegate Amy Laufer (D-55th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 56th District: Incumbent Delegate Tom Garrett (R-56th) is challenged by Angela Chainer (D). I recommend voting for Tom Garrett.
- 57th District: Incumbent Delegate David Owen (R-57th) is challenged by May Nivar (D). I recommend voting for David Owen.
- 58th District: Incumbent Delegate Rodney Willett (D-58th) is challenged by Milad Mikhail (R). I recommend voting for Milad Mikhail.
- 59th District: Incumbent Delegate Buddy Fowler (R-59th) is challenged by Scott Konopasek (D). I recommend voting for Buddy Fowler.
- 60th District: Incumbent Delegate Scott Wyatt (R-60th) is challenged by Andrew Ward (D). I recommend voting for Scott Wyatt.
- 61st District: Incumbent Delegate Michael Webert (R-61st) is challenged by Jac Bennington (D). I recommend voting for Michael Webert.
- 62nd District: Karen Hamilton (R) and Sara Ratcliffe (D) stand as candidates for an open seat. I recommend voting for Karen Hamilton.
- 63rd District: Incumbent Delegate Phillip Scott (R-63rd) is challenged by Forrest Miller (D). I recommend voting for Phillip Scott.
- 64th District: Incumbent Delegate Paul Milde (R-64th) is challenged by Stacey Carroll (D). I recommend voting for Paul Milde.
- 65th District: Incumbent Delegate Joshua Cole (D-65th) is challenged by Sean Steinway (R). I recommend voting for Sean Steinway.
- 66th District: Incumbent Delegate Bobby Orrock (R-66th) is challenged by Nicole Cole (D). I recommend voting for Bobby Orrock.
- 67th District: Incumbent Delegate Hillary Pugh Kent (R-67th) is challenged by Mario Haggerty (D) and Richard Kenski (I). I recommend voting for Hillary Pugh Kent.
- 68th District: Incumbent Delegate Keith Hodges (R-68th) is challenged by Elaine Walters (D). I recommend voting for Keith Hodges.
- 69th District: Incumbent Delegate Chad Green (R-69th) is challenged by Valerie Beverley (I) and Mark Downey (D). I recommend voting for Chad Green.
- 70th District: Incumbent Delegate Shelly Simonds (D-70th) is challenged by John Bloom (L) and Cynthia Scaturico (R). I recommend voting for Cynthia Scaturico.
- 71st District: Incumbent Delegate Amanda Batten (R-71st) is challenged by Jessica Anderson (D). I recommend voting for Amanda Batten.
- 72nd District: Incumbent Delegate Lee Ware (R-72nd) is challenged by Randolph Critzer (D) and Kristin Farry (Forward). I recommend voting for Lee Ware.
- 73rd District: Incumbent Delegate Mark Earley (R-73rd) is challenged by Leslie Mehta (D). I recommend voting for Mark Earley.
- 74th District: Incumbent Delegate Mike Cherry (R-74th) is challenged by Jonas Eppert (D). I recommend voting for Mike Cherry.
- 75th District: Incumbent Delegate Carrie Coyner (R-75th) is challenged by Lindsey Dougherty (D). I recommend voting for Carrie Coyner.
- 76th District: Incumbent Delegate Debra Gardner (D-76th) is challenged by John Thomas (R). I recommend voting for John Thomas.
- 77th District: Incumbent Delegate Michael Jones (D-77th) is challenged by Richard Stonage (R). I recommend voting for Richard Stonage.
- 78th District: Incumbent Delegate Betsy Carr (D-78th) is challenged by Rich Prado (R). I recommend voting for Rich Prado.
- 79th District: Incumbent Delegate Rae Cousins (D-79th) is challenged by Kelsey Linnehan (R). I recommend voting for Kelsey Linnehan.
- 80th District: Incumbent Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling (D-80th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 81st District: Incumbent Delegate Delores McQuinn (D-81st) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 82nd District: Incumbent Delegate Kim Taylor (R-82nd) is challenged by Kimberly Pope Adams (D). I recommend voting for Kim Taylor.
- 83rd District: Incumbent Delegate Otto Wachsmann (R-83rd) is challenged by Mary Person (D). I recommend voting for Otto Wachsmann.
- 84th District: Incumbent Delegate Nadarius Clark (D-84th) is challenged by former Vermont Delegate Felisha Storm (R-Franklin 7). I recommend voting for Felisha Storm.
- 85th District: Incumbent Delegate Marcia Price (D-85th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 86th District: Incumbent Delegate A. C. Cordoza (R-86th) is challenged by Virgil Thornton (D). I recommend voting for A. C. Cordoza.
- 87th District: Incumbent Delegate Jeion Ward (D-87th) is challenged by John Chapman (R). I make no recommendation.
- 88th District: Incumbent Delegate Don Scott (D-88th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 89th District: Kacey Carnegie (D) and Chesapeake School Board Member Mike Lamonea, who is the Republican Party nominee, stand as candidates for an open seat. I recommend voting for Mike Lamonea.
- 90th District: Incumbent Delegate Jay Leftwich (R-90th) is challenged by Rodney Nickens (D). I recommend voting for Jay Leftwich.
- 91st District: Incumbent Delegate Cliff Hayes Jr. (D-91st) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 92nd District: Incumbent Delegate Bonita Anthony (D-92nd) is challenged by Nash Bilisoly (R). I make no recommendation.
- 93rd District: Incumbent Delegate Jackie Hope Glass (D-93rd) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 94th District: Incumbent Delegate Phil Hernandez (D-94th) is challenged by Andy Pittman (R). I recommend voting for Andy Pittman.
- 95th District: Incumbent Delegate Alex Askew (D-95th) is running for reelection unopposed.
- 96th District: Incumbent Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D-96th) is challenged by Kyle Pasquarella (R). I recommend voting for Kyle Pasquarella.
- 97th District: Incumbent Delegate Michael Feggans (D-97th) is challenged by former Delegate Tim Anderson (R-83rd). I recommend voting for Tim Anderson.
- 98th District: Incumbent Delegate Barry Knight (R-98th) is challenged by Cheryl Smith (D). I recommend voting for Barry Knight.
- 99th District: Incumbent Delegate Anne Ferrell Tata (R-99th) is challenged by Cat Porterfield (D). I recommend voting for Anne Ferrell Tata.
- 100th District: Incumbent Delegate Rob Bloxom (R-100th) is challenged by Liz Richardson (D). I recommend voting for Rob Bloxom.
Special Statement
The Democratic Party has fielded candidates in all 100 of Virginia’s House of Delegates districts—which is exactly what a major party with a statewide footprint ought to do. The Republican Party, however, has fielded candidates in only 84 districts. Sixteen incumbents—all Democrats—face no major-party opposition; only one of them faces an independent challenge.
The voters of each district deserve to have a choice between two or more candidates. Even in districts where one major party is practically guaranteed to win, the other should mount at least a token challenge. It’s the least they can do to demonstrate their seriousness and concern for all Virginians. For reasons of self-interest alone, parties should avoid discouraging turnout among their supporters. Even if a particular district is “unwinnable,” anything that improves party turnout can still make a difference in the statewide races.
The Republican Party of Virginia is telling one-sixth of Virginia’s voters that they don’t matter. That is not a winning strategy . . . it’s embarrassing.