Louisa resident to run against McGuire in SD10
Louisa resident to run against McGuire in SD10
A political newcomer from Louisa County announced in early May that he’s running for state office.
Lake Anna resident Daniel Tomlinson (D) said in a May 7 Facebook post shared by the Louisa County Democratic Committee that he’s seeking the 10th District state Senate seat in the November 7 general election, touting his status as a political outsider. Tomlinson said that he has “no experience as a member of a governing body in local, state or federal government” and he “believe(s) this may be (his) strongest attribute.”
A retiree who spent much of his career handling federal contracts, Tomlinson and his family have lived in Virginia for more than 20 years and in Louisa for the last three. He grew up in Southern California where, after two years of community college, he enlisted in the Army and served in Vietnam. Tomlinson returned to school on the GI bill, attaining a degree from the California State University system. He pointed to his experiences as a young soldier as helping prepare him for the campaign ahead and elected office.
“In 1970, I found myself sloshing through the jungles of Vietnam. Ever since then, no matter how great the hardships that life threw at me, I knew that they will never be as hard as the hardships I had already endured,” he said. “I know that there will be hardships and hard times while trying to be the voice for people who often don’t have a voice in how politics and politicians rule their lives. I also know that by working together we can overcome those hardships.”
Tomlinson will face another military veteran this fall, Delegate John McGuire. A former Navy SEAL, McGuire has represented Louisa County and the rest of the 56th District in the House of Delegates since 2018. The Goochland resident claimed the Republican nomination in the 10th at a May 6 convention, beating Louisa County Board of Supervisors Chair Duane Adams and two other contenders.
With the Republican nomination in hand, McGuire is a heavy favorite to win in November when all 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for grabs in newly drawn districts. The new 10th stretches from western Hanover to Appomattox—solidly conservative terrain—and includes most of Louisa. Governor Glenn Youngkin won the district by 36 points in 2021 en route to becoming the first Republican to occupy the governor’s office in more than a decade.
But Tomlinson is undaunted by the district’s partisan lean. In an email to Engage Louisa, he said he plans to take advantage of what he sees as a shifting political landscape in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision last June to overturn Roe v. Wade, a nearly 50-year-old court precedent that constitutionally guaranteed the right to an abortion.
“The political climate has changed all across our country. The great red wave that was predicted a couple years ago turned into the itty bitty red ripple. The women who want to take back control of their own bodies are going to create the next great wave; it won’t be red and it won’t be a ripple. I’m going to ride it,” he said, referencing anticipated Republican gains in last year’s congressional elections that, for the most part, didn’t materialize.
Tomlinson said that he plans to focus much of his campaign on “women’s rights.”
“I cannot imagine a more difficult decision that a woman or young girl must face than the decision on whether or not to have an abortion. I believe that this decision should be between her and her doctor and NOBODY ELSE,” he said.
The battle over abortion rights is expected to play a critical role in this fall’s elections with a Republican in the governor’s office and control of the General Assembly’s two narrowly divided chambers on the line. If Republicans take the majority in both the House and Senate—last session, they held a 52-48 advantage in the House while Democrats held a 22-18 edge in the Senate—the party could enact sweeping restrictions on abortion. Youngkin has advocated for a ban on the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy with some exceptions while others in his party have pushed for far stricter limits. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed legislation that would ban most abortions after six weeks.
McGuire is a staunch opponent of abortion rights, who frequently tells constituents that he keeps a baby sock pinned to the camouflage backpack he carries as a reminder of what he’s fighting for. His campaign website touts his “100 percent” score from the anti-abortion Family Foundation and states that he believes “life is a miracle that must be protected at all costs.”
Beyond abortion rights, Tomlinson said that he’s concerned about kitchen table economic issues including the rural district’s lack of job opportunities.
“I often hear the farmers and others who have roots in the district that go back for generations lament the fact that their children no longer want to live here,” he said. “The reason I usually hear is that there doesn’t seem to be a path upwards near home for those young people who want to build their own careers. There are very few opportunities for well-paying jobs inside our district.”
Whether it’s concerns about the economy, access to reproductive health care or other issues, Tomlinson said that his campaign gives him “the opportunity to provide a voice to people who do not currently have one.”
He said he looks forward to “civil debates with (McGuire) on topics that are important to our potential constituents,” describing his opponent as “an honorable man.”
Tomlinson’s entrance into the race caps an uncertain nominating process on the Democratic side. Powhatan resident and James Madison University student Jacob Boykin initially filed to seek the seat as a Democrat but pulled out of the race to run for the Powhatan County School Board. Tomlinson threw his hat in the ring in early May.
“I am delighted that Daniel Tomlinson of Louisa has stepped forward to run for the Senate in District 10,” Louisa County Democratic Committee Chair Juanita Jo Matkins said in an email to Engage Louisa. “Daniel told me he wanted to give Democratic, Independent, and moderate Republican voters in the district a voice in this election. Like many combat veterans (Vietnam), he doesn't brag about his military service; instead, he seeks again to serve.”
