Primary preview: Voters head to polls for pivotal June 20 primaries

Jun 12, 2023

Virginians will go to the polls this fall for high stakes elections that will determine which party controls the General Assembly’s two narrowly divided chambers.

Last session, Democrats held a 22-18 majority in the state Senate while Republicans held a 52-48 edge in the House of Delegates and divided government stalled much of Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s agenda.

November’s elections are expected to play a pivotal role in determining what Youngkin can accomplish in his last two years in office. As the first Republican to occupy Virginia’s Executive Mansion in more than a decade, he’s advocated for a range of conservative priorities, from corporate and individual tax cuts to tightening restrictions on abortion.

But before campaign season heats up this fall, voters across the commonwealth are heading to the polls for June 20 primaries to choose party nominees in nearly 50 House and Senate contests.

The once-a-decade redistricting process reshaped all 140 state legislative districts—40 in the Senate and 100 in the House—setting up some intriguing primary battles locally that feature a mix of fresh and familiar faces.

Here in Louisa, voters in the western end of the county will select the Democratic nominee in the 11th state Senate District and the 55th House of Delegate District while voters in the rest of the county will choose the Republican nominee in the 59th House District. Check out Engage Louisa’s primary preview below.

Fowler, Craig and Strother square off for Republican nomination in HD59

Three candidates are vying for the Republican nomination in the newly drawn 59th House of Delegates District: 55th District Delegate Buddy Fowler, former Louisa County GOP Chair Graven Craig and Henrico attorney Philip Strother.

The district is friendly terrain for Republicans, encompassing most of Louisa County, western Hanover and a chunk of northwestern Henrico. Youngkin won the 59th by about 33 points en route to the governor’s office in 2021.

Fowler, endorsed by the governor last month, is vying for his sixth term in Richmond, but on altered political turf. While he represents more than 40 percent of the district’s voters in his current seat—all of them in western Hanover—he’s a new face to Louisa and Henrico voters.

The longtime Hanover resident, who served as a legislative aide prior to becoming a delegate, has pointed to his deep ties in the district and conservative voting record as reasons Republicans should choose him as the nominee.

In campaign outreach, Fowler has championed bedrock conservative positions that play well with the party’s base. He’s pledged to “always stand for life” and touted his “100 percent rating” from the anti-abortion Family Foundation. He’s expressed ardent support for the Second Amendment, vowing to work to enact “constitutional carry” in Virginia—legislation that would allow residents to carry concealed weapons without a permit—and repeal the state’s “red flag” law. Enacted when Democrats had full control in Capitol Square, the law allows courts to temporarily take firearms away from individuals who are deemed a threat to themselves or others.

Fowler has also touted his efforts to cut taxes and regulations and support small businesses, pointing to recognition he’s received from the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business and Virginia Manufacturers’ Association. He told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that if he wins re-election, he’ll introduce a bill “that will further reduce the tax burden on individuals and business,” but didn’t offer specifics.

While Craig and Strother share many of the same positions as Fowler, they’ve both tried to carve out their own lane in race. An attorney and 25-year Louisa resident, Craig brands himself a “conservative fighter” who will defend civil liberties, push back against government growth and overregulation, and fight for transparency.

In his campaign announcement, he pointed to his experience running Craig Williams, his Louisa law firm, as giving him first-hand knowledge of the “onerous regulations that all small business owners face.” He’s pledged to fight “the bureaucratic red tape that stifles the economic growth Virginians deserve” and roll back the web of regulations enacted by state agencies without the explicit approval of elected officials.

He told the Times-Dispatch that he would introduce legislation to “to bring transparency to state and local government and repeal the criminal charges that have been enacted by administrative agencies.”

“Only the General Assembly should have the authority to enact criminal statutes at the state level,” he said.

As evidence of his willingness to fight what he sees as unjust policies, Craig frequently references his multiple successful lawsuits against the state including a 2020 suit that enabled Republicans in the 7th Congressional District to hold a convention to choose their nominee amid coronavirus restrictions that had complicated the nominating process.

While he’s a lawyer by trade, Strother and his family own Philip Carter Winery and Valley View Farm, both in Fauquier County. Throughout his campaign, he’s highlighted his family’s ties to agriculture, the economic importance of farming and forestry in the district, and his commitment to fighting for those industries and preserving Virginia’s rural traditions.

Strother has said that, through his law practice, he’s fought government overreach and empowered citizens and he’ll do the same in Richmond. In 2008, he successfully sued the Hanover County School Board on the grounds that the division wasn’t providing an appropriate education for an autistic child. On the campaign trail, he’s said he’ll continue to stand for “parents’ rights”—a winning issue for Youngkin two years ago—and advocate for “school choice,” legislation that typically allows parents to use taxpayer money to pay tuition for private school.

Like Craig, Strother wants to limit the ability of government agencies to enact what he sees as costly and often arbitrary regulations, arguing that the power to make laws should be reserved for elected officials.

Both Craig and Strother have attacked Fowler on his lengthy record in Richmond. In a Facebook ad, Craig accuses Fowler of failing to defend gun rights by voting against legislation that would’ve allowed firefighters and EMTs to carry concealed handguns on the job. Fowler characterized the legislation as “a bad bill” and pointed to his endorsement from the Virginia Citizens Defense League and the National Rifle Association.

Craig, who has said he won’t accept money from Dominion Energy, a monopoly utility whose profits are regulated by the state, has also implied that Fowler has sold out to lobbyists. His campaign ran a Facebook ad that shows Fowler with a briefcase full of cash and states that he’s “taken money from lobbyists of all political stripes including Dominion Energy, big-Pharma, unions and environmentalists.”

Since first running for the House in 2014, Fowler has collected thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from industry lobbying groups and other entities with business before the General Assembly including $14,800 from the Virginia Beer Wholesalers Association and $13,500 from Dominion.

As of March 31, Dominion was his top donor this cycle, chipping in $7,500. In the run-up to the primary, the Dominion-backed political action committee Power for Tomorrow is sponsoring Facebook ads in support of Fowler and 11 other Republican and Democrat candidates, according to Virginia Public Media.

In an interview on Richmond’s Morning News with John Reid, Strother called Fowler a “career politician” and said that he had to move to run in the district. The Virginia Supreme Court approved new legislative districts in late 2021 that drew Fowler’s Hanover home into the 60th House District, pairing him with fellow Republican Scott Wyatt. He subsequently established residency in the 59th.

So far, the race has seen modest turnout during the 45-day early voting period. As of Saturday evening, 1,045 voters had cast ballots, ranking the race sixth in turnout among the eight House Republican primaries. According to Louisa County Registrar Cris Watkins, 304 Louisa residents had voted in the district as of midday Friday.

The winner of the primary will face Democrat Rachel Levy in the November 7 general election.

Laufer, Squire battle for Democratic nomination in HD55

A pair of Democrats who previously lost bids for General Assembly seats in red-leaning districts are vying for the Democratic nomination in the new 55th House District: former Charlottesville School Board Chair Amy Laufer and emergency department nurse Kellen Squire.

The Democrat-friendly district includes most of Albemarle County, a slice of western Louisa and northern Nelson and small sliver of Fluvanna. Former Governor Terry McAuliffe won the 55th by about 11 points in his failed bid for governor two years ago.

Laufer is a familiar face to some Louisa voters. In 2019, she narrowly lost a bid for Senate to incumbent Republican Bryce Reeves in the 17th District, which included most of Louisa. A former teacher, Laufer spent a year on the faculty at Louisa Middle School.

Squire, who lost to longtime Delegate Rob Bell in the ruby red 58th House District in 2017, also has local ties. His wife, Cari, is a former Louisa County firefighter.

Laufer and Squire overlap significantly on policy. Both advocate for traditional Democratic priorities including strengthening restriction on guns, protecting reproductive rights, fully funding public schools, and fighting climate change.

Laufer has said that experience sets her apart in the race, pointing to her two terms on the Charlottesville City School Board and her years as an educator and community activist.

Squire has said that his time working as a nurse in the emergency room has given him unique insight into the struggles Virginians face. Now, he says he’s ready to go to Richmond and fight for working-class residents who don’t have a voice in the legislature.

While the contest between the two Albemarle County Democrats started as a relatively cordial affair, it’s turned heated in recent weeks after Laufer’s campaign questioned Squire’s commitment to protecting access to abortion. Reproductive rights are a pivotal issue in this year’s state legislative races in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a nearly 50-year court precedent that constitutionally guaranteed the right to an abortion.

In mailers that arrived in voters’ mailboxes over Memorial Day weekend, Laufer’s campaign highlighted online comments from early in Squire’s 2017 campaign in which he described himself as “fervently and unashamedly pro-life” and said he’d “advocate for the addition of a plank to the Democratic party platform that we eliminate abortion in the Commonwealth of Virginia as soon as possible.”

“With so much at stake for Virginia women, we can’t afford Kellen Squire’s attacks on abortion,” the ad reads.

Squire, who has recounted his experience providing abortion-related care as an ER nurse and pledged to strongly defend abortion rights in Richmond, accused Laufer of misrepresenting his record and taking his words out of context. He told The Daily Progress last month that his comments were an attempt to draw in conservative voters in a solidly Republican district and “illustrate Republican hypocrisy.” He also said that, during 2016 and 2017, he engaged in “Democratic counter operations” in which he planted fake screenshots and quotes to bait Republicans into attacking him.

In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Squire called his past comments on abortion “a mistake,” according to The Daily Progress.

“I was trying to get people who would consider themselves pro-life to vote for a pro-choice Democrat,” Squire told the paper. “Obviously, it didn’t hit the mark and I got in a bunch of trouble for doing it.”

Despite heated blowback from Squire’s supporters on Twitter who called her tactics “dirty” and “deceptive,” Laufer has continued to hit Squire on the issue in subsequent mailers and campaign outreach. In a May 30 press release, Laufer said that she’s “concerned that we have Democratic candidate who said he would advocate for a plank in the Democratic party platform to outlaw abortion in Virginia,” adding that she’s always been pro-choice and “always will be.”

The race has attracted strong interest from voters. As of Saturday evening, it had the second-highest turnout among Democratic House primaries with 3,745 ballots cast, according to VPAP. In Louisa County, 193 people had voted in the contest as of midday Friday, according to Watkins.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Reid Wernig in November.

Deeds, Hudson go head-to-head for Dem nod in SD11

Two sitting state legislators well known to Charlottesville area voters are competing for the Democratic nomination in blue-leaning 11th state Senate District: Sen. Creigh Deeds and Del. Sally Hudson.

The district includes the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle, Nelson and Amherst counties and a slice of western Louisa. McAuliffe beat Youngkin by about 18 points in the 11th in 2021.

Deeds, an attorney and 20-year veteran of the Senate, represents about 68 percent of the district’s voters in his 25th District seat. After redistricting drew his Bath County home into a strong Republican district, Deeds opted to move to Charlottesville to run in the 11th.

Hudson, a University of Virginia economics professor, has represented the 57th District in the House of Delegates since 2020. The Charlottesville-centered district includes almost 40 percent of 11th district voters.

Deeds, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2009, has garnered the backing of much of the state’s Democratic establishment including former Governor Ralph Northam and US Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. He’s touted his experience and seniority—he’s a member of the powerful Finance and Appropriations Committee and co-chair of the Judiciary Committee—as reasons Democrats should back him, arguing at a candidates’ forum hosted by Charlottesville Tomorrow that replacing him with Hudson would mean the district loses significant political clout.

“Being an effective legislator is about two things, seniority and relationships. If my opponent has her way, she’s giving up her seniority in the House and she wants to give up your seniority in the Senate. Charlottesville will start at the back of the line in both places,” Deeds said.

Hudson has framed this year’s election as “an extraordinary opportunity for generational turnover in the General Assembly,” in part, because of the shakeup delivered by redistricting. The strong progressive points to the diversity of perspectives among House Democrats—largely achieved after the election of Donald Trump—and says she hopes to help bring that to the legislature’s upper chamber.

“I think it’s really important that we start to diversify the Senate on all of those markers—on race, on region, on gender, and on professional perspectives—because I think we can get a lot of good work done if we broaden the range of voices that’s in the room,” Hudson said at the Charlottesville Tomorrow forum.

Hudson is no stranger to taking on Democratic Party heavyweights. In late 2018, she launched a primary bid against then-House Minority Leader David Toscano. Facing a well-funded opponent with strong grassroots support among Charlottesville progressives, Toscano ultimately decided not to seek re-election. Hudson easily beat former Charlottesville City Councilor Kathy Galvin in the primary then ran unopposed to win the seat that fall.

While Deeds and Hudson share many policy priorities—from expanding voting rights to protecting access to abortion—Hudson has positioned herself to Deeds’ left on some issues. In a recent campaign ad, she criticized Deeds’ voting record on gun law reform, highlighting his 2020 vote to block an assault weapons ban and a 2012 vote with Republicans to repeal a “one-gun-per-month” law.

Deeds said the 2020 bill was “poorly written” and, as proof that he’s committed to restricting access to guns, pointed to a bill he carried last session that would’ve barred the sale of some assault weapons. The bill passed the Senate but died in the Republican-controlled House. Deeds has also highlighted an endorsement from Gabby Giffords, a leading gun violence prevention advocate who was shot at an Arizona grocery store when she was serving in Congress.

Early voting has been brisk in the district with 8,328 voters already casting ballots as of Saturday evening, according to VPAP. To date, the district has the highest turnout of any primary in the state. In Louisa, 193 people had voted as of midday Friday, per Watkins.

The winner will face Republican Philip Hamilton and Independent J’riah Guerrero this fall.

Voter information

2023 Primary Elections: HD55 (D), HD59 (R), SD11 (D)

When: Election Day is Tuesday, June 20. Polls are open from 6 am to 7 pm
Where: Polling locations across Louisa County (Find your polling location here).

Early Voting: Vote early through Saturday, June 17

When: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and Saturday, June 17, 9 am to 5 pm.
Where: Louisa County Registrar’s Office, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa

Voting By Mail: Voters who received an absentee ballot by mail can return their ballot via mail or drop it off in a secure drop box outside the County Office Building or at any polling place on Election Day. Ballots returned via mail must be postmarked by Election Day and received no later than noon on the Friday following the election. Mail-in ballots that are dropped off must be received by 7 pm on Election Day.

Register to vote: Virginia allows same-day voter registration. Voters who missed the May 30 deadline to register to vote/update their registration status can still vote via provisional ballot through June 20.

Find your state Senate and House of Delegates districts here. (Enter your address then click on “New” when map/legislators appear).

Check out sample ballots for the June 20 primary here.

Virginia has open primaries. Affiliation with a political party is not required to vote.