Candidates for the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates convened for a forum on May 31, three weeks ahead of the primary elections.
Hosted by the Charlottesville Public Housing Association of Residents, the People’s Coalition, and the Legal Aid Justice Center, the event gave candidates for state Senate District 11 and House District 54 an opportunity to discuss housing and criminal justice issues in Virginia.
In the Senate race, Democratic incumbent Creigh Deeds is facing a primary challenge from Delegate Sally Hudson. While Deeds has been involved in local politics for more than three decades, Hudson also has a strong electoral record in Charlottesville, winning her initial primary handily in 2019, and being reelected in 2021 with 78.5 percent of the vote.
The other candidate in the Senate race is Republican Philip Hamilton, who ran against Hudson in 2021. Since Hamilton is running unopposed for the Republican nomination, he will face off against either Deeds or Hudson for the seat in November.
At the forum, Deeds and Hudson spoke about their legislative records and progressive stances, while Hamilton called for major changes to the legislature and the implementation of conservative policies.
On the topic of affordable housing and the role of taxes as a source of funding, Hudson focused on Gov. Glenn Youngkin as a barrier to major tax reforms that would protect lower-income households without giving unneeded tax cuts to higher-income households. Discussing the proposal of major tax cuts, Deeds expressed his deep frustration with the idea, arguing that the current surplus is a product of underfunding in key programs like school construction: “There is red in my ears, this is a fiscally irresponsible proposal.”
Responding to the same question, Hamilton blamed current issues with housing on the federal government and widespread inflation, but did mention that housing could be funded with money from the privatization of ABC stores and the legalization of marijuana.
On the House side, Democrats Bellamy Brown, Katrina Callsen, and Dave Norris are vying for Hudson’s soon-to-be vacated seat. All three are major players in Charlottesville politics, and drew upon their experience in their pitches to candidates.
Norris has been involved with local politics the longest, previously serving as Charlottesville’s mayor and a city councilor, and is active with several local nonprofits. As the founding executive director of PACEM, Norris is passionate about affordable housing. At the forum, he argued that over incarceration must be addressed as part of the housing crisis, with funding shifted toward housing.
Charlottesville native Brown previously served as chair of the Police Civilian Oversight Board and as the city’s minority business commissioner. When asked about his time with the PCOB, Brown emphasized that his work with the board, and the creation of a new ordinance under his leadership, protects Charlottesville residents. He also spoke about how the legacy of slavery and discrimination continues to impact people of color through incarceration.
Coming to the area to attend UVA, Callsen quickly became involved in local politics, and currently serves as Charlottesville’s deputy city attorney and as the chair of the Albemarle County School Board. Arriving at the forum late in a graduation robe, Callsen quickly engaged the audience by sharing how attacks on education and women’s rights drew her to run for office, and spoke about the “need for strong, compassionate people in Richmond.” When asked what her top priorities would be, Callsen spoke about the urgent problem of mass incarceration in the state.
While many of the candidates’ priorities and responses overlapped, the forum highlighted the potential solutions and need for action on housing and criminal justice. The city has been grappling with the rising cost of housing and the ensuing housing crisis for years, but it remains an ongoing problem. Similarly, police reform has been a longtime priority in Charlottesville, but there is more work to be done.
For those still undecided about who to cast their ballot for in the June 20 primary, a recording of the forum in its entirety can be found on the Legal Aid Justice Center Facebook page.