White Hall resident Angela Lynn knows she’s got an uphill battle challenging Republican Delegate Steve Landes for the 25th District seat, which he’s held since 1996. Most of the district is in more conservative Augusta and Rockingham counties, with a chunk of western Albemarle thrown in. It was the gerrymandering of the district that played a part in her decision to run: “I didn’t feel like a lot of people were being represented,” the Democrat said.
Lynn, 60, is a former FEMA employee as well a teacher and has lived in Albemarle County for 13 years. She’s served on Albemarle County Department of Social Services Advisory Board and on the county’s Public Recreation Facilities Authority, and those appointments also enhanced her desire to serve, she said.
A military wife and mother of five, Lynn got a Masters of education in higher ed administration from William and Mary in 1998. She’s also a graduate of the Sorensen Institute and a United States Institute of Peace alumni.
While Lynn will have no problem securing the Democratic nomination, winning over Valley voters will be more challenging. In the 2012 race, 43 percent of Albemarle voters cast ballots for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Over in Augusta County, 70 percent of Augusta voters favored Mitt Romney.
Before the session, Landes, 55, said he intended to seek an 11th term and he started the year with more than $60,000 on hand, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.