City of Norfolk

Bonita Anthony is a university administrator for the College of Engineering and Technology at Virginia State University. She received an engineering degree from Old Dominion University. She has also previously worked for the Federal Aviation Administration, taught both in public K-12 schools and at the university level and has been a community advocate as a minister. She believes her varied background will be key in tackling the issues facing Virginians on a day-to-day basis.

Anthony lists abortion access as a top priority. The dismantling of abortion rights via the Dobbs decision was a key factor in her decision to run, and she has called for a constitutional amendment to ensure that Virginia remains a haven for abortion access. She has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Virginia and was given a 100% rating by Repro Rising. She has also been endorsed by Emily’s List.

Protecting the environment is also a top priority. Her positions on good governance, environmental justice, and clean energy earned her an endorsement and funding from Clean Virginia in 2022.

After winning her primary against Kim Sudderth, Anthony told the Virginian-Pilot, “(As) a legislator, I believe that people want someone who is going to make sure that they have a voice and that makes sure that they are well informed and that someone’s going to fight for them and their rights and protections.” She said that gun violence is another big issue and requires a broader “overarching” view of what leads to it. She understands that handling the issue will require innovative thinking and argues that some ways to target the root causes could include legislation that addresses rent stabilization and tenant rights, livable wages, and transportation infrastructure.

Anthony is also a strong advocate for public education. She said her top statewide priority would be to fight against dismantling public education. She argues that democracy exists and flourishes with an informed and engaged population and pledges to push against legislation seeking to defund, disinvest, and undermine public education. She says that “we need well-funded public schools where Virginia provides more per student investment than ever.” She wants to require schools to offer free meals to all students universally.

Anthony’s opponent is Republican Michael Durig. We could not find any information on him at the time of research.

Because of her stances on gun violence prevention, the environment, and abortion access, Anthony is the clear progressive choice in this race. Close Window

Delegate Jackie Glass is a Navy veteran and small-business owner. She joined the House of Delegates in the 89th seat after winning a special election in January 2023. Originally from Chicago, she now calls Norfolk “our chosen hometown.” Delegate Glass has years of experience working toward a more just society. She has chaired such prestigious organizations as the Ballentine Place Civic League, the NAACP Armed Forces and Veteran Affairs, and the Norfolk Preservation Collective. She has been a key player in many more civic-minded organizations and has committed herself to promoting equity throughout our commonwealth.

As a candidate, Delegate Glass has put forth a policy that says there is no room for racism, sexism, classism, or ableism in economic and community development. She voted no on HB 1387, which would have prevented trans kids from playing sports, and also voted no on HB 2432, which would have required schools to inform parents of students experiencing "gender incongruence." She also patroned HB 2052, which requires each local school board to develop policies for excusing students absent from school for religious reasons, including the observance of a religious holiday or participation in religious instruction.


Delegate Glass has pledged support for implementing rank-choice voting in her campaign. She promised to work with historically disenfranchised and underrepresented groups, such as people of color and women, who are among those most likely to benefit from the adoption of ranked-choice voting. She plans to support a charter amendment to elect certain offices by ranked-choice voting. As a Delegate, she voted against HB 1693, which would have prohibited election ballot drop boxes, and also voted against HB 1877, which would have limited early voting to 2 weeks before an election.


Delegate Glass has also kept her promise to support abortion access, having voted no on HB 212, which would have reinstated the mandatory waiting periods before a person can get an abortion. She also supports a comprehensive plan to support people from the moment they're born to the end of their lives, a joint proposal dubbed the Care Economy. Through this proposal, Glass intends to make funding and supporting care a “social enterprise” rather than a social service.


During her term, Del. Glass has proven a reliable voice for criminal and racial justice. She voted yes on HB 670, which would establish an independent policing auditor to oversee civilian law enforcement oversight groups. Though it passed through the legislature, it was vetoed by Governor Youngkin. She sponsored HB 2387, which establishes a refundable income tax credit for firearm safety devices, and voted no on HB 509, which repeals the "Red Flag" gun law. Both passed the House, but they have yet to become law. She also put forth legislation prohibiting law-enforcement officers from making false statements or materially misrepresenting any fact before or during a custodial interrogation of a child to secure such a child's cooperation, confession, or conviction.

Delegate Glass’s opponent is Dr. John Sitka. Sitka wants to support Governor Youngkin’s Broad Blue Line initiative, providing additional funding for law enforcement without any additional accountability. He’d like to blame school shootings on a lack of discipline and students being allowed to wander the halls but will do nothing to limit the number of guns in our schools. He insists that the key to affordable housing is cutting red tape when we know it is due to a lack of housing supply and affordability.

Due to her strong support and advocacy for an inclusive community, commitment to comprehensive criminal justice, and staunch support of voting rights, Delegate Jackie Glass is the progressive choice in this race. Close Window

Democratic candidate Phil Hernandez, an attorney, was raised in Hampton Roads by a single mom. He went to public schools and then to the College of William and Mary, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. He has spent the years since fighting for the rights of working people around the country. He is currently the Senior Vice President for Policy & Advocacy for The Commonwealth Institute, a partner of Progress Virginia, where he has been fighting for policies that benefit families in our community. Hernandez previously ran for HD 100 in 2019 and conceded after a close race.

Hernandez understands the intrinsic connection between environmental protection and quality of life. He pledges himself to building on the Virginia Clean Economy Act and protecting the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which Youngkin has placed under threat. He also supports increasing funding for conservation, protecting the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways, and advancing environmental justice initiatives. He pledges to prohibit public utilities from making political donations. Having previously served in President Obama’s Office of Energy and Climate Change, he has a proven track record of commitment to these issues.

Hernandez supports expanding affordable and comprehensive health insurance coverage to more Virginians, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and safeguarding consumers from “skinny” plans that can leave families with large medical bills because of significant gaps in coverage. He also supports establishing a paid family and medical leave program. Additionally, he aims to improve access to mental health care by investing in community-based care, raising pay to address staffing shortages, and supporting the implementation of the Marcus Alert system to improve outcomes in response to mental health emergencies. He also supports protecting access to abortion in Virginia.

Hernandez aims to continue Norfolk’s history of civil rights work by drawing on his experience as a civil rights attorney. He supports protecting the fundamental right to vote and standing up against any efforts that create barriers to the ballot box. He also supports creating a more inclusive commonwealth, including strong non-discrimination laws and policies that protect the rights of people with disabilities. Lastly, he supports advancing Virginia laws that make the Commonwealth a leader in safeguarding LGBTQ+ rights and preventing any attempts to roll back provisions of the Virginia Values Act.
Hernandez supports increasing Virginia’s minimum wage, empowering more workers to engage in collective bargaining for better wages and working conditions, and advancing policies to bring high-quality jobs to Norfolk. He also supports reforming Virginia’s upside-down tax code, making child care more affordable, and providing targeted tax relief to working families. Lastly, he supports efforts to reduce gun violence in Hampton Roads and keep communities safe.

Hernandez’s Republican opponent is Andy Pittman, an attorney. Pittman is a conservative through and through. He wants to give unchecked power and funds to police and greenlight the mistreatment of inmates and suspects. He makes clear his intention to ban abortion, ensure that our LGBTQ youth continue to face harassment from right-wing smear campaigns and demonize immigrants.

Because of his commitment to economic justice, equity and equality, and access to quality healthcare, Hernandez is the progressive choice in this race. Close Window

Democrat and Former Delegate Alex Askew is a Virginia Beach native who was raised by a public school teacher. He worked for nearly seven election cycles on various local, state-wide, and national campaigns. He served as a Chief of Staff for the Virginia House of Delegates, where he helped craft groundbreaking legislation such as the nationwide Ashanti Alert, Medicaid expansion, affordable housing expansion, and school safety initiatives. In his term as the Delegate for the 85th District, he had nine bills signed into law, with 7 of them receiving unanimous bipartisan support. In 2022, he was narrowly defeated and conceded the seat. He is now running to be reelected in the newly-redrawn 95th district.

Fmr. Del. Askew has been a staunch defender of equality. He worked alongside Delegate Dolores McQuinn and sponsored HB1993, which requires state agencies to establish and maintain comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plans in coordination with the Governor’s Chief Diversity Officer. “The comprehensive emphasis on equity-minded legislation throughout the 2021 General Assembly session has been historic,” said Secretary of Administration Grindly Johnson. “This legislation makes Virginia a national exemplar in fostering the business case for organizational effectiveness in our state agencies.”

Fmr. Del. Askew has also been an advocate for common-sense gun violence prevention. He voted for HB 2128, which increases the time for the State Department to complete firearm Background Checks, a necessary step in preventing unsafe gun owners from slipping through the cracks. He also voted for HB 2276, which classifies the manufacture, import, sale, transfer, and possession of certain firearms as a Class 5 felony. These measures are indicative of Fmr. Del. Askew’s commitment to firearm safety and his understanding of the policies that can help prevent tragedies.

Fmr. Del. Askew’s record also shows he is committed to racial and economic justice. As delegate, he passed a law that makes it a hate crime to intentionally make a false 911 call on the basis of race, religion, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or national origin. Additionally, he voted for HJ 555, which restores the civil and voting rights for returning citizens after they have completed their jail sentences. He worked with the Virginia Emergency Management Association to protect minority and other vulnerable communities across Hampton Roads—a region prone to disasters and storm flooding.

He has also been clear on abortion access and healthcare. After Texas passed a horrendously restrictive abortion law in 2021, he said simply: “Repro care is health care. Repro justice is economic justice. Repro rights are human rights.” As Delegate, he voted to repeal the abortion prohibition in Virginia health insurance plans and establish the Reproductive Health Protection Act. His positions have earned him an endorsement from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia.

Fmr. Del. Askew is running unopposed, but because of his position on firearm safety, reproductive rights, and criminal justice, he is still the progressive choice in this race. Close Window