Albemarle County

Katrina Callsen’s story begins with her father’s family giving him up for adoption because he was the product of an interracial relationship during a time when interracial marriage was illegal in Virginia. Callsen believes that unjust laws such as the one that kept her father from his family affect people for generations after they are abolished. Her parents raised her to value education and growing up in a military family gave her a deep gratitude for Americans who serve the country. Callsen’s value of education landed her at Yale, where she graduated and went on to join Teach for America. She is now the Deputy City Attorney for Charlottesville and the Chair of the Albemarle County School Board. Through this experience, she has seen firsthand the effects of laws on members of the community.

Callsen wants to make sure that reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion, are accessible to anyone who needs it. She wants to end gender-based violence by enforcing Red Flag laws and supporting legislation that combats domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. She also supports having more women in leadership, along with equal pay.

Callsen supports gun violence prevention legislation that will protect people in Virginia from being the victims of gun violence. She believes that this should include universal background checks and the same extreme risk protection laws that prevent gender-based violence. She also wants an assault weapons ban and gun safety training for gun owners.

Callsen says that her plan for education includes “investing in public education, expanding access to higher education, and supporting teachers and school staff.” She wants to increase funding for public schools, as they’re underfunded. She also wants to decrease the size of classes and expand early childhood education. Callsen supports higher education reform as well, and she wants to expand apprenticeship programs and financial aid, making education more accessible for those who aspire to earn a degree. Her plan includes a framework that centers faculty and staff, offering improvements such as mental health services, increased pay, and development opportunities.

Callsen’s plan for affordable housing addresses many issues that affect access to housing. She wants to increase funding for affordable housing, and she wants to incentivize the development of accessible homes. She would also address homelessness, as it is an issue that needs to be examined from certain angles. She also wants to protect homeowners’ as well as renters’ rights, which would secure tenants’ access to housing.

Callsen supports protections for the LGBTQ community, as she believes that they have “the fundamental human right to live free from discrimination and prejudice.” Callsen wants to support legislation that will combat LGBTQ discrimination in housing, employment, and public spaces. She promises to help fight bullying and harassment in schools, as well as ban conversion therapy. She also promises to support legislation that addresses the needs of the LGBTQ community, which include gender-affirming care, mental health services, and HIV prevention and treatment.

Callsen’s plan for climate justice has several pillars aimed at securing sustainability and equity for Virginians. She wants to fight environmental discrimination, which affects marginalized communities ecosystems, causing them to deal with more pollution and the effects of climate change. She also wants clean energy, sustainable transportation, and many other priorities that promote sustainability.

Callsen is the sole candidate for this race and is the progressive choice.

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Amy Laufer worked her way through school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and eventually graduated with a geology degree. She went on to work as a water analyst, as well as a volunteer in the Peace Corps. After leaving the Peace Corps, she attended Columbia University and graduated with a Master’s degree in Secondary Science Education. Eventually, she moved to Virginia, where she taught math and science at Louisa County Middle School and Tandem Friends School. There, she was appointed to the Commission of Children and Families. She was also elected to the Charlottesville City School Board in 2011 and she went on to be reelected. She was the board’s vice chair and chair from 2012–2016. In 2015, she executed the Equality Virginia non-discrimination policy as one of the only two counties in Virginia to approve it.

Laufer wants to codify Roe v. Wade to ensure that anyone who needs abortion care has access to it. She had a high risk pregnancy herself, so she understands the reality of having to make difficult choices during pregnancy. She believes that doctors should have the ability to help patients make those decisions without government interference.

Laufer promises to uplift needs of the community, which include affordable healthcare. She believes that Covid-19 exposed the weaknesses of the American healthcare system, which has left many without access to basic care. Laufer not only wants better care for those who need it, but she also wants to promote wellness care that focuses on prevention such as nutrition and mental health services.

Laufer believes the science that has strongly predicted the effects of climate change. She says that everyone can already feel the effects of climate change with floods, heat damage, unpredictable weather, and more. Laufer wants to take steps to combat climate change that include reducing carbon emissions, preserving land, and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

Joining the Peace Corps ignited Laufer’s passion for teaching children, and she believes that all children are worth investing in. She believes that education should be treated as an investment and not an expense. She says that children need adequate resources from early childhood into adulthood, because when children are set up for success, it makes the entire community successful. This also includes increased pay for teachers, counselors, and staff. Laufer wants to focus on workforce development from K-12 schools to community colleges.

Laufer says that “people are dying due to an overzealous deregulation of firearms.” She believes that guns that are not safely stored are hazardous to children and people suffering from mental distress. Laufer wants extreme risk protection orders laws to be enforced, and she wants gun owners to be registered with permits.

Laufer is running against Republican candidate Steve Harvey. Steve Harvey graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in Business, and he was an ROTC cadet during his time there. He went on to serve in the military as a Blackhawk pilot for the Army before receiving medical discharge due to a spinal injury. Harvey would defund public schools in favor of unregulated and unaccredited charter schools. He would vote against gun violence prevention legislation. He also would make it harder to vote by ending same-day voter registration and requiring difficult to obtain photo identification for voting. Harvey is anti-abortion and would vote to make it harder to access.

Amy Laufer is the progressive choice within this race, as she supports abortion access, along with legislation that promotes safety and access for members of the community.

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