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  • Former Democratic Delegate Lashresce Aird served in the House of Delegates from 2016 to 2022. Her election made her the youngest woman elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Aird earned her undergraduate and doctorate degrees from Virginia State University. She is a graduate of the Sorenson Political Leadership Program at the University of Virginia and the Minority Political Leadership Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a trusted community leader in Petersburg where she and her husband are raising two sons.

    Aird is committed to criminal justice reform. She successfully carried legislation that bans the use and purchase of facial recognition technology by all local law enforcement agencies and campus police without explicit authorization from the state. Aird sponsored “Breonna’s Law,” which bans police from using no-knock warrants to enter and search a home without notifying the resident. She voted to abolish the death penalty and legalize marijuana in 2021 as well.

    Aird also successfully sponsored historic legislation that recognizes racism as a public health crisis in Virginia. This bill will implement a series of policies geared towards addressing systemic racism in Virginia. She advocates for access to affordable, quality healthcare by working to lower drug costs and voting to cap the price of insulin in 2020. She voted to expand Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians in 2018 and supported establishing a state-run health insurance marketplace, which helps uninsured or underinsured residents who aren’t covered by an employer-provided health plan to get affordable coverage.

    Aird understands the urgency of the climate crisis and is focused on passing legislation to protect the environment. She advocates for equitable energy by successfully sponsoring legislation to make access to clean, affordable water a human right in 2021. She voted for the Virginia Clean Economy Act in 2020, which commits the Commonwealth to 100% clean energy by 2050. The Virginia League of Conservation Voters awarded her a score of 100% for the 2020 session.

    Aird supports Virginia’s public education system, voting for a 5% raises for teachers and additional funding to help schools reopen safely during the pandemic. She worked to pass legislation that would make higher education more equitable for applicants by banning public universities from asking criminal history questions on admissions applications. The delegate also co-sponsored the School Equity and Staffing Act, which would address spending discrepancies between schools in low income communities versus other communities. She was named one of the Legislators of the Year in 2021 by the Virginia Education Association.

    Democratic candidate Lashrecse Aird and Republican candidate Eric Ditri will face each other in the general election for Virginia’s new 13th State Senate district. Ditri was born and raised in Prince George County and has a background in construction and finance. While his campaign website lists several priorities, no information could be found on his stances on progressive issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights.

    Due to her support of criminal justice reform, public education, affordable healthcare, and the environment, Lashrecse Aird is the progressive choice in this race.
    Last updated: 2023-10-23

    Lashrecse Aird

    Former Democratic Delegate Lashresce Aird served in the House of Delegates from 2016 to 2022. Her election made her the youngest woman elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Aird earned her undergraduate and doctorate degrees from Virginia State University.

    Former Democratic Delegate Lashresce Aird served in the House of Delegates from 2016 to 2022. Her election made her the youngest woman elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Aird earned her undergraduate and doctorate degrees from Virginia State University. She is a graduate of the Sorenson Political Leadership Program at the University of Virginia and the Minority Political Leadership Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a trusted community leader in Petersburg where she and her husband are raising two sons.

    Aird is committed to criminal justice reform. She successfully carried legislation that bans the use and purchase of facial recognition technology by all local law enforcement agencies and campus police without explicit authorization from the state. Aird sponsored “Breonna’s Law,” which bans police from using no-knock warrants to enter and search a home without notifying the resident. She voted to abolish the death penalty and legalize marijuana in 2021 as well.

    Aird also successfully sponsored historic legislation that recognizes racism as a public health crisis in Virginia. This bill will implement a series of policies geared towards addressing systemic racism in Virginia. She advocates for access to affordable, quality healthcare by working to lower drug costs and voting to cap the price of insulin in 2020. She voted to expand Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians in 2018 and supported establishing a state-run health insurance marketplace, which helps uninsured or underinsured residents who aren’t covered by an employer-provided health plan to get affordable coverage.

    Aird understands the urgency of the climate crisis and is focused on passing legislation to protect the environment. She advocates for equitable energy by successfully sponsoring legislation to make access to clean, affordable water a human right in 2021. She voted for the Virginia Clean Economy Act in 2020, which commits the Commonwealth to 100% clean energy by 2050. The Virginia League of Conservation Voters awarded her a score of 100% for the 2020 session.

    Aird supports Virginia’s public education system, voting for a 5% raises for teachers and additional funding to help schools reopen safely during the pandemic. She worked to pass legislation that would make higher education more equitable for applicants by banning public universities from asking criminal history questions on admissions applications. The delegate also co-sponsored the School Equity and Staffing Act, which would address spending discrepancies between schools in low income communities versus other communities. She was named one of the Legislators of the Year in 2021 by the Virginia Education Association.

    Democratic candidate Lashrecse Aird and Republican candidate Eric Ditri will face each other in the general election for Virginia’s new 13th State Senate district. Ditri was born and raised in Prince George County and has a background in construction and finance. While his campaign website lists several priorities, no information could be found on his stances on progressive issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights.

    Due to her support of criminal justice reform, public education, affordable healthcare, and the environment, Lashrecse Aird is the progressive choice in this race.

    Lashrecse Aird

    Former Democratic Delegate Lashresce Aird served in the House of Delegates from 2016 to 2022. Her election made her the youngest woman elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Aird earned her undergraduate and doctorate degrees from Virginia State University.

  • Virginia’s new 81st House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Henrico City, parts of Chesterfield County, and Charles City County. With over 60,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Democratic.
    This election will be held on November 7, 2023. Incumbent Democratic Delegate Delores McQuinn is running unopposed in the general election for Virginia’s new 81st House of Delegates district. She has served in the House of Delegates since 2009.
    Incumbent Democratic Delegate Delores McQuinn is a lifelong resident of the Richmond area and a public servant with a passion for community service. She has served in various roles throughout her career, including as Vice Chairperson of the Richmond School Board, Vice-Mayor and Vice-President of Richmond City Council, and as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. McQuinn has received numerous awards for her work, including recognition as the YWCA's Woman of the Year and the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities Humanitarian Award.

    Delegate McQuinn has been a strong supporter of protecting the environment since she was first elected. Throughout her career, she has received an overall rating of 100% from both the Virginia Sierra Club and the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. In the last session, she voted to expand renewable energy tax credits (SB 710--conference vote). She also took steps to prevent gentrification by Introducing HB 635, which required inclusionary housing and zoning.

    Delegate McQuinn has also been a reliable voice for abortion access and bodily autonomy. She received an overall rating of 92% from REPRO Rising Virginia. In the last session, she voted against HB 212, which would have reinstated the 24 hour mandatory waiting period before a person can access abortion care. . In the session before that, she voted to repeal the abortion prohibition in VA Health Insurance Plans (HB1276), voted to establish the Reproductive Health Protection Act (HB 980) and voted against the prohibition of state funding of abortion services (HB2264).

    Delegate McQuinn has also proven to be a staunch defender of immigrant rights. She voted to expand financial aid for undocumented immigrants (SB 1387), voted to authorize driver's licenses for undocumented people(SB 34, concurrence vote), voted to eliminate the requirement that jails and prisons ascertain citizenship status of inmates (HB 1150 Conference report vote), voted to authorize in-state tuition for undocumented students (SB 925), voted to prohibit law enforcement questioning and individual's immigration status (HB 262) and voted against prohibiting the establishment of sanctuary cities (HB 1257).

    She has proven a reliable vote for gun violence prevention. Last session, she co-sponsored HB 2387, which establishes a refundable income tax credit for firearm safety devices, and voted against repealing the extreme risk protection order law law (HB 509). She was rated 14% by Virginia Citizens Defense League and 0% by the NRA. She voted against reducing penalties for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and was rated 100% by LEAP Forward.

    Delegate McQuinn is running unopposed, but her historic support of progressive issues such as abortion access, gun violence prevention, and immigrant rights make her the progressive choice in this race.