Incumbent Democratic Delegate Dan Helmer was first elected in 2019. The son of an immigrant and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, Helmer graduated from West Point Military Academy in 2003. He is a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he was also deployed to South Korea. Currently a member of the Army Reserve, Helmer runs a small business where he helps veterans access healthcare. Del. Helmer lives in Fairfax County with his wife and two sons.

As the husband of a public school teacher, Delegate Helmer wants to increase funding for Virginia’s education system. He supports raising teacher salaries to prevent turnover, reducing classroom size, allocating more resources to our educators and students to better set them up for success. In 2021, he voted for providing additional resources to students and parents in kindergarten through third grade who are struggling with reading. He also supported giving additional funding to Virginia schools so that they can reopen safely during the pandemic.

Delegate Helmer believes that climate change is the greatest threat that Virginians are facing and wants to guarantee access to clean water and air. He understands that Virginians need to reduce their carbon footprint and find more sustainable energy sources. He believes that part of doing this involves an immediate stop to the construction of new pipelines and fracking. Del. Helmer was a chief co-patron of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which commits Virginia to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Del. Helmer is an advocate for reproductive rights and believes that Virginians should have access to abortion when they need it. The delegate has supported legislation that would provide access to reproductive healthcare that includes cancer screenings, birth control, and safe and legal abortions. In 2020, he voted to repeal medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion care providers. He also supported making abortion coverage available on the state health insurance exchange in 2021.

Del. Helmer supports making the promise of democracy real for us all by ensuring that our elections are free and accessible. He voted for same-day voter registration and making absentee voting easier by providing for prepaid postage on ballots, eliminating the need for a witness signature, and establishing no-excuse absentee voting in the Commonwealth. Del. Helmer also supported extending early voting and the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, which prohibits voter discrimination at the polls.

Delegate Helmer is being challenged by Republican candidate James Thomas. Thomas graduated from the University of Dayton in Ohio and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Thomas would rather untrained parents be in charge of the curriculum for our schools rather than education and curriculum experts. He also champions increasing funding for law enforcement and public safety despite the ever growing evidence that shows law enforcement’s inability to keep communities of color safe.

Considering his support of public education, abortion access, the environment and voting access, Delegate Dan Helmer is the most progressive choice in this race.
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