Last week, the PW Perspective featured Michelle Maldonado, a community leader and fierce advocate for the marginalized and voiceless. Maldonado’s story is one of overcoming tribulations in the face of adversity, and that is exactly what she hopes to bring in her campaign to be the next delegate of the 50th district.

According to Maldonado, she entered the race in order to fight the division that she has seen recently. “I was inspired to run after seeing the divide and division in our country,” she said. “Understanding that we have more in common than what divides us, I wanted to run to help us find common ground and shared interest so we could bring all parties to the table for constructive dialogue and get things done like jobs and the economy, healthcare and our education systems, the greening and strengthening of our infrastructure and transportation, and criminal justice reform–all through an equitable lens.

Maldonado’s platform is focused on criminal justice reform, education, infrastructure, and the economy.

When asked what makes her the best candidate to represent the 50th district, Maldonado explained that she has a strong background in leadership and community healing. “A lot of what I’ve done professionally, growing up, and throughout my career has positioned me well to get in there and deal with sticky situations,” she said. “I come from a family of firsts and a family of service. My grandmother was the first Black principal in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and my grandfather was an instructor for the Tuskegee Airmen.” Throughout her career, Maldonado has worked in the public and private sectors, and her experience includes work in other countries. 

Maldonado also stated that she believes she can bring greater recognition to issues that the district is facing. “Looking at some really key things that I think are missing, that I am specifically and uniquely poised to be able to provide, what I’m hearing a lot of is that people are not feeling engaged and fully represented,” she said. She added that she believes she can bring together executive leaders and people on the ground. She added later, “A lot of the things we are experiencing as residents of the 50th district, I don’t need to read about, because I’m living them every day.”

In terms of policy, Maldonado said that she hopes to bring a lens of equity to the table. She stated that we are still recovering from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and we need to work to ensure that we are including communities in conversations. She added that part of the equity in the recovery process is about ensuring that, when we recover, we create better systems. According to Maldonado, this includes bridging the pay gap and fighting for not just maternal leave but parental leave as a whole.

Education is another area where Maldonado wants to bring a lens of equity. “Herculean work was done to get the 5% pay increase for our teachers, which is beautiful and more than we’ve had in more than a decade,” she said. “The challenge with that is that while it’s a great start, we still have further to go.” She added that in order to pay our teachers equitably, we need to change the way public schools are funded. The way that schools are funded based on the property tax of the area of the school creates disproportionate funding. Schools in less wealthy areas receive less funding despite the fact that those families cannot afford to buy resources themselves.

Maldonado also said that she would like to see the Commonwealth invest in bringing green jobs into the 50th district, citing that Route 28 and the Interstate 66 corridor provide a unique opportunity for smart development. She also stated that modifying the rail schedule and reworking transportation in the area would also bring more jobs. Her plans to expand transportation options in the area include fighting to expand metro and bus routes to the district, creating bike lanes, and engineering a new railroad schedule to ensure that people have access to trains throughout the day instead of just during peak hours. 

When asked what role anti-racism plays in her campaign, Maldonado stated that she believes anti-racism means actively fighting racism. “Not racist means I’m not actively doing things that are considered to be racist,” she said. “Anti-racist is an active stance of not being racist. That means speaking up. That means helping to contribute to policies, processes, rules–all of those things that impact all of us.” Maldonado said that she views anti-racism as a way to enact an equity lens.

Maldonado said that if she could only pass one bill in her term it would focus on jobs and the economy. She stated that we need to concentrate on bridging the wage gap and ensuring that Virginians are being paid enough. “Even with $15 an hour, that doesn’t give a lot of wiggle room,” she said. 

Maldonado said that she believes she will be able to pass bills in the General Assembly even if Republicans reclaim a majority in the House of Delegates because she has worked across lines her entire career. She said that her work is all about getting things done, and throughout her career, she has worked with people from all walks of life and across the political spectrum.

Maldonado has been endorsed by Supervisor Victor Angry (D-Neabsco), Vangie Williams, the Virginia chapter of the National Women’s Political Caucus, The Collective Political Action Committee, and Vote Pro Choice. 

She has also been endorsed by Andrew Young, a Civil Rights activist and close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who served in Congress from 1973 to 1977 and then served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter. 

Michelle Maldonado will face off against incumbent Delegate Lee Carter and challenger Helen Zurita in the June 8th Democratic primary. According to campaign finance reports, Maldonado outraised both her opponents combined during the most recent fundraising quarter.