Benjamin Litchfield is a lawyer, an HBCU graduate, the former Chairman of the Stafford Democratic Committee, and, as of last week, a Democratic candidate for Virginia State Senate in the newly-formed 27th district in 2023. Litchfield sat down with PW Perspective to talk about his campaign and what makes him the right candidate to represent his community.

Litchfield says his call to public service began at a young age. Growing up in a trailer park, Litchfield was raised by a single mother in a community that was abandoned by major manufacturing companies.

“I got a front-row seat to what it looks like when the bottom falls out from under working families,” Litchfield said. “As a kid, I felt powerless to help, which is why I went to law school.”

During his time as chairman of his local democratic committee, Litchfield became close with many community leaders and activists. He grew to realize that despite the fact that Stafford County is one of the richest counties in the country, there is a staggering lack of a middle class. Coupled with his experiences growing up, Litchfield saw the poverty, lack of affordable housing, broken-down roads, and struggling small businesses in his community as a call to action. 

“What’s inspiring me to run is a desire to help my friends and neighbors,” Litchfield said, citing the issues he’s seen in his community.

Having worked for the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, Litchfield feels that he has an understanding of how the economy has failed the working class and what work needs to be done to help those who have been let down. That economic experience is one of the reasons that workforce development is a top priority in his campaign.

“We have an economy that works great for millionaires and billionaires, but not so much for the regular folks,” Litchfield said. “I know there are people going to sleep tonight without electricity, or water, or a roof over their heads. They have to balance paying the electricity bill or putting food on the table. I’ve seen it.”

Litchfield believes that workforce development programs need to ensure high school, community college, and trade school students are prepared with the skills small businesses need.

Among his other priorities are transportation, public education, and environmental justice.

The 27th district is home to one of the worst areas for traffic in the country, and that traffic creates further economic costs to the residents, according to Litchfield. People in the area spend more time traveling to and from work than most Americans because of the traffic, and that means they spend less time at home. Additionally, Litchfield cited the added environmental cost due to increased CO2 emissions. If elected, he said, he would like to explore alternative methods of transportation for the district including high-speed rails.

During his discussion of high-speed rail, Litchfield expressed concerns about Mayfield, a predominantly Black community in the city of Fredericksburg. It’s also the site of a rail yard where CSX Transportation has parked propane tanker cars that the residents of the area are continuously exposed to.

Litchfield asserts that the exposure to toxic propane fumes in the Mayfield community is a form of environmental racism. Prolonged exposure to propane can cause long-term health issues. As state senator, he said he hopes to work with community leaders in Mayfield as well as state and federal authorities to ensure that its residents are no longer exposed to those fumes.

Litchfield also believes that funding for schools in the district must be increased in order to keep up with other public schools in Virginia. He believes that teacher pay must be increased along with funding for other roles in public schools.

Recently, public schools have come under fire in terms of everything from funding to equity, but Litchfield made his stance clear, stating that he would not, under any circumstances, support legislation that would take funding away from public schools in order to fund charter schools. 

He also expressed that he believes students should be taught the truth about American history, the good and the bad.

“You can’t love someone unless you know them, warts and all,” Litchfield said. “How can you teach someone to love their country if they don’t know its full history? Without understanding slavery, you can’t understand the Civil Rights Movement and all the work we still need to do.”

Litchfield described the movement to ban critical race theory and other divisive concepts as a slippery slope. He added that without expressly defining what qualifies as divisive, we risk banning teachings of slavery, Selma, the Freedom Rides, and leaders like Fannie Lou Hamer and Malcolm X. 

Another issue that is important to Litchfield is ensuring that students are safe and healthy. With a young nephew in Virginia public schools, he expressed his concern that should a student contract COVID-19, the long-term consequences are still unknown. We still don’t know what respiratory or cardiovascular health issues could arise decades later for students who are exposed to COVID-19, and that is why Litchfield supports school masking policies.

“We’re gambling with our kids, and we’re risking their future health,” Litchfield added. “And I don’t think it’s worth it. We need to take this seriously and listen to doctors and experts.”

Litchfield also expressed his hopes that Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly could come together to address crumbling infrastructure in public schools. According to Litchfield, localities across Virginia are typically charged with addressing infrastructure issues in schools, but this policy disproportionately impacts smaller, poorer communities that cannot afford to revitalize schools. Litchfield said he hopes that the state can work to set aside funds in order to help localities rebuild schools.

When asked about his ability to work with Republicans in the General Assembly, Litchfield cited his experience as Chairman of the Stafford Democratic Committee. Stafford County is considered a predominantly Republican area, yet, under Litchfield’s leadership, the county went from seven Republican members of the Board of Supervisors to only three. 

Litchfield also saw success working with Equality Stafford with a Republican school board member in order to ensure that trans students in Stafford Public Schools were protected by a nondiscriminatory policy. He expressed that he was proud to have played a small part in helping Equality Stafford with its mission to protect members of the LGBTQ+ community in public schools.

One thing that Litchfield expressed his gratitude for was former Del. Bob Thomas’s (R-28) legislation that expanded healthcare coverage for members of the autistic community. Litchfield has a close family member with autism spectrum disorder, and he cares deeply about the needs of the community. He described Thomas’s bill as a gamechanger for the autism community.

He added that he likely will not agree with Republicans in the General Assembly very often, but he hopes that he can build relationships and find common ground on pressing issues. 

Having grown up in a trailer park, affordable housing is an issue close to Litchfield’s heart. Trailer parks are one of the few remaining options for affordable housing, according to him, but unfortunately, residents of trailer parks lack bargaining power against the large private equity companies, like Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Carlyle Group, which own a majority of the nation’s trailer parks. People who live in mobile homes usually do not own the land they live on, have no control over their lot rent, and have no right of first refusal when it comes to land sales. Because of that, landlords are able to raise rent and sell the parks with little to no warning for residents. Litchfield cited a segment from “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” as a great and informative summary of the issue. It is a pressing issue that he hopes to address if elected state senator.

When asked to describe the basis of his campaign in three words, Litchfield chose the sentiment, “People first always.”

He is passionate about creating an economy that works for everyone regardless of race, color, and sexuality. To him, that includes access to affordable healthcare and affordable housing.

Litchfield graduated from George Washington University and then worked his way through law school at Howard University, graduating from both institutions with honors. He was the first in his family to go to graduate school. Prior to entering private practice, Litchfield worked for the Federal Credit Union Administration and the CFPB. Litchfield lives in Stafford with his wife Valerie. 

“The substance of me isn’t just in my resume,” Litchfield said. “It’s in the things I’ve done. I’ve overcome poverty and reached my hand back to my mom and sister to help them overcome it, too. I’ve always fought for working families.”

Litchfield has been endorsed by several community leaders including Griffis-Widewater Supervisor Tinesha Allen, Equality Stafford President Amy Adams, Prince William Democratic Committee Vice Chair Rozia A. Henson, and Elizabeth Cameron, former Vice Chair of the Stafford Democratic Committee and Garrisonville District Representative to Stafford’s Agricultural and Purchase Development Rights Commission. 

Idris O’Connor also endorsed Litchfield. O’Connor is the chair of the Cooperative Council of Ministries, a member of the Prince William County Social Services Board, and a former candidate for delegate in the 31st district. O’Connor was endorsed by PW Perspective in his bid for Delegate in 2021.

“I’m proud to endorse Ben Litchfield,” said O’Connor. “From fighting for working families at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau to working for his community as chair of the Stafford Democrats, Ben has always been a strong leader, and he is going to be a great state senator.”

Benjamin Litchfield is a candidate for Virginia Senate in the 27th district in 2023. He is currently the only candidate in the race. To learn more about him, you can visit his Twitter or Facebook page. His website is currently under construction.