Voters across Virginia will take to the polls tomorrow to choose the Commonwealth’s next governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Virginians will also cast their votes for House of Delegates.

As Virginia’s premier anti-racist news outlet, PW Perspective has the responsibility to endorse candidates who will fight against racism and for the people of Virginia regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. We believe that if one Virginian is left behind, we are all left behind. And with that in mind, we are proud to have endorsed Delegate Hala Ayala for lieutenant governor and Delegates Joshua Cole (D-28) and Candi Mundon King (D-2) for reelection to their seats in the House of Delegates.

Delegate Ayala has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2018, and during that time, she has been a champion for women and children, public education, and communities that our Commonwealth has turned its back on for too long. Delegate Ayala is not just a legislator; she is an activist and advocate, and she has been for years.

Delegate Ayala has fought for the people of Prince William County and Virginia for years first as a community leader and then in the House of Delegates. Her experience is valuable beyond words.

In the race to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, Delegate Ayala is facing off against Republican nominee Former Delegate Winsome Sears. Part of the platform Former Delegate Sears is running on centers around increasing pay for teachers and law enforcement officers, which sounds good on the surface but when you analyze her platform, it lacks substance and actually poses a danger to Virginia’s economy. Former Delegate Sears wants to raise pay for law enforcement officers, but her platform does not include a plan to increase training or qualification requirements. Additionally, her platform includes unnecessary tax cuts that would tear revenue away from the Commonwealth. How is Virginia going to raise pay for teachers and police officers if we slash our income taxes, property taxes, grocery taxes, and gas taxes like Sears wants?

The Commonwealth of Virginia literally cannot afford to elect Former Delegate Sears to the office of lieutenant governor. Delegate Ayala’s platform does not pose the same financial threat to Virginia that Sears’s does.

Delegate Joshua Cole was elected to represent the people of Fredericksburg and Stafford in 2019, and since his election, he has worked hard to ensure he is doing what is best for the 28th district.

PW Perspective endorsed Delegate Cole because of the hard work he has done for his district. During his first term in the House of Delegates, he has fought to improve Virginia’s public schools and ensure that Virginian workers are protected.
Delegate Cole has been a force for change when it comes to recognizing and reconciling Virginia’s past of hatred, racism, and bigotry. His efforts to rename “Jefferson Davis Highway” to “Emancipation Highway” were undeniably a move to reconciliation. He was also instrumental in the legalization of marijuana in the Commonwealth, a policy change that will have an immeasurable positive impact on Black and brown communities across the Commonwealth. In the next few years, Virginia’s House of Delegates will guide the Commonwealth to creating and regulating a retail market for marijuana. Delegate Cole’s voice will be vital in creating legislation for a well-regulated marketplace for marijuana.

Delegate Candi Mundon King was elected to the House of Delegates in December 2020 in order to finish the term of Former Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy in the 2nd District after the latter resigned to focus on her campaign for governor.

Despite only serving a short amount of time in the House of Delegates so far, Delegate Mundon King has been a formidable force in the House of Delegates. She has fought for her constituency and backed bills and policies that will positively impact the areas of Prince William and Stafford that she represents.

Delegate Mundon King has served as a staunch and vocal advocate for education and rights for domestic workers. Virginia is home to over 60,000 domestic workers, the majority of whom are Black and brown women. During this past legislative session, Delegate Mundon King worked with Senator Jennifer McClellan to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which extended worker protections to domestic workers for the first time in Virginia’s history. In addition, she is an advocate for those with disabilities. There are not enough legislators who focus on making Virginia more accessible for everyone, and because of that, Delegate Mundon King is invaluable.

Stafford Democratic Committee Chairman Benjamin M. Litchfield puts it best. “Delegate Candi Mundon King hit the ground running since her snap election in January,” Litchfield told PW Perspective. “She has championed small businesses and working families in the General Assembly focusing on those kitchen table issues that matter most to Stafford County voters. I am proud of all she has done for our community in the time she has represented us.”

PW Perspective is proud to support Delegate Hala Ayala for lieutenant governor and Delegates Cole and Mundon King in their respective reelection campaigns. These three candidates have been and will continue to be influential in leading the Commonwealth of Virginia into the future. We need leaders like Delegates Ayala, Cole, and Mundon King. They represent the best Virginia has to offer, and we need Virginia’s best to guide us to a brighter tomorrow.