Rozia Henson, Jr. announced this week that he intends to seek the Democratic nomination for delegate in the new 19th District.

Henson, a Woodbridge native, is a community organizer and local Democratic leader. Henson is vice president of the Prince William Young Democrats, vice-chair of the Prince William County Democratic Committee, and former chair of the Woodbridge Democratic Committee. Henson is a member of the central committee of the Democratic Party of Virginia, and also serves on the Prince William County Historical Commission.

“We have too much at stake,” said Henson. “The second Democrats handed over the gavel, Republicans leaped at the opportunity to attack the progress we’ve made over the last few years.”

An information technology program manager by trade, Henson first ran for office in December 2020. When former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy resigned from the House of Delegates, Henson ran in the ensuing election to fill her seat. Henson lost the Democratic nomination to Del. Candi King, and fully endorsed her in the general election, which she went on to win.

Henson told PW Perspective that his platform will center on jobs, environmental reform, affordable housing, and transportation. 

The recently redrawn 19th District consists of part of Prince William County and Fairfax County. The new lines or the district encompass parts of three old districts, the 2nd District, the 42nd District, and the 52nd District, all three of which are currently held by Democratic incumbents.

The Democratic primary in the new 19th District currently has two candidates. In addition to Henson, Makya Little is running in the district.

The regularly scheduled elections for the House of Delegates take place in 2023, but it is possible that Virginia will be required to hold a slate of special elections this year. This is due to the fact that the 2021 elections were held using outdated districts, meaning that they were in violation of the Virginia Constitution.

If you would like to learn more about Henson and his candidacy, you can visit his website.