Representing Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax

Last Saturday, all 55 members of the new House Democratic Majority gathered in Richmond to elect the next Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.

I am thrilled that we elected my friend Eileen Filler-Corn as Speaker. She is the first woman, and first Jewish Delegate, to hold the position.

We also elected two other members of the Leadership team. My friend, Alexandria's own Charniele Herring, was elected House Majority Leader. She is the first African-American and first woman to hold the position in the state legislature's 400-year history. My Arlington delegation compatriot Rip Sullivan was elected Caucus Chair.

I know all three of these Delegates well. I work well with them and trust them. And I am excited to have them leading the Democratic Caucus as we move Virginia forward. This is the most diverse caucus that there has ever been in the General Assembly's 400-year history. No General Assembly majority has ever looked more like the people of Virginia than the current House Democratic majority.

While Delegates Filler-Corn, Herring, and Sullivan are the House Democrats' leaders, it is you, my constituents, who give me direction.
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With the historic electoral victory now behind us, my focus turns to determining my legislative agenda for the 2020 session. My Democratic colleagues and I are thrilled to finally be able to do the work of governing.

I already have a good idea of many of the bills I will introduce next year, most of which are bills that I've introduced in years past: Rainbow Equal Rights, allowing localities to raise their minimum wage, background checks and banning assault weapons, stopping predatory lending, preventing elder and child abuse, discarding the electoral college, lowering the cost of health care, transparency in government, making it easier to register to vote, and much, much more. 

But I need to hear from you.
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Last night, Virginians elected Democrats to:

a majority of the Senate
21 out of 40 seats

and

a majority of the House of Delegates
54 or 55 out of 100 seats

I hereby declare Mission 51 a Success!
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I respectfully ask for your vote on Tuesday. And if you live outside my district, I ask you to vote for Democrats up and down the ballot so that the values we share can be enacted into law.

Republicans have organized a write-in campaign against me and against every Democrat for the House or Senate running in Alexandria.

So please don't sit this one out. Get out to the polls and cast a ballot!
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Next Tuesday, we have a chance to elect the most progressive majority in the 400 year history of Virginia's state legislature.

But to be successful, we need to get out the vote. 
That means talking to your neighbors and friends. 
It also means knocking on doors and phone-banking.

Do the work this weekend and make sure you have no regrets on Wednesday morning.
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Grammy winner Jason Mraz and I will be on Instagram live TOGETHER at 5pm ET today to talk about what's at stake in Virginia's elections next Tuesday. You can join either on Jason's Instagram or mine. 

It's Jason's first live instagram ever. And I'm incredibly honored that he's doing it with me to help us Flip Virginia this Tuesday.
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