JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. — Williamsburg area voters will see a shakeup to the names on their ballots when they head to the voting booths next Tuesday, as Republican Del. Amanda Batten faces Democratic challenger Jessica Anderson for control of House of Delegates District 71.
Campaign finance reports show the two candidates have raised close $1 million in fundraising totals.
District 71
The multi-locality district stretches across a large portion of the Virginia Peninsula, encompassing sections of James City County, Williamsburg and New Kent County.
More than 43,000 voters (approximately 60% of the district) makes up the former right-leaning House of Delegates District 96.
However, roughly 16,000 voters from the City of Williamsburg were drawn into the new district, a pool of voters that leans heavily Democratic.
Another 9,000 voters from New Kent County were added as well, an area considered to vote heavily Republican.
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, through Data from the Department of Elections, Gov. Glenn Youngkin won the currently constituted boundaries of District 71 by roughly 3,000 votes.
Amanda Batten (R)- Incumbent
Before being elected to the General Assembly in 2019, Del. Batten spent roughly a decade working as legislative aides for other state lawmakers.
Her first year in political office included the COVID-19 disrupted 2020 General Assembly session. In the time since, Republicans flipped the majority in the House of Delegates, as the party now aims for full control of both chambers.
"We were in the minority and it helped me understand working across the aisle. Even though some of your bills may be good, they might die just because there is partisan work at play," Batten told 13News Now.
Batten serves on the following committees: Public Safety, Education, Commerce and Energy, and Rules
Batten noted HB-1907 as the piece of legislation she was most proud of in the last General Assembly session.
“Passed a consumer protection bill, purely based on feedback from a constituent whose mother suffered at the hands of a con artist," she said.
On Abortion
Batten said she's supportive of Gov. Youngkin's proposed 15-week abortion ban:
“I think adults can get around the table. The governor has mentioned 15 weeks maybe, I think that’s a great place to start."
When asked if that meant she'd support potential legislation that would be more (or less) restrictive than that threshold:
“It's a starting point for conversation, I imagine there will be others wrapped up in that," she said.
You can read more about Del. Batten's stances on issues here.
Jessica Anderson (D)- Challenger
Anderson is a name known across the Williamsburg community, and across social media.
As a parent and public school employee, Anderson has amassed a TikTok following of more than 600,000 followers.
A frequent speaker at Williamsburg James City County school board meetings, it is Anderson's first time running for this level of political office.
"I believe I understand the people I’m looking to represent a little better than my opponent," Anderson told 13News Now.
Billed as a progressive activist, one of Anderson's top priorities is advocacy for public school education, noting disagreements over several right-leaning education movements over the last several months from the newly adopted trans model policies to the attempts to ban books in the Commonwealth.
"I have a real problem when a small group of individuals, with a problem with a section of the book, are removing access to everyone," she said. "We already have policies to make sure what parents say their kids have access to.”
On Abortion
Anderson is a supporter of reproductive rights, and opposed to attempts at a 15-week restriction.
“I don’t think that’s where they’re [Republicans]headed. Ithink that’s a great talking point to get voters on board with what they have to say," she said.
You can read more about Anderson's stances on issues here.