VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia's 2023 general election is on November 7, and all 140 seats in the state's General Assembly are up for grabs. This is also Virginia’s first election since legislative district maps were redrawn using 2020 census data.
Republican Rob Bloxom Jr., the incumbent candidate, will face off against Democrat challenger Charlena Jones in the newly drawn 100th District for the Virginia House of Delegates.
House District 100 includes much of the Eastern Shore and a small area of Virginia Beach. The area included a larger portion of Virginia Beach before redistricting. You can look up if your address is included in the new redistricting here.
Republican Rob Bloxom Jr.
Bloxom was elected to the 100th District in February 2014. He is a longtime resident of the Eastern Shore, and owns several businesses in the region.
On his website, Bloxom outlined his most important issues: creating Virginia jobs, the right to the second amendment, family and abortion, and education.
In terms of creating jobs, he said he "knows what it takes" because of his experience as a businessman. He said he wants to limit regulations to support small businesses.
Bloxom described himself as a big supporter of the second amendment, and will work to protect the right to bear arms. In the face of tragedy, he said he would prefer "a focused effort on changes" that would prevent them from happening, as opposed to an "all-out attack on the Second Amendment."
When it comes to abortion, Bloxom said he is pro-life, but wants to work on streamlining the adoption process to "make it more easily available" for women to place children into a good home.
In the classroom, Bloxom said his focus is "making sure education dollars reach the teachers and classrooms where it can make a difference."
Democrat Charlena Jones
Jones was born and raised on the Eastern Shore. She pivoted her focus to state politics after a four year term on the Northampton County Public School Board. She'll finish her final term in December.
Aside from the school board, Jones worked in mental health counseling for more than 20 years. She said she wants to serve to "try to help out on the bigger spectrum."
"In the process of helping to solve challenges and advocating, I have seen that the greater issues could be solved from a legislative standpoint, which is why I'm running for House of Delegates to help solve those most pressing issues of the community," Jones said.
She believes the most important issues to voters are housing, livable wages and education funding.
"I hear a lot of important issues. For example, housing, you know, the lack of housing available, affordability. I've shared my story when I go out campaigning. I share with people, without hesitation that even as a college graduate and a single mom, there was a time where I had to rely on the government to help pay my rent," Jones said. "Because the rent was too high, and the wages were too low. And so hearing people's concerns regarding the rent being too high, not making enough money with livable wages, and that's a concern as well, is living wages."
She said it's important to remember her district is funded differently because of the challenges of rural living.
"It's different than those not in a rural area. Funding education, housing, workforce housing, living wages, clean air, clean water," Jones said.
