EMPORIA, Va. — Virginia's 2023 general election happens 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 Otto Wachsmann Jr., the incumbent candidate, will face off against Democrat challenger Mary Person in the newly drawn 83rd District for the Virginia House of Delegates.
Wachsmann has served in the House of Delegates since 2022.
"It gives me a chance to get back and meet with people and help them," Wachsmann told 13News Now. "My part of the state has really been forgotten for a long time. It's nice that we're starting to get a little recognition now, hoping to bring something to the people who deserve so much more than what they've had the last 50 years here."
Healthcare has been at the forefront of Wachsmann's campaign, with him noting that he is only one of only a few candidates running with any medical background. Education and rising costs are other areas of concerns he feels his community is most concerned with.
Person has worked in education for more than two decades and currently serves as the principal of Bellfield Elementary School in Emporia.
13News Now reached out to Person for an interview but she was unavailable.
Person's top priorities, according to her campaign website, are education, creating more job and economic opportunities, ensuring quality health care is accessible and affordable for all, and creating safer communities.
"Our communities must be a safe place to live, work, and go to school," Person's website reads. "Community policing is important to allow officers to develop relationships with the community and the community to develop relationships with the officers. It is also important for officers to be properly trained in dealing with mental health issues."
House District 83 includes parts of Isle of Wight, Smithfield and Carrolton.
District 84 was formed by combining parts of Districts 75, 64 and 63. You can look up to see if your address falls within the boundaries of the new district by going to the Virginia Department of Elections.
