VA: Suffolk Republican delegate targeted as he faces a challenger for the first time in 14 years
One of the most powerful Republicans in the House of Delegates is campaigning in a newly drawn district favorable to his Democratic opponent.
Del. Chris Jones, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, was first elected to represent Suffolk and part of Chesapeake in 1997. He easily beat a handful of opponents in the early years of his House career, but no one had run against him since 2005. Now he faces a challenge Nov. 5 from Clinton Jenkins, a Democrat who unsuccessfully ran for City Council in 2014.
The new legislative map — adopted after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the old map illegally packed black voters into certain districts — is a detriment to Jones in the 76th House District, where partisan lines shifted to Democrats by 27 percentage points, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
The new Democratic advantage has outside groups like Forward Majority Action targeting Jones with negative ads. Equal Means Equal, a national organization dedicated to ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, has set up its headquarters in the district.
But Jones has plenty of cash reserves. He’s sitting on nearly $146,000 and keeping most of it to himself (he donated a combined $52,500 to two incumbent Republicans who lost their seats in the primaries). Jenkins has about $85,600 cash on hand.
https://www.pilotonline.com/government/virginia/vp-nw-elx-76th-delegate-preview-20191101-6imwtk74dngjhp25a7cepjveeq-story.html
