Rockbridge Voters Head to the Polls
Lexington and Rockbridge Voters Head to the Polls
A newcomer will be elected to Senate, while several races remain uncontested
Lexington voters will have their voices heard this Tuesday, November 7, 2023 with six city elections up for grabs.
32 elections are being held in the Rockbridge area. At the top of the ticket are three elections for state office: the 36th and 37th House of Delegates districts and the 3rd Senate district.
Unlike the nearby communities of Glasgow and Buena Vista, Lexington has no municipal elections this November.
The two statewide races in which Lexingtonians will vote are key. The stakes of this year’s statehouse elections are high, as every seat in the General Assembly is up for reelection. Republicans are looking to keep their majority in the House of Delegates and to flip the Senate. Doing so would give Republicans unchallenged control of legislation, which could open the way for Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, to pass his policy priorities.
3rd Senate District
Lexington is now a part of the redrawn 3rd Senate district, where Republican Christopher Head and Democrat Jade Harris are facing off. Neither are incumbent as the 3rd district was relocated from eastern Virginia. Redistricting prompted Lexington’s current State Senator, Democrat Creigh Deeds, to run in the new 11th district.
Head has experience in the House of Delegates, having represented the heavily conservative Roanoke-area 17th district for 11 years. Head describes himself as a “small business owner” and a “proven champion of economic growth,” who is also “committed to protecting Virginia’s … unborn children.”
Head reiterated his positions in a recent interview with WSLS 10, where he called himself “solidly pro-life … solidly pro-business,” as well as being in favor of, “self-reliance, rather than government reliance and … [the] Second Amendment.”
Head also advocates increasing resources for veterans, increasing police funding, and stricter enforcement of voter ID laws.
Head did not respond to The Spectator's request for comment.
Head’s opponent is 26-year-old Rockbridge local Jade Harris, former Vice-Mayor of Glasgow. Harris was unsuccessful as the Democratic nominee in the 2023 special election for the 24th House of Delegates district.
In a recent interview, Harris positioned herself as an outsider, saying that “the same old same old isn’t really working for our communities anymore.”
She also espoused support for increasing government attention on infrastructure, a position she reiterated when talking to The Spectator. “The biggest policy piece for my campaign is infrastructure,” she said.
Harris disagreed with the messaging of her opponent, who has characterized himself as a “proven conservative.” According to Harris, many Republican primaries have begun to boil down to “contests on who can be the most conservative,” to what she believes is to the detriment of their constituents.
Running in a district she described as “super red”, Harris seemed to embrace the challenge of flipping voters. “Everyone deserves to have their voice represented… I am a person that supports people over party,” Harris said.
Harris’s other policy positions include repealing right-to-work, raising teacher pay, opposing school vouchers, repealing certain flat taxes, and enshrining abortion rights in the Virginia Constitution.
37th House of Delegates District
Terry Austin, a Republican, currently represents the 19th district. He is running for reelection in the redrawn 37th district. Stretching from Covington to Bedford, the 37th retains much of the old 19th district, plus Lexington. Lexington’s current delegate, Ellen Campbell, is running to represent the 36th district, located north of the city.
Austin, who lives in Buchanan, has a policy platform that emphasizes promoting deregulation and entrepreneurship, noting his background as a small business owner. He also supports improving Virginia’s transportation infrastructure, from the “interstate system, to our railroads and airports.” Austin draws attention to protecting Constitutional rights, particularly the Second Amendment.
Austin did not respond to The Spectator's request for comment.
Challenging Austin for the seat is pastor and former Covington Mayor Stephanie Clark, a Democrat. Talking to The Spectator, Clark emphasized her time as mayor, saying she gained experience such as “learning how to run meetings.” Clark also said that her “faith affects everything,” later stating that, “I pray about everything.”
Running in a heavily Republican district, Clark was positive about her chances.“One thing that separates me from my opponent is that I am a people’s person,” she said. “I will cross party lines to represent the whole rural district 37th … we are a fellowship … it's the people we have forgotten, but I will not forget the people.”
While not from the Lexington area, Clark said that “they know me in Lexington … I have a lot of ties.”
Clark emphasized a handful of policy positions, including veteran care and “advocating for women and children.” She supports providing “kids with meals,” ensuring that “women have the right to choose,” and addressing “behavioral health” problems.
Clark concluded by opining that voters should “Be smart and vote for Clark.”
Uncontested Local Positions
Lexington voters have several other elections to vote in, all of which are uncontested.
Michelle Trout, an Independent, is running for reelection as Clerk of the Rockbridge Circuit Court, a position she first won in 2017. Trout previously served as the chief deputy clerk for the Buena Vista Circuit Court.
Trout did not respond to The Spectator's request for comment.
Jared Moon, a Republican, is running unopposed for reelection as Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Lexington and Rockbridge County. Moon has held the position since 2019, when he also ran unopposed. Moon previously lost the 2017 election to be Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Buena Vista.
In an interview with the Lexington News-Gazette, Moon stated that “I absolutely love being a prosecutor.” He went on to state that his goals include “to make this office a victim-minded office where we take the thoughts and considerations of our victims into account.”
Moon declined to interview with The Spectator.
Steve Funkhouser is running unopposed for reelection as Rockbridge County Sheriff. Funkhouser was first elected sheriff in 2019, though he has served in the Sheriff’s Department since 1996.
The Rockbridge Sheriff’s Department recently spearheaded the search of Washington and Lee’s campus after a shelter-in-place order was enforced for several hours on November 1st.
Funkhouser did not respond to The Spectator's request for comment.
Two seats for Directors of the Natural Bridge Soil and Water Conservation District are up for election. “Billy” Grose Jr. and Charles T. Winder are running for the two seats.
Grose, an experienced farmer and former member of the Iredell County, North Carolina, Soil and Water Conservation Board told The Spectator that he wanted to “make sure that government funds are spent appropriately.” Grose also emphasized the need to properly utilize private funding that the Board receives.
Grose noted that the Board gives free advice for those with questions regarding conservation and can assist locals with creating conservation plans.
Winder did not respond to The Spectator's request for comment.
