Summary

VA House District 51

District Map (PDF)

Hala Ayala

Current Position: State Delegate for VA House District 51 since 2018
Affiliation: Democrat

Candidate: 2019 State Delegate VA House District 51

For more information, see Hala Ayala’s post.

As a member of Prince William County community for over 35 years and elected as Delegate in 2017, Hala Ayala gives a new, needed voice for the 51st House District of Virginia.

AN ADVOCATE FOR WORKING FAMILIES

Hala has personally experienced the challenges of single motherhood and lack of access to affordable health insurance. She understands the concerns of working families today. She has fought for raising the minimum wage, equal pay and affordable access to health care as the founder and former president of the Prince William County chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW).

A DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANT
Hala worked her way up from a service job without health insurance to become a cybersecurity specialist with the Department of Homeland Security. For over 17 years, she worked to protect our nation’s information systems, enforce security measures, and prevent attacks by safeguarding computers, networks and data from criminal intrusion and security breaches.  She’s ready to use that same determination and work ethic to ensure that Prince William County families can flourish.

A CHAMPION FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN VIRGINIA
Hala helped organize Virginia for the Women’s March on Washington in January. She helped organize buses to transport people to DC and raised money to help with the expenses for those who would not otherwise be able to participate. As former president of the Prince William County chapter of NOW, she fought for equal pay for equal work so that women get paid equally for the same work. Hala also served on Governor Terry McAuliffe’s Council on Women.

Only 17 of Virginia’s 100 state delegates are women. Hala believes that the number should be higher to make sure that all voices are heard, in order to create a better future for all Virginians.

Richard Anderson

Current Position: Retired Air Force
Former: State Delegate for VA House District 51 from 2010 – 2018
Affiliation: Republican

Candidate: 2019 State Delegate VA House District 51

For more information, see Richard Anderson’s post.

“I’m a born-and-bred Virginian, and I’ll be a Virginian for the rest of my days. I’m a husband, father, grandfather, and your neighbor, and my #1 priority is looking out for you and your family. After 30 years as an Air Force officer and eight years in the Virginia House of Delegates, I’m totally committed to making life better for working families in Prince William County and across Virginia.”

Rich Anderson is a native Virginian who retired from the Pentagon in 2009 as a highly-decorated 30-year Air Force colonel. That same year, he was elected to represent the 51st House District in the Virginia General Assembly for eight years (2010-2018). While there, he chaired the House Science and Technology Committee and the General Assembly Military and Veterans Caucus. He also sat as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, House Finance Committee, House General Laws Committee, and House Transportation Committee. Over the course of his legislative service, his fingerprints were on almost all groundbreaking legislation for military veterans and Virginia’s science and technology community. Rich is a graduate of Virginia Tech and is married to Occoquan District Supervisor (Prince William County) Ruth Anderson, also a retired Air Force officer. They are the parents of three children, have seven grandchildren, and have lived in Woodbridge for nearly 20 years

Issues

Civil Rights

Hala Ayala

• Fight for women’s health care to make sure access to birth control is available.
• Protect Planned Parenthood and defending a woman’s ability to make her own health decisions.
• Champion policies that help working families like paid family leave, paid sick leave and increasing the minimum wage.
• Stand up for equal pay for equal work, so women who work the same job as men can earn the same living.

Education

Hala Ayala

• Expanding Pre-K
• Reducing overcrowding in classrooms and in schools
• Investing more in school infrastructure and construction
• Retaining and recruiting the best teachers
• Helping our schools be safe places, free from discrimination and bullying
• Working to keep the costs of Virginia’s great colleges and universities affordable
• Making sure our local community colleges and vocational programs have the resources to educate Virginia’s young people

Richard Anderson

Rich believes competitive compensation packages will attract and retain quality educators. He helped raise teacher pay, put more dollars in the classroom, and restored control of schools to parents, teachers, and local leaders. Rich is committed to making sure every student in Virginia has an education that prepares them for success in college, in their careers, and in life.

Economy

Richard Anderson

Taxes

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rich helped write eight balanced budgets, opposed tax increases, and focused on responsible spending. He also worked across the aisle with his colleagues to add billions of dollars to the Virginia rainy day fund. Making sure your taxes stay as low as possible was and always will be one of his top priorities.

Jobs for Small Business

While serving as your Delegate, Rich voted to help small businesses and job creators with tax credits, easier online paperwork for new businesses, and protections for home-based businesses. He worked hard to keep taxes low, help small businesses grow, and keep Virginia among the best places in the nation to do business. For eight years, he received top scores of 100% from the Chamber of Commerce. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) rated him as A+ on behalf of 6,000+ Virginia small businesses. When elected, he will continue this pathway of progress for Virginia businesses and working families.

Infrastructure

Hala Ayala

Richard Anderson

Health Care

Hala Ayala

Not a Choice, But a right

• Expanding Medicaid in Virginia to more than 400,000 people, including more than 12,000 people in Prince William County
• Opposing President Trump’s Obamacare repeal and protecting all Virginians’ access to healthcare, including those with preexisting conditions
• Fighting extremist politicians in Richmond to protect Planned Parenthood funding and access to lifesaving preventive care.

Hala’s son was born with complications that required urgent medical attention. Her job, at the time, offered no health insurance. Thankfully, she qualified for Medicaid and her son was able to get the help he needed. Hala wants affordable access to healthcare for all Virginians.

However, President Trump and Richmond Republicans want to deny accessible healthcare for hundreds of thousands of Virginians. As Delegate, Hala will fight for quality, affordable healthcare by:

• Expanding Medicaid in Virginia to more than 400,000 people, including more than 12,000 people in Prince William County
• Opposing President Trump’s Obamacare repeal and protecting all Virginians’ access to healthcare, including those with preexisting conditions
• Fighting extremist politicians in Richmond to protect Planned Parenthood funding and access to lifesaving preventive care.

Richard Anderson

Veterans

Richard Anderson