Summary
District Description: County of Stafford (part); City of Fredericksburg (part)
Current Delegate: Bob Thomas since 2018 (R)
According to Ned Oliver of Virginia Mercury:
“Another district Democrats barely lost in 2017, this race has also voted Democratic in recent statewide elections, though by slimmer margins than some of the other districts Democrats are targeting. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine won the district by 55 points last year and Northam won with 51 percent of the vote in 2017. The Republican incumbent, Bob Thomas, was taken out by former Stafford Supervisor Paul Milde in a nasty primary that saw Milde tack right on issues like abortion and health care, something most Republicans facing tight races have strayed away from and Democrats expect to play to their advantage in a general election.”
OnAir Post: VA House 28 – 2019 Election
VA House District 28
Joshua Cole
Current Position: Chief of Staff for Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2019 State Delegate VA House District 28
For more information, see Joshua Cole’s post.
In 2017, Joshua Cole proudly ran for the Virginia House of Delegates to represent Virginia’s 28th District, becoming the first American-American, and youngest person to receive any party’s nomination, along the way. In an underfunded, hard-fought race, Josh finished less than 100 votes shy of having the honor of representing the 28th District.
Since then, Josh has served the state by acting as the Chief of Staff for Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler, fighting for the people by working alongside Delegate Convirs-Fowler on issues important to all Virginians, like fair housing. Simultaneously, Josh serves on Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent’s Equity, Diversity and Opportunity Committee, the Greater Fredericksburg Area Interfaith Council, as the President of the Stafford County NAACP and participates with numerous other local and community initiatives.
Clear in all of this work is Josh’s commitment to the communities of the 28th District. Raised in the 28th, Josh knows not only what it takes to live here, but what it means to build a home in Fredericksburg and Stafford County. He understands the excruciating drive along I-95 that is the bedrock of so many constituent commutes. He’s seen first-hand the ever-increasing cost of living in this community, and has sat with hardworking friends and neighbors, proud Virginians, who simply want to find a way to raise their family in the same town in which they grew up. Josh seeks to be your Delegate to he can fight to make this so, for all of them, and for you.
A product of the Stafford County Public School system, Joshua’s background in Virginia’s political affairs is rich, dating back to 2005, when he was appointed by the then-speaker, the Honorable William J. Howell, as a Page for the Virginia House of Delegates. That same year he was chosen as the Governor’s Page by Governor Mark R. Warner. He returned to the General Assembly again in 2016 as a Staff Assistant to the Clerk of the Virginia State Senate. As your Delegate, Josh will bring this experience to the fore to fight for a Virginia that serves all Virginians.
Paul Milde
Current Position: Businessman
Former: Chair, Stafford County Board of Supervisors from 2011 – 2017
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2019 State Delegate VA House District 28
For more information, see Paul Milde’s post.
Paul Milde is a Stafford County businessman who served 12 years on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. Paul has lived in Stafford since 1989 and has two grown children, Travis and Bailey. Paul is a lifelong entrepreneur who believes that with hard work and a willingness to innovate, we can find public policy solutions to even the thorniest of problems. Paul has a track record of success with this common-sense approach to government. His work to preserve Stafford’s Crow’s Nest peninsula proved that land preservation can be achieved without trampling property rights. As a three-time chairman of the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO), Paul learned how important it is for our region to have a tenacious advocate for funding to address the perennial problem of traffic. Since his term on the Board of Supervisors ended in 2017, Paul has remained engaged in these and many other issues facing our region.
