Summary
The 2021 Virginia House of Delegates District 15 race will be held on November 2nd, 2021. Incumbent Democratic Candidate Kathy Tran will be competing against the Republican Ed McGovern for the office. Kathy Tran has held the office since 20018. This is Ed McGovern’s first time running for public office. Kathy Tran advanced to the candidacy after winning the Democratic Primary, and Ed McGovern received the candidacy after the Republican Primary was canceled.
OnAir Post: VA House Race 42-2021
News
In District 42, Republican candidate Ed McGovern will face off against Democratic incumbent Kathy Tran who assumed office in 2018. Originally from Philadelphia, McGovern is a retired federal employee having worked with the U.S. Army and various federal departments in resource management. He graduated from Shippensburg University with a degree in Political Science and later earned his master’s in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh. McGovern has been involved in the Northern Virginia community since 1993.
Tran came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam. She is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Michigan. Tran served as a Presidential Management Fellow as well as assistant director of skills and workforce development at the National Immigration Forum. Tran currently serves on the General Laws and the Health, Welfare, and Institutions committees in the general assembly.
localDMV, – March 16, 2021
LORTON, Va. (WDVM) — Republican Ed McGovern announced he’s running for a delegate seat in Virginia’s 42nd district, a district covering Mt. Vernon, Lorton, Springfield and Fairfax Station.
McGovern is a retired federal employee for the Department of the Army and has lived in Northern Virginia since 1993.
His main priorities include focusing on small business growth, improving transportation, reopening schools, advocating for school choice, protecting those with pre-existing conditions and more.
Kathy Tran
Source: Campaign Page
Current Position: District 42 State Delegate
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position(s): US Dept. of Labor, National Immigration Forum
Delegate Kathy Tran (VA-42) and her parents fled Vietnam as boat refugees when she was just seven months old. On the voyage, she grew so sick she almost died at sea. Although many other countries offered them asylum, they waited 13 months for the United States to accept their application. Kathy’s family risked everything to come to America because this country has always represented hope, opportunity and freedom. Now, she’s fighting for the American values that brought her family here in the Virginia House of Delegates representing the people of the 42nd District in the Commonweatlh of Virginia.
Ed McGovern
Current Position: Retired
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: State Delegate for District 42
Ed McGovern is a retired Federal Employee and has been involved with the Northern Virginia community since 1993. He spent his Federal and Department of Army career in Resource Management coordinating Funds & Manpower at various Command levels. He spent seven years abroad in Japan and Panama serving the Federal government.
Issues
Civil Rights
Kathy Tran
Standing Up for Women
The fight for women’s equality has defined America. While we have made great strides, we have far to go. Women continue to face gender-based discrimination and violence. We continue to be underrepresented in critical areas, including in in-demand industries that can lead to better prosperity for ourselves and our families, and elected and appointed office. Kathy will continue the fight for women’s equality in Virginia – all of Virginia prospers when women are treated equally, when women thrive economically, and when women are free from violence.
Kathy will oppose any attempt by politicians to interfere in a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body. She will fight against any proposed legislation that would impose medically unnecessary restrictions on reproductive health care providers or limit the ability of a woman to make the best decision for her health with her doctor.
Kathy is proud to have been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia (PPAV), NARAL Pro-Choice Virignia, EMILY’s List, and Virginia’s List during the 2017 Election.
2018 LEGISLATION
HB 1062: Eliminate Statute of Limitations for Prosecution of Misdemeanor Sexual Offenses
HB 1462: Virginia Human Rights Act; Mandatory Sexual Harassment Training in the Workplace
Ed McGovern
N/A
Democracy
Kathy Tran
Kathy and her family fled Vietnam as refugees when she was just seven months old. They risked everything to come to the United States because for them, this country represented hope, opportunity, and freedom. Hate is a problem, not a policy, and Kathy uses her voice as Delegate to stand against those who seek to undermine a welcoming and inclusive Virginia.
At a time when the most fundamental elements of a well-functioning democracy are being challenged across the country, Kathy fights against laws and practices that keep Virginians from exercising their right to vote or seek to weaken our vote through gerrymandering or the influence of big money in politics.
Ed McGovern
N/A
Economy
Kathy Tran
Kathy has spent her entire career working for all Americans to have the skills, training, and credentials to reach their full career potential. During her 12 years of service at the U.S. Department of Labor, she helped shape national workforce development policy and programs. Now, Kathy brings that expertise to the House of Delegates to ensure that Virginia is globally competitive and that our region attracts good jobs. She will always fight for workforce and education programs that build strong talent pipelines, and for worker’s rights as critical to economic growth and social mobility.
One of Kathy’s proudest accomplishments during her time at the U.S. Department of Labor was her work on the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, bipartisan legislation that helped expand employment services for transitioning service members and veterans. As Delegate, Kathy takes leadership in building partnerships with professional licensing boards, employers, industry associations, community colleges and others to make sure veterans are able to translate their intensive, world-class training and work experience to the civilian workforce. She will work to ensure that Virginia fulfills its obligation to our servicemembers and their families, and that our veterans have the tools and opportunities they need to succeed.
Kathy is proud to have been endorsed by a wide range of business and labor organizations during the 2017 Election, including:
- The Northern Virginia REALTORS® Political Action Committee (NV/RPAC) and the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) of Virginia
- The Virginia AFL-CIO and the Northern Virginia Labor Federation
- The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)
Ed McGovern
Small Business
The backbone of our economy is small businesses and right now they are shutting down and in dire need of help. Ed will be a champion for small businesses because he understands how critical they are to the 42nd district. COVID-19 has hit Virginia’s small businesses hard and instead of delivering relief, Democrats are set on burdening them with red tape. Our businesses thrive when they can operate without fear of government interference. Ed will get Richmond out of the way, so we can make Virginia number one for business again.
Education
Kathy Tran
Strengthening our public schools
As a mom of four and the president of her local PTA, Kathy knows we need to ensure all children in Virginia have access to high-quality public education so they can thrive and compete. As Delegate, she fights to invest in our public school system to lower class sizes and increase teacher pay.
Kathy fights for affordable higher education, investment in our community colleges, and works to build strong career pathways from schools to the workforce. A former board member of the Esther Peterson Child Development Center at the U.S. Department of Labor, Kathy understands the critical importance of early childhood education in determining future academic success and will be a strong advocate in the General Assembly for universal pre-K.
Ed McGovern
Ed’s number one priority in Richmond is to reopen our schools and get students in classrooms once again. Once Virginia schools open again, Ed will lead to return educational decisions to local control. As a resident of the community since 1993 who raised his family here, Ed believes our student’s education is decided best by their parents, not career bureaucrats. Expanding access to charter schools, increasing vocational education, and enabling choice in Virginia will help evolve an educational system that is falling behind.
Environment
Kathy Tran
The 42nd House District is home to Mason Neck State Park, one of our region’s greatest natural treasures. We must take action to not only protect Virginia’s natural heritage, but protect the future of our planet. Climate change is an existential threat, and requires urgent action. If our president refuses to address it, it is up to states to lead the way.
We need to focus on growing our clean energy industries in Virginia. We can be a global leader and innovator on solar, wind, and other renewable sources of energy, but it requires leadership at the state level.
At the U.S. Department of Labor, Kathy helped jumpstart the bio-energy industry in Montana. She helped bring together growers, economic development agencies, workforce development leaders, tribal governments, educational institutions, and other partners to put communities on a pathway to prosperity while producing renewable fuel sources. Kathy takes this experience and expertise to Richmond, and never stops fighting for Virginia’s clean energy future.
Kathy is proud to have been endorsed by the Virginia League of Conservation Voters (VALCV) and the Sierra Club during the 2017 Election.
Ed McGovern
N/A
Healthcare
Kathy Tran
Expanding Access to Affordable Healthcare
Kathy will always work to protect and expand Virginians’ access to quality, affordable health care. Expanding Medicaid in the commonwealth would ensure that 400,000 vulnerable Virginians will no longer have to decide between paying for health care over other essentials, or waiting for a chronic condition to reach an emergency situation before seeking treatment.
Medicaid expansion also grows the economy, fueling the creation of new jobs in health care and social assistance. In fact, states with Medicaid expansion have experienced higher job growth in the health care sector than states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs. Further, every year billions of dollars in our federal taxes leave Virginia to support expanded Medicaid programs in other states; it is time for Virginians to also benefit.
Kathy will oppose any attempt by politicians to interfere in a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body, and will fight against any proposed legislation that would impose medically unnecessary restrictions on reproductive health care providers or limit the ability of a woman to make the best decision
Ed McGovern
Virginia’s healthcare system is broken and career politicians are more interested in using it to score cheap partisan points than to actually solve the problem at hand. Ed understands that our priority must be protecting people with pre-existing conditions and providing choice. Reforms to our current system are long overdue. Ed will fight Big PHARMA to lower drug prices, ensure insurance can be sold across state lines, allow doctors and patients to make their healthcare choices, and move towards market-based solutions. We need less government in our care, not more.
Immigration
When Kathy was a baby, her family was welcomed here as refugees. She understands that those who seek the promise of opportunity, hope, and freedom in America help make that promise stronger.
Many of the issues facing immigrants and refugees today are issues Kathy faced growing up in the Vietnamese diaspora. That experience has informed her entire career. She has worked with immigrant communities across the country, from teaching ESL classes to detained asylum seekers in Newark, to encouraging entrepreneurship in Detroit’s Latino community, to running after-school programs for immigrant children in San Jose. In her most recent role at the National Immigration Forum, she advocated for policies that would help immigrants reach their full career potential.
Kathy supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship and values family-based immigration while meeting our nation’s economic needs. In Virginia, she also works to expand citizenship preparation classes, opposes efforts to shift federal immigration enforcement responsibilities to state and local authorities, and continues to defend Virginia’s in-state tuition for DACA recipients.
2018 LEGISLATION
HB 1329: Religious Identity Protection Act
HB 1461: Create an Office of Immigrant Assistance
Ed McGovern
N/A
Safety
Kathy Tran
Preventing Gun Violence
For Kathy, enacting common-sense gun violence prevention measures means protecting our children and our communities. Parents should not have to worry if their kids will be safe when they send them to school or when they go outside to play.
As Delegate, Kathy fights to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers, and those with severe mental illness. She pushes for universal background checks to close the loopholes for sales of firearms at gun shows and over the Internet, and fights to restore Virginia’s “One-Handgun-a-Month” rule to combat gun-running. Kathy also fights for an assault weapons ban and limits on high-capacity magazines.
Kathy is proud to have been endorsed by Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS) PAC, and the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence during the 2017 Election.
Ed McGovern
N/A
Veterans
Kathy Tran
Honoring Veterans & Military Families
Our veterans and active duty service members have stood up in defense of our nation and our most fundamental values, and Kathy can be counted to stand up for them. Her brother David is a Combat Engineer Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, and completed two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Kathy and her family are tremendously proud of his service to our country, and it makes supporting veterans and military spouses a personal issue for her.
One of Kathy’s proudest accomplishments during her time at the U.S. Department of Labor was her work on the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, bipartisan legislation that helped expand employment services for transitioning service members and veterans. As Delegate, Kathy leads in building partnerships with professional licensing boards, employers, industry associations, community colleges and others to make sure veterans are able to translate their intensive, world-class training and work experience to the civilian workforce.
Kathy knows that military spouses also make sacrifices for their families, including giving up their own schooling and earning potential when they are relocated. Kathy was responsible for coordinating policies designed to help military spouses keep their credentials as they moved across the country, so that they could continue to maintain and grow their careers and provide for their families. In the House of Delegates, Kathy continues to advocate on behalf of military spouses and families.
Virginia has taken some important steps towards expanding access to quality health care services for veterans. Under Governor McAuliffe, Virginia became the first state to develop provider agreements between community health centers and the federal Veterans Administration (VA) through the Veterans Choice Program, which will allow veterans to have more quality health care options closer to home. Virginia is also building two new veterans care centers, including in nearby Fauquier County. In the House of Delegates, Kathy is committed to continuing to make progress on expanding access to quality health care for veterans across the Commonwealth.
Kathy is proud to have been endorsed by Iraq war veteran Congressman Seth Moulton, and New Politics, a bipartisan organization that supports national service alumni and military veterans running for public office during the 2017 Election.
Ed McGovern
N/A
Role of Government
Kathy Tran
N/A
Ed McGovern
As a retired Federal employee, Ed knows firsthand that Virginia operates best when government is kept out of our lives. Our businesses, healthcare, and education system were once the best in the country, but Virginia’s institutions have been harmed over time by burdensome government regulations. Ed will hold Richmond accountable and ensure the legislature doesn’t overstep their Constitutional bounds. Career politicians like Ed’s opponent think otherwise. Ed is running to give the 42nd district a representative that fights for them against Richmond red tape, not the other way around.
Covid-19
Kathy Tran
N/A
Ed McGovern
COVID-19 has brought our country, world, and way of life to a complete halt. Virginia is trailing other states in our recovery due to Governor Northam’s inability to roll out the vaccine across the Commonwealth. In Richmond, Ed will work across the aisle to reopen our schools and school activities, get business open, get workers working again, and provide much needed relief to Virginia families. The path to full recovery is long and as a lifelong civil servant with the Department of the Army, Ed will deliver on the solutions Virginians deserve, which must include an evaluation of Assisted Living facilities.
Transportation
Kathy Tran
N/A
Ed McGovern
Years of failed leadership in Richmond has led to Northern Virginia not receiving its fair share of transportation dollars. In Richmond, Ed will fight to modernize our roads, metro, and tolls. With the influx of quality, high paying jobs into Northern Virginia, it’s critical that we find new ways to get people to their daily activities. As a longtime resident, Ed understands the wasted time and frustration with traffic congestion. He believes spending transportation funds in a well thought out way brings great benefits.
