Summary
District Description: Virginia Beach City (Part), Norfolk City (Part)
Current Senator: Frank W. Wagner since 2001 (R)
According to Ned Oliver of Virginia Mercury:
“Another pick-up opportunity Democrats say is made better by a recent retirement, in this case longtime GOP Sen. Frank Wagner. Democrats nominated Turpin, a high school teacher who won election to the House as part of the 2017 blue wave. She’ll face Kiggans, a former Navy pilot and nurse practitioner. Northam won this seat with 54 percent of the vote, but in the words of one Republican operative, it’s “swingy” – Trump narrowly edged out Clinton here in 2016 and Obama won in 2012.”
OnAir Post: VA Senate 7 – 2019
VA Senate District 7
Cheryl Turpin
Current Position: State Delegate for VA House District 85 since 2018
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2019 State Senator VA Senate District 7
For more information, see Cheryl Turpin’s post.
Delegate Cheryl Turpin grew up in an active military family. After serving in the Army for 23 years, Cheryl’s father retired from service and her family resided in Fairfax County, Virginia. For the past 18 years, Cheryl’s family has called the Kempsville area of Virginia Beach home. Her two adult daughters – Ellison and Patricia – attended Virginia Beach City Public Schools and are graduates of Kempsville High School.
Cheryl received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Virginia Commonwealth University and earned a Master of Education Degree from the University of Virginia. Cheryl has invested herself and her appreciation of education into the lives of local students for the past 24 years while serving as a High School Science teacher. For the past 8 years, she has taught Advanced Placement Environmental Science.
Giving Back to Students and the Community
In 2016, Cheryl was nominated for the prestigious honor of Teacher of the Year by her fellow teachers at Frank W. Cox High School. Cheryl has served her community for many years offering her leadership in a diverse range of organizations. Cheryl has served as a Board Member for the Make a Difference Foundation, as Activities Coordinator for several school PTA’s, a Girl Scouts Troop Leader, a coach for the Neighborhood Soccer League, and a member of the Sierra Club.
Cheryl has spent much of her career working with at-risk students. She is a partner in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) community. AVID is dedicated to closing the achievement gap by preparing all students for college. Cheryl is a long-time member of both the Virginia Education Association and the National Education Association.
Jen Kiggans
Current Position: Navy veteran and nurse practioner
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2019 State Senator VA Senate District 7
For more information, see Jen Kiggans’s post.
Jen Kiggans, former Navy pilot and nurse practitioner is running as a political outsider for Virginia’s 7th Senate district seat. The seat is currently held by retiring Senator Frank Wagner and includes parts of Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
Jen’s support has been overwhelming in the few short months since she began this journey and she looks forward to continuing to share her positive message with the voters of Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
After earning a degree from Boston University in International Relations, Jen stepped up to serve her country in the United States Navy. Jen served for ten years as a helicopter pilot flying H-46 and H-3 helicopters, completing two deployments to the Persian Gulf. Her husband is a retired F-18 pilot who retired after 20 years as a Naval aviator.
Jen is currently a board-certified Adult-Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and graduate of Old Dominion University’s Nursing School and Vanderbilt University’s Nurse Practitioner program. When she is not at EVMS, she serves as a primary care provider for a small private practice. Jen is a passionate advocate for accessibility and affordability of mental health care and mental health screening.
Jen is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Virginia Geriatrics Society, American Nurses Association, and the American Legion. She is a recipient of the Boston University Scarlet Key Award for exceptional leadership and is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.As an everyday citizen who is frustrated with the present political climate, Jen is running for the State Senate because she knows Virginia can do better than the current status quo. If elected, Jen will be a strong voice for Virginia’s veterans and the hardworking taxpayers of the 7th district. She will be a leader on the issues of job creation, keeping healthcare costs down, and limiting government spending. Jen believes politics is about public service rather than serving one’s self, and would be honored to have your support this November.
