U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton gives insight on her campaign in First Tuesday talk
BY BRAD BRYNE STAFF WRITER
On Oct. 12, Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton discussed her campaign and the importance of local elections as part of the First Tuesday speaker series, hosted by the Schar School of Policy and Government and the Honors College.
Wexton represents Virginia’s 10th Congressional District as part of the U. S. House of Representatives. The district includes much of the area surrounding Mason, including all of Clarke, Frederick and Loudoun counties, along with parts of Fairfax and Prince William Counties.
Wexton was elected in 2018, winning a race over Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock. Wexton became the first Democrat to win the 10th District since the 1978 election, where Democrat Joseph L. Fisher defended his seat against challenger and Republican Frank Wolf.
Wexton, a Leesburg native and former prosecutor for Loudoun County, stepped into the political world first in 2014, winning a special election to become a member of the state Senate. Wexton explained that former President Barack Obama’s message of change and hope inspired her to delve deeper into the political world.
In the Virginia General Assembly, Wexton helped pass more than 40 bills, such as improvements to voter identification, combating the opioid epidemic and combating the school to prison pipeline.
As a challenger in 2018, Wexton explained that “it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’ve never worked harder in my life.”
Wexton became part of a new wave of Democrats elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 that took seats from Republican incumbents, with a notable presence of diverse women joining the House to form the majority party.
Wexton also said that “Democrats are more interested in [helping] all people, while Republicans are interested in [helping] selective groups.”
Wexton explained that the campaign is one of the most important steps to getting elected. Wexton’s campaign has her, the candidate, as the public face of the campaign. To her, the candidate rallies the troops, participates in debates and public events, and comes up with a platform and message for the campaign.
The strategy for the Wexton campaign remains mostly the same this time compared to her 2018 strategy, which focused on running their own race and focusing on issues in Virginia’s 10th District. Wexton remarked that the Republicans usually fall in line with President Donald Trump and that “isn’t beneficial to the district.”
Wexton remains hopeful that she will be re-elected to the House of Representatives for a second time. She faces Republican challenger Alicia Andrews and is favored to win.
