Political newcomer Elaine Walters of Essex County hopes to unseat seven-term Del. Keith Hodges, who has represented constituents in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2012.
Walters, a Democrat, believes that her platform centered on environmental conscientiousness, equal rights and education will resonate with voters in the rural district. Hodges, a Republican, said that his strong record of advocating for eastern Virginians and the relationships he has forged across the commonwealth offer the best choice for voters in House District 68 and Virginia.
District 68 includes most of Gloucester County and all of King William, Mathews, Essex, Middlesex, and King and Queen counties.
Hodges said that he has worked tirelessly in the General Assembly to gain more recognition for the counties and towns along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, an area he calls rural coastal Virginia.
Among his priorities as a legislator has been economic development in the state’s eastern rural regions that encourages residents to build their lives there. In some parts of eastern Virginia, 80% of children eventually leave for opportunities elsewhere, according to Hodges, and that has numerous spillover effects.
“The problem is that we are breaking up families because we don’t have the jobs or economic development,” Hodges said.
Flooding resilience — in a “conservative and environmental way,” Hodges said — is also an issue that he has spearheaded and will continue to champion if voters send him back to Richmond. Much of the legislative efforts to address flooding have been focused on water flowing downhill, as with the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act of 1988, instead of water moving uphill.
Hodges said he also has leveraged his decades of experience as a pharmacist to address complex medical issues, such as pharmacy deserts and the cost of medicines. When he began his service in the General Assembly, there were seven or eight medical providers in the House of Delegates, he said. Now he and Del. Otto Wachsmann, R-Stony Creek, are the only ones remaining.
“That brings a level of expertise to issues that many people don’t understand but most people appreciate,” Hodges said.
Walters, a lifelong resident of Essex County, said that her experience growing up in the rural stretch of coastal Virginia has been formative. She never thought she’d have political ambitions, she said, but returning from work in Cape Verde, Africa, and seeing what she saw as an endless stream of bad news prompted her to step up.
“I am tired of waiting for positive change and decided it was time to do that myself,” she said.
If she’s elected to the House of Delegates, Walters said she will aim to make sure that the environment is protected, clean and safe. A number of issues directly affect rural districts such as the 68th. She said Virginia legislators could address regulations on biosolids and sludge, and the associated accumulation of toxins.
Walters also wants rural localities to have more control over their own development so that large corporations don’t undertake projects that benefit their bottom line but harm the surroundings. Data centers and solar farms are examples of land use changes that are affecting districts like the 68th, she said, and she wants policymakers to use common sense as they deliberate on large-scale developments.
“I’m not by any means against solar, but there are smarter uses of space than converting usable farmland to solar,” Walters said, such as the roofs of big-box stores and large parking lots.
Walters said there should be a legislative response to federal funding cuts to protect services that should be coming from the federal government. She also believes there should be firm protections in place for reproductive medicine and access to health care for all Virginians.
If Walters is elected, she said she will focus on working with all parties to find solutions to the state’s most pressing problems.
“At the state and local level, it’s important for us to be bipartisan,” she said. “There’s a lot to be done. It’s high time we start fixing things.”
Ben Swenson, ben.swenson05@gmail.com
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Keith Hodges
Age: 59Family: Wife, Shelley; two daughtersOccupation: PharmacistPolitical experience: Delegate for the 68th and 98th House Districts since 2012Party affiliation: RepublicanEducation: Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, Medical College of VirginiaWebsite: keithhodges98.com
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Elaine Walters