It’s one week before the general election and it’s also the start of a week filled of SouthsideCentral political endorsements.
We’re going to get started with the easiest ones. Let’s talk about the region’s Virginia House of Delegate races. They’re all unopposed.
14th District Delegate Danny Marshall, 16th District Delegate Les Adams & 60th District Delegate James Edmunds will all be elected to new 2-year terms in Virginia’s House of Delegates. There has been very little (if any) mention nor advertising of these races because all three incumbents are running unopposed. Let’s go over each candidate…
Danny Marshall: Let’s face it, Danny Marshall is unbeatable. He’s running for his 8th term and has only faced one serious challenge in those elections (and that challenge was only made serious because of the amount of money that was poured into the campaign). Marshall has been an excellent representative for the region and is well-respected in the General Assembly. Marshall’s constituent service is amazing (Mary Franklin, HELLO!) and Marshall is extremely approachable to anybody that wants to talk to him. Marshall is also independent enough to go across the aisle to work out compromises. That says a lot in today’s vastly partisan General Assembly. Danny Marshall is well more than deserving to be returned to office, and I’d say that even if he had an opponent.
SouthsideCentral gives Danny Marshall our highest endorsement and we strongly encourage voters to give him a courtesy vote of support in this election.
Les Adams: Les Adams easily brushed off his opponent in his first election and is now unopposed for his second term. You don’t expect much from a first-term legislator, and especially not one who replaced Don Merricks. Adams was a pleasant surprise in that department when he took office. Adams’ charisma and attitude got him noticed on the General Assembly floor and he’s one to watch for any leadership positions that may open up. Adams’ office also excels in constituent service (Gayle Barts, HELLO!) and Adams is also quite approachable in public. I’ve been extremely pleased with Adams during his first term, and he’s the type of Delegate that’s needed for Southside to remain politically relevant in the General Assembly. Les Adams deserves another term and he’ll get it running unopposed.
SouthsideCentral gives Les Adams our highest endorsement and we strongly encourage voters to give him a courtesy vote of support in this election.
James Edmunds: James Edmunds is running for his fourth term in office with no opposition. He’s only had one opponent in those elections and that opponent was a trainwreck. Based on the drawing of the 60th District, I don’t believe that Edmunds will ever have a serious challenger. Two years ago, we endorsed Edmunds but also mentioned that it was time for him to step up and exercise the clout that a three-term delegate naturally has. I feel he still hasn’t stepped up to that potential but I’m not penalizing him for that. The Southside region is eroding away in the General Assembly because of the population growth in Northern Virginia, and we need legislator to push as hard as they can for the area. Edmunds has a lot of potential to do that and I’m hopeful (yet again) that the next two years will be the time for him to do that. When it comes to intangibles, Edmunds is tops in that category with his friendly attitude and country-boy persona. Edmunds also deserves another term in the House of Delegates, and he’ll get that term running unopposed.
SouthsideCentral gives James Edmunds our strong endorsement and we encourage voters to give him a courtesy vote of support in this election.
And there you go, folks. We’ve got the easy ones out of the way. The rest of Endorsement Week will make some people upset and call us names. SouthsideCentral can live with that.
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