The Democratic primary for the state's 57th District is scheduled for June 11. David Toscano, who has represented the district since 2005, is retiring. There's a competitive race to succeed him, between UVa statistics professor Sally Hudson and architect/City Councilor Kathy Galvin.
I have a lot of admiration for David Toscano and his work in the legislature. He brings the right combination of pragmatism and faithfulness to his principles. Also, it must be incredibly hard to be a part-time legislator (I talked to Jeff Yarbro about this recently), and I am very grateful for those who choose to serve. In addition, David talked to me around 2004-2005, when I was thinking about the Charlottesville City School Board, and I always appreciated his time and counsel.
 |
| David Toscano |
It strikes me as an "establishment" (Galvin) versus "insurgency" (Hudson) type of race, although it's a bit tricky to sort out the substantive differences. Hudson is very focused on electoral reform, and she started a group called FairVote VA which advocates for ranked choice voting.
I've read a bit about the ranked choice system used in Maine, and it seems like a (potentially) helpful reform to "mix things up" and get more fresh voices involved in democracy.
Hudson also wants Virginia to offer a statewide public health care option, which would be built on the existing Medicaid system.
Galvin, meanwhile, is focused on housing, education, and transportation funding. In particular, she'd like Virginia to invest more in its community colleges, which sounds excellent to me.
If I lived in the 57th District, I'm not sure who I'd vote for; I hope (and believe) that either candidate will be a worthy successor to Toscano.
------------
We went to see a movie at the Violet Crown on Wednesday night.
The Mall felt as vibrant as ever, with lots of people strolling and enjoying.
