Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Debra Rodman
Debra Rodman (Democratic Party) was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 73. Rodman assumed office in 2018. Rodman left office on January 8, 2020.
Rodman (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Virginia State Senate to represent District 12. Rodman lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Rodman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Rodman earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Miami in 1994, her M.A. in marine affairs and policy from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in 1998, and her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the University of Florida in 2006.[1] Rodman's professional experience includes serving as an associate professor of anthropology and women’s studies and as director of women’s studies at Randolph-Macon College.[2]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Rodman was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee
- Health and Human Services Committee
- Education Committee
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2019
See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2019
General election
General election for Virginia State Senate District 12
Incumbent Siobhan Dunnavant defeated Debra Rodman in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 12 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Siobhan Dunnavant (R) | 50.8 | 39,730 |
 | Debra Rodman (D)  | 49.1 | 38,401 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 143 | ||
| Total votes: 78,274 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 12
Debra Rodman defeated Veena Gupta Lothe in the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 12 on June 11, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Debra Rodman | 60.0 | 7,051 |
 | Veena Gupta Lothe | 40.0 | 4,705 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 11,758 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To see a list of endorsements for Debra Rodman, click here.
2017
General election
Elections for the Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2017. All 100 house seats were up for election. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for primary election candidates was March 30, 2017. The filing deadline for non-party candidates and candidates nominated by methods other than a primary was June 13, 2017.[3] Debra Rodman (D) defeated incumbent John O'Bannon (R) in the Virginia House of Delegates District 73 general election. Independent Christopher Cowger qualified for the race, but he did not appear on the candidate list released on September 21, 2017.[4][5]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 73 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Debra Rodman |
51.57% | 14,697 | |
| Republican | John O'Bannon Incumbent | 48.43% | 13,803 | |
| Total Votes | 28,500 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
Democratic primary election
Debra Rodman won the nomination in a Democratic convention held on April 29, 2017.[6]
Republican primary election
Incumbent John O'Bannon ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 73 Republican primary.[7]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 73 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| John O'Bannon Incumbent | ||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Debra Rodman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rodman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
Debra is a proud mom to two beautiful boys and the wife to Darryl, a Richmond native and member of the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina.
Debra brings her passion - and compassion - as an educator to the General Assembly, fighting fiercely for the improvements to Virginia public education and health care systems that our communities need. As a Delegate, she has worked across the aisle to improve teacher evaluations and raise teacher pay. It is because of Debra and her colleague's advocacy for Medicaid expansion on the campaign trail and in the General Assembly that 400,000 Virginians who previously slipped through the cracks now have access to affordable health care.
It is her mission to remain accessible and present in the community she loves to serve.- Our district recently saw multiple instances of racist vandalism and vandalism threatening gun violence. Our Commonwealth was just devastated from a mass shooting in Virginia Beach. The reality is in 2019, every parent lives with fear when our kids get on the bus to school. When children live with anxiety for their own safety, there are lifelong psychological and physical consequences while their young brains develop. We need to pass laws (not just prayers) to prevent gun violence - universal background checks, a ban on high-capacity magazines, and red flag laws to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals.
- Coming off the campaign in 2017, it was clear how vulnerable all my constituents feel when it comes to their health care. I fought for Medicaid expansion on the campaign trail, and even harder in the General Assembly - and we delivered. But prices, coverage, access, everything to do with our health insurance system is a serious source of stress. Virginians want state-level protections from the White House's attacks on our health care.
- My legislation is always formed in collaboration with constituents. For example, one of my bills this year on mental health education came directly from a constituent. I'm very accessible, constituents have my cell phone number and I am always out and about at community events with my family, just as I was before I was elected. I'm just a mom and citizen like everyone else, we're all trying to make our community better. Serving in the General Assembly is how I do my part.
For example: health care. People feel vulnerable. They wanted medicaid expansion. I fought for that - and I delivered.
On education, I hear from parents frustrations with "teaching the test" and I hear from teachers frustrations with their evaluations over-emphasizing test scores. My legislation to fix that was killed on party lines, but I worked with Republican leadership to send a directive to the Department of Education to solve the problem. That solution is going into effect right now.
Additionally, I wrote an article a few years ago about why Anthropologists make great legislators. Anthropologists are trained to understand the many different ways people interact with the world, systems, and people around them. I have found that ability to be critical when crafting and analyzing legislation to be good for all of my constituents.
For example, on education, I hear from parents frustrations with "teaching the test" and I hear from teachers frustrations with their evaluations over-emphasizing test scores. My legislation to fix that was killed on party lines, but I worked with Republican leadership to send a directive to the Department of Education to solve the problem. That solution is going into effect right now.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Endorsements
2017
In 2017, Rodman’s endorsements included the following:
- NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia[8]
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Virginia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 12. A special session was held from August 18 to November 9.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Legislators are scored by the Family Foundation on their votes on bills related to "principles of life, marriage, parental authority, constitutional government and religious liberty."
- Legislators are scored based on their voting record on reproductive issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the Second Amendment.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the climate and energy.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental and conservation issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 9 through February 24.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2018, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 10 through March 10. Special sessions were held from April 11 to May 30 and from August 30 to October 30.
|
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 25, 2019
- ↑ rodmanfordelegate.com, "About," accessed August 30, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "List of Candidates," accessed September 29, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Democrats nominate Debra H. Rodman to face Delegate O'Bannon," April 29, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Republican Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ NARAL, "2017 Endorsed House Candidates," accessed August 31, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John O'Bannon (R) |
Virginia House of Delegates District 73 2018-2020 |
Succeeded by Rodney Willett (D) |
