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Jay Leftwich

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Jay Leftwich
Republican Party
Virginia House of Delegates District 90
Tenure
2024 - Present
Term ends
2028
Years in position
2
Predecessor: Angelia Williams Graves (D)
Prior offices:
Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large
Virginia House of Delegates District 78
Years in office: 2014 - 2024
Successor: Betsy Carr (D)
Compensation
Base salary
$17,640/year
Per diem
$237/day
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 4, 2025
Education
Bachelor's
James Madison University, 1985
Law
T.C. Williams School of Law, 1988
Personal
Profession
Attorney
Contact
Official website
Campaign website
Campaign Facebook
Personal Facebook
Personal LinkedIn

Jay Leftwich (Republican Party) is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 90. He assumed office on January 10, 2024. His current term ends on January 12, 2028.

Leftwich (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Virginia House of Delegates to represent District 90. He won in the general election on November 4, 2025.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Leftwich graduated from James Madison University in 1985 and T.C. Williams School of Law with a J.D. in 1988. His professional experience includes working as a lawyer.[1]

Committee assignments

2025-2026

Leftwich was assigned to the following committees:

2023-2024

Leftwich was assigned to the following committees:

2020-2021

Leftwich was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Leftwich was assigned to the following committees:

2016 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2016 legislative session, Leftwich served on the following committees:

Virginia committee assignments, 2016
• Courts of Justice
• Education
• General Laws
• Science and Technology

2015 legislative session

In the 2015 legislative session, Leftwich served on the following committees:

2014 legislative session

In the 2014 legislative session, Leftwich served on the following committees:

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

2025

See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2025

General election

General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 90

Incumbent Jay Leftwich defeated Rodney Nickens in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 90 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jay Leftwich
Jay Leftwich (R)
 
59.3
 
23,070
Image of Rodney Nickens
Rodney Nickens (D) Candidate Connection
 
40.5
 
15,749
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
86

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 38,905
Candidate Connection = 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

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Rodney Nickens advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 90.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jay Leftwich advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 90.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Leftwich in this election.

2023

See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2023

General election

General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 90

Incumbent Jay Leftwich defeated Jeremy Rodden in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 90 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jay Leftwich
Jay Leftwich (R)
 
63.0
 
17,131
Image of Jeremy Rodden
Jeremy Rodden (D)
 
36.8
 
10,000
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
56

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 27,187
Candidate Connection = 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

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Jeremy Rodden advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 90.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jay Leftwich advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 90.

Endorsements

Leftwich received the following endorsements.

2021

See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2021

General election

General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 78

Incumbent Jay Leftwich defeated Melanie Cornelisse in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 78 on November 2, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jay Leftwich
Jay Leftwich (R)
 
66.0
 
24,907
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Melanie Cornelisse (D)
 
33.9
 
12,788
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
66

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 37,761
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Melanie Cornelisse advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 78.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jay Leftwich advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 78.

Campaign finance

2019

See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2019

General election

General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 78

Incumbent Jay Leftwich won election in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 78 on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jay Leftwich
Jay Leftwich (R)
 
91.3
 
16,648
 Other/Write-in votes
 
8.7
 
1,587

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 18,235
Candidate Connection = 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.

2017

See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 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.[2] Incumbent Jay Leftwich (R) ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 78 general election.[3]

Virginia House of Delegates, District 78 General Election, 2017
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Jay Leftwich Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 20,768
Total Votes 20,768
Source: Virginia Department of Elections

Democratic primary election

No Democratic candidate filed to run for this seat. [4]

Ballotpedia will publish vote totals here after they become available.
Virginia House of Delegates, District 78 Democratic Primary, 2017
Candidate

Republican primary election

Incumbent Jay Leftwich ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 78 Republican primary.[5]

Ballotpedia will publish vote totals here after they become available.
Virginia House of Delegates, District 78 Republican Primary, 2017
Candidate
Green check mark transparent.png Jay Leftwich Incumbent

2015

See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2015

Elections for the Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 9, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 26, 2015.[6] Incumbent Jay Leftwich was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[7][8]

2013

See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2013

Leftwich won election in the 2013 election for Virginia House of Delegates District 78. Leftwich entered the race after the June 11 Republican primary to fill the vacancy left on the ballot by incumbent John Cosgrove (R), who left the race to serve in the Virginia State Senate. He defeated Linda Bryant (D) and Dan J. Foster (L) in the general election on November 5, 2013.[9][10]

Virginia House of Delegates, District 78 General Election, 2013
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJay Leftwich 57.1% 13,770
     Democratic Linda Bryant 39.1% 9,430
     Libertarian Dan J. Foster 3.7% 889
     Other Write-in 0.1% 23
Total Votes 24,112

Endorsements

In 2013, Leftwich’s endorsements included the following:

  • The Virginia Farm Bureau[11]

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jay Leftwich did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

2023

Jay Leftwich did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

Jay Leftwich did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Jay Leftwich did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

2017

As of August 2017, Leftwich's website highlighted the following themes:[12]

“

Jobs and the Economy

The most pressing issue the General Assembly will face next year is to address legislation that will enhance the growth of Virginia’s economy and create jobs. I will work to maintain Virginia’s strong record of attracting jobs and keeping unemployment numbers as low as possible. This includes protecting our military presence as well as the businesses that support our warriors.

By improving our transportation system, businesses will be able to move goods and services more efficiently; this will increase productivity and increase income/revenue for individuals, as well as the Commonwealth. This will also allow us to fully utilize The Port of Virginia, which is poised to expand and host unlimited trade possibilities. I will work to build a business base to compliment our outstanding medical facilities, including bio-tech, medical research and pharmaceutical interests.

We must streamline the regulatory process to reduce the cost of doing business. This will allow projects, both governmental and private, to come to fruition faster- before inflationary factors make a project cost prohibitive. History tells us that a thriving economy reduces the tax burden on citizens.

Transportation

I am not a fan of the formula used to fund the most recent transportation package and would have fought to increase funding for transportation through other means. While on the Chesapeake School Board, administration evaluated several programs each year to determine whether they remained effective and were being run efficiently. The same process on the State level should yield savings. The cost of doing business could have been reduced and increased revenue could have been realized through streamlining the regulatory process. For example, the cost of improving Dominion Boulevard has gone from 1 million dollars to build one lane, one mile, to 5 million dollars. Government must accomplish goals better and faster. Tax reform could have also increased revenues by evaluating the propriety of long standing exemptions which may be antiquated. In short, while I may not agree with the way the transportation package was funded, I would not undo it and agree the completion of the projects that will be funded with the legislation are absolutely critical and necessary to our region’s economic prosperity.

Medicaid Expansion

I believe the General Assembly should receive and review the report of the Medicaid Innovative and Reform Commission (MIRC) appointed, with bipartisan support, by the General Assembly this past session. This issue has significant budgetary implications to Virginia and our nation. Some have indicated Virginia will “lose” money that will go to other states if we do not expand Medicaid. However, there is no “pot of money” in Washington for the expansion- the Federal Government is borrowing vast sums of money from China to fund its over spending. Further, other states that have implemented forms of Medicaid expansion are finding expenses far exceed those estimated. Before a program is implemented, we should know how much it will cost and how it will be funded.

Education

I am very proud to be a part of Chesapeake Public Schools, having served on the board for nearly twelve years and in my second term as Chairman. During my tenure, I have focused on three important hallmarks of public education: (1) Accountability, (2) Preparing Students for College and the Workforce and (3) Recruiting and Retaining Top Teachers.

Chesapeake Public Schools lead South Hampton Roads in many areas. While we have the best SOL accreditation record in South Hampton Roads, I believe too much emphasis is placed on SOL's which has a “teaching to the test” affect. More emphasis should be placed on critical thinking skill which is not promoted by current educational legislation. In Chesapeake, we have made significant effort to achieve on SOL testing but also place importance on other aspects of learning. In keeping with that philosophy, Chesapeake has the highest on time graduation rate in South Hampton Roads, the lowest dropout rate in South Hampton Roads, and the smallest achievement gap in South Hampton Roads.

I do not believe in State and Federal “one size fits all” solutions as they are not an accurate measure of success and increase the cost to taxpayers regardless of results. I will promote legislation that truly improves our educational system and the learning environment of our children. [13]

”

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Jay Leftwich campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2023Virginia House of Delegates District 90Won general$565,457 $451,105
2021Virginia House of Delegates District 78Won general$332,726 $244,945
Grand total$898,183 $696,050
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in Virginia

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 scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2025.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2024.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2023.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2022.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2021.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2020.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2019.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2018.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2017.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2016.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2015.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2014.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2013.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Virginia General Assembly in 2012.

Additional reading

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External links

Candidate

Virginia House of Delegates District 90
  • Website
  • Facebook
    		•

    Officeholder

    Virginia House of Delegates District 90
  • Website
    		•

    Personal

  • Facebook
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    		•

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Jay Leftwich for Delegate - Facebook, "About," accessed September 9, 2013
    2. ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed March 21, 2017
    3. ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
    4. ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Democratic Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
    5. ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Republican Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
    6. ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
    7. ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, "2015 Primary election results," accessed September 1, 2015
    8. ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, "2015 General election candidates," accessed September 1, 2015
    9. ↑ Commonwealth of Virginia State Board of Elections, "Official List of Candidates, Tuesday, November 5, 2013 General Election, Virginia House of Delegates," accessed September 9, 2013
    10. ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, “Official Results - 2013 General Election," accessed December 2, 2013
    11. ↑ Farm Bureau - Virginia, "2013 AgPAC Endorsements," accessed September 9, 2013
    12. ↑ jayleftwich.com, "Issues," accessed August 30, 2017
    13. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Angelia Williams Graves (D)     		Virginia House of Delegates District 90
    2024-Present    		 Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    -     		Virginia House of Delegates District 78
    2014-2024    		 Succeeded by
    Betsy Carr (D)
    Preceded by
    -     		Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large
    		Succeeded by
    -


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