Ken Reid

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Ken Reid

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 7, 2023

Education

Bachelor's

Rutgers, 1980

Graduate

Missouri School of Journalism - University of Missouri, 1985

Personal

Birthplace

New York, N.Y.

Religion

Jewish

Profession

Writer/editor

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal YouTube

Ken Reid (Republican Party) ran for election to the Virginia State Senate to represent District 37. He lost in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Reid completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ken Reid was born in New York, New York. He earned a bachelor's degree from the Rutgers in 1980 and a graduate degree from the Missouri School of Journalism - University of Missouri in 1985. His career experience includes working as a writer/editor. He is the author of The 6 Secrets to Winning Any Local Election - and Navigating Elected Office Once You Win!.

Reid has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Chabad
• AISH ha Torah

Elections

2023

See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2023

General election

General election for Virginia State Senate District 37

Saddam Salim defeated Ken Reid in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 37 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Saddam Salim (D)	68.7	40,947
		Ken Reid (R)	30.9	18,427
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	238

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 59,612
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 37

Saddam Salim defeated incumbent John Chapman Petersen in the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 37 on June 20, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Saddam Salim	54.1	10,477
		John Chapman Petersen	45.9	8,880

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,357
= 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

• Erika Milena Yalowitz (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Ken Reid advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia State Senate District 37.

Endorsements

Reid received the following endorsements.

• Patriot Parents

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ken Reid completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Reid's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I served 10 years in nearby Leesburg as a Town Councilmember and County Supervisor, winning all four elections in a pretty Blue area. I focused my time on achieving solutions, not symbolism.

Running to unseat an entrenched Democrat who is heavily controlled by special interests and has waffled between being Liberal and Conservative.

My main focus is responsible spending, taxation, superior schools focused on teaching critical thinking skills; alleviating traffic congestion on I-95, Rt. 50 and the Fairfax County Parkway; supporting our police, first responders and teachers.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need solutions, not symbolism in Richmond. And accountability
• We need more bipartisan cooperation and focus on results, vs. rhetoric
• We need a pro jobs, pro people agenda and cannot adopt the policies that have failed "Blue" states like NY, NJ, Maryland and California, which are losing jobs and people

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Transportation, taxes and spending, education, jobs, affordable housing.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Be a good listener and read your material! And, don't just vote the way staff (the bureaucracy) wants all the time.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Anti-Vietnam sit in at Institute for Defense Analysis at Princeton University. My dad took me over to see all the students sitting in (1970, I believe).

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

First job was at age 16 doing telephone surveys. It was sporadic work. First full-time job was reporter for The Star-Ledger newspaper in Newark, nJ

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Ensuring Virginia remains a low-tax, laissez faire, bucolic state and that we welcome diversity and make all peoples feel at home here. Unfortunately, Democrats have adopted a number of policies that will damage our ability to be competitive with other states, notably, depolicing and allowing public employees to have collective bargaining. These are among policies that have led to a demise in the population and jobs in Blue states. Virginia never was a state that required big government. States like Florida, North Carolina and Texas are doing better due to free market policies. If people in Virginia are over taxed and over regulated and crime runs rampant, we will soon see people and jobs leave, like what has happened to Illinois, New York, California and even neighboring Maryland.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes. I believe it is helpful, even if you're just involved as a volunteer in the community

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

yes. It's vital and I have worked well with both Dems and Republicans, and Independents. When you serve in local office for 10 years, you learn to be pragmatic.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

The late Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), who was a staunch fiscal conservative, and OB GYN, so he had a lot of expertise in science and medicine. He sadly died of cancer. He also worked well with Democrats. He and Obama were friends in the Senate

Among my favorite presidents -- James Polk. He was a one-termer but accomplished all his aims in that term, most notably, the treaty with Mexico that gave the US control of the Southwest, plus the Northwest. He is ranked by historians as one of our best presidents.

And of course, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Reagan.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

COVID taught us a lesson about unbridled power of governors to make life or death decisions involving pandemics. I believe the General Assembly should be allowed to review lockdowns and other executive orders after 60 days. The governor should have the power to not just close schools, but order them reopened.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

I prefer using the word "consensus." All too often, the two political parties are overly concerned about giving the other party a win. Let's see about giving a win to BOTH on major issues. I think dealmaking is part of the process

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

I have so many ideas for bills I cannot even list them here :)

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

None so far

What committees interest you?

Transportation, counties and towns, and anything involving infrastructure and economic development.

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.

See also

2023 Elections

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Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Virginia State Senate District 37

Website

Facebook

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Virginia State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Scott Surovell

Minority Leader:Ryan McDougle

Senators

District 1

Timmy French (R)

District 2

Mark Obenshain (R)

District 3

Chris Head (R)

District 4

David Suetterlein (R)

District 5

Travis Hackworth (R)

District 6

Todd Pillion (R)

District 7

Bill Stanley (R)

District 8

Mark Peake (R)

District 9

Tammy Mulchi (R)

District 10

Luther Cifers (R)

District 11

Creigh Deeds (D)

District 12

Glen Sturtevant (R)

District 13

Lashrecse Aird (D)

District 14

Lamont Bagby (D)

District 15

Ghazala Hashmi (D)

District 16

Schuyler VanValkenburg (D)

District 17

Emily Jordan (R)

District 18

Louise Lucas (D)

District 19

Christie Craig (R)

District 20

Bill DeSteph (R)

District 21

Angelia Graves (D)

District 22

Aaron Rouse (D)

District 23

Mamie Locke (D)

District 24

J.D. Diggs (R)

District 25

Richard Stuart (R)

District 26

Ryan McDougle (R)

District 27

Tara Durant (R)

District 28

Bryce Reeves (R)

District 29

Jeremy McPike (D)

District 30

Danica Roem (D)

District 31

Russet Perry (D)

District 32

Kannan Srinivasan (D)

District 33

Jennifer Carroll Foy (D)

District 34

Scott Surovell (D)

District 35

Dave Marsden (D)

District 36

Stella Pekarsky (D)

District 37

Saddam Salim (D)

District 38

Jennifer Boysko (D)

District 39

Adam Ebbin (D)

District 40

Barbara Favola (D)

Democratic Party (21)

Republican Party (19)