Mamie Locke

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Mamie Locke
Democratic Party
Virginia State Senate District 23
Tenure
2024 - Present
Term ends
2028
Years in position
2
Predecessor: Stephen Newman (R)
Prior offices:
Virginia State Senate District 2
Years in office: 2004 - 2024
Successor: Mark Obenshain (R)
Compensation
Base salary
$18,000/year
Per diem
$237/day
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 7, 2023
Education
High school
Lanier High School
Bachelor's
Tougaloo College, 1976
Bachelor's
Tougaloo College
Ph.D
Atlanta University
Ph.D
Clark Atlanta University, 1984
Graduate
Atlanta University
Graduate
Clark Atlanta University, 1978
Personal
Birthplace
Brandon, MS
Religion
Catholic
Profession
Higher Education
Contact
Official website
Official X
Campaign website
Campaign Facebook
Campaign Instagram
Personal Facebook
Personal Instagram
Personal LinkedIn

Mamie Locke (Democratic Party) is a member of the Virginia State Senate, representing District 23. She assumed office on January 10, 2024. Her current term ends on January 12, 2028.

Locke (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Virginia State Senate to represent District 23. She won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

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

Biography

Locke received a bachelor's degree at Tougaloo College and a master's and Ph.D. at Atlanta University. Additionally, Locke obtained a certificate in management development from Harvard University and a certificate in archives administration from Emory University/Georgia Department of Archives and History. Locke's professional experience includes working as dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Hampton University.

Committee assignments

2025-2026

Locke was assigned to the following committees:

2023-2024

Locke was assigned to the following committees:

2020-2021

Locke was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Locke was assigned to the following committees:

2016 legislative session

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

Virginia committee assignments, 2016
• Education and Health
• General Laws and Technology
• Rehabilitation and Social Services
• Rules

2015 legislative session

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

2014 legislative session

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

2012-2013

In the 2012-2013 legislative session, Locke served on the following committees:

2010-2011

In the 2010-2011 legislative session, Locke 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

2023

See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2023

General election

General election for Virginia State Senate District 23

Incumbent Mamie Locke won election in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 23 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Mamie Locke
Mamie Locke (D) Candidate Connection
 
89.7
 
35,132
 Other/Write-in votes
 
10.3
 
4,021

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

Total votes: 39,153
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. Incumbent Mamie Locke advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 23.

Endorsements

Locke received the following endorsements.

2019

See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2019

General election

General election for Virginia State Senate District 2

Incumbent Mamie Locke won election in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 2 on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Mamie Locke
Mamie Locke (D)
 
92.8
 
36,551
 Other/Write-in votes
 
7.2
 
2,839

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

Total votes: 39,390
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.

2015

See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2015

Elections for the Virginia State Senate 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.[1] Incumbent Mamie Locke was unopposed in the Democratic primary. No Republican candidates filed for election. Locke was unchallenged in the general election.[2]

2011

See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2011

On November 8, 2011, Locke won re-election to District 2 of the Virginia State Senate. She was unopposed in the August 23 primary and defeated Thomas Harmon, IV in the November 8 general election.[3]

Virginia State Senate, District 2 General Election, 2011
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMamie Locke Incumbent 65.6% 17,526
     Republican Thomas Harmon, IV 34.4% 9,208
Total Votes 26,734

2007

See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2007

On Nov. 6, 2007, Locke won re-election to the 2nd District Seat in the Virginia State Senate.[4]

Locke raised $86,009 for her campaign.[5]

Virginia State Senate, District 2 (2007)
Candidates Votes Percent
Green check mark transparent.png Mamie Locke (D) 12,242 94.06%
Write-in 772 5.93%

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Mamie Locke completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Locke's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a retired political science professor, having taught for 40 years at Hampton University. I have been a community activist since high school and believe that I have a responsibility to pay it forward. I truly believe that education levels the playing field because it did so for me. That's why I am passionate about ensuring fairness in all levels of education. Voting sustains democracy and political freedom. It was fought for by so many and I will continue to ensure that it is not suppressed or taken away. Roe v Wade was a constitutional right my entire adult life and I will fiercely engage in the fight to protect an individual's right to reproductive health care without barriors or restrictions imposed by the state.
  • Voting is a right, not a privilege. Your right to vote should never be compromised through restrictions or suppression.
  • Access to abortions should be safe and legal. Individuals need access to health care without interference from government.
  • Education levels the playing field and balances the scales toward removing systemic inequalities.
I am passionate about public and higher education, ensuring that both are funded, available and accessible.

I am equally as passionate about voting. It is a right, not a privilege to be taken away on whim by elected officials just because they think they can. That's why I support a constitutional amendment that automatically restores the rights of felons/returning citizens and clearly states that this right will not be abridged by law.

I am also passionate about housing. Homelessness is an abomination in a democratic society. All people should have a roof over their heads. I eagerly support housing tax credits, affordable housing, and strong policies against evictions.
I look up to strong African American women who stood against the odds; women who were fierce and used their voice and tenacity to make a difference. The three women who are my sheroes are Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan. All moved the needle in their own way to make a difference; Harriet Tubman by being a conductor on the Underground Railroad; Mrs. Hamer by leaving a "secure" job and life to join the civil rights movement and fight for voting and civil rights; and Barbara Jordan by helping bring an understanding of what the Constitution means to us all.
Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider

Richard Rothstein, The Color of Law

Donald T. Phillips, Lincoln on Leadership
Integrity, honesty, accountability
Integrity, honesty, patient, ethical
Accountability to constituents; being ethical and responsible; and being responsive to voters.
I would like to believe that I have made a difference in education, voting rights, women's reproductive health care and housing.
I remember both the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. I was 14 years old at the time, and I remember some protesting in my hometown after Dr. King's murder. But I also remember Robert Kennedy's speech following. I remember Senator Kennedy's murder because it came so close after Dr. King's and I was spending the summer in New Jersey. The train transporting him from New York to DC passed near to where we were staying.
My first job was as an Archivist with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. I held it for three years. (I started as an intern during my junior year in college).
"Five Smooth Stones" by Ann Fairbairn. Although fictional, the book provides interesting insight into the South, black/white relationships and the civil rights movement.
The Black Panther
Toto's "Africa"
As someone who was supposed to be a statistic (growing up in public housing, single mother, poverty and victimized as a childP, I struggled with being an introvert and asserting myself.
Governors must understand that it is their role to execute laws once passed by the legislature. It is not the executive function to legislate through the budget or to recreate legislation by imposing substitutes on a legislators bill. The ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature should be one of collaboration and cooperation for the good of the state, not pettiness or partisan bickering.
The greatest challenges are ensuring that resources are available to support the needs of the workforce (that includes support for our public schools, apprentice programs, internships, etc). Other challenges include recovery from the vestiges of the pandemic (learning loss, mental and behavioral health care, work force issues). Virginia is also dealing with the challenge of climate change/sea level rise/coastal flooding. There must be greater attention given to resiliency plans and renewable energy goals.
Yes. What helped me most as a state legislator was my local government experience.
Of course. One is not a subject expert in all areas and should rely on colleagues to collaborate and engage to ensure the best legislative outcomes.
Senator Yvonne Miller as the first African American woman in both the House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia.
No.
I heard a story from an individual who was convicted of a crime, served her time and came back to the community. This crime cost the individual a career, voting rights, and having to check that box on all applications for jobs and housing (have you ever been convicted...). That is why I am so passionate about banning the box and the reinstatement of voting rights. I believe in redemption. Once a person has done the time, they should be welcomed back into the community.
Don't really have one.
Oversee. The legislature is part-time. Emergencies can happen at any time and require immediate action.
Of course compromise is necessary, but not at the expense of values or principles.
The Constitutional Amendment with respect to restoration of rights (voting cannot be abridged by law).
Sierra Club

Care in Action
Climate Cabinet
Giffords
National Women's Political Caucus-Virginia
Virginia's List

Freedom Virginia
The committees I currently serve on: Education and Health, Finance and Appropriations, General Laws and Technology, Rehabilitation and Social Services, and Rules.

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.

2019

Mamie Locke did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

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.

Mamie Locke campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2023Virginia State Senate District 23Won general$2,039,706 $1,982,950
2019Virginia State Senate District 2Won general$547,813 N/A**
Grand total$2,587,519 $1,982,950
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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.

In 2011, the Virginia General Assembly was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.

See also

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External links

Candidate

Virginia State Senate District 23
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    Officeholder

    Virginia State Senate District 23
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    Personal

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
    2. ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, "2015 General election candidates," accessed August 21, 2015
    3. ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "November 2011 General Election Official Results," accessed May 15, 2014
    4. ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "November 6, 2007 General Election Official Results," accessed May 28, 2014
    5. ↑ Follow the Money, "2007 Campaign contributions," accessed May 28, 2014

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Stephen Newman (R)     		Virginia State Senate District 23
    2024-Present    		 Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    -     		Virginia State Senate District 2
    2004-2024    		 Succeeded by
    Mark Obenshain (R)


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