Mark Sickles
2024 - Present
2026
1
Mark Sickles (Democratic Party) is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 17. He assumed office on January 10, 2024. His current term ends on January 14, 2026.
Sickles (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Virginia House of Delegates to represent District 17. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.[source] The Democratic primary for this office on June 17, 2025, was canceled.
Biography
Sickles earned his B.S. in forest management from Clemson University in 1981, his M.S. in industrial management from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1984, and his M.S. in technology and science policy from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986.
Sickles worked as a government and public affairs consultant and in corporate affairs for Weeks Marine, Inc.[1]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Sickles was assigned to the following committees:
- Appropriations Committee
- Health and Human Services Committee
- House Privileges and Elections Committee
- House Rules Committee
2020-2021
Sickles was assigned to the following committees:
- Appropriations Committee, Vice chair
- Health and Human Services Committee, Chair
- House Privileges and Elections Committee
- House Rules Committee
2019-2020
Sickles was assigned to the following committees:
- Appropriations Committee
- Health and Human Services Committee
- House Privileges and Elections Committee
2016 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2016 legislative session, Sickles served on the following committees:
| Virginia committee assignments, 2016 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Health, Welfare and Institutions |
| • Privileges and Elections |
2015 legislative session
In the 2015 legislative session, Sickles served on the following committees:
| Virginia committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Health, Welfare and Institutions |
| • Privileges and Elections |
2014 legislative session
In the 2014 legislative session, Sickles served on the following committees:
| Virginia committee assignments, 2014 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources |
| • Health, Welfare and Institutions |
| • Privileges and Elections |
2012-2013
In the 2012-2013 legislative session, Sickles served on the following committees:
| Virginia committee assignments, 2012 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources |
| • Health, Welfare and Institutions |
| • Privileges and Elections |
2010-2011
In the 2010-2011 legislative session, Sickles served on the following committees:
| Virginia committee assignments, 2010 |
|---|
| • Privileges and Elections |
| • Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources |
| • Health, Welfare and Institutions |
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
2025
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2025
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 17
Incumbent Mark Sickles and Naomi Mesfin are running in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 17 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Mark Sickles (D) | |
| Naomi Mesfin (R) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Mark Sickles advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 17.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Naomi Mesfin advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 17.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
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2023
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2023
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 17
Incumbent Mark Sickles won election in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 17 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Sickles (D) | 92.2 | 17,931 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 7.8 | 1,521 | ||
| Total votes: 19,452 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Richard Mereu (R)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Mark Sickles advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 17.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Richard Mereu advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 17.
Endorsements
Sickles received the following endorsements.
2021
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2021
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 43
Incumbent Mark Sickles defeated Brenton Hammond in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 43 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Sickles (D) | 70.2 | 22,447 |
 | Brenton Hammond (R) | 29.7 | 9,502 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 40 | ||
| Total votes: 31,989 | |||
| = 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 Mark Sickles advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 43.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Brenton Hammond advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 43.
Campaign finance
2019
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2019
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 43
Incumbent Mark Sickles defeated Gail Parker in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 43 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Sickles (D) | 77.8 | 15,939 |
 | Gail Parker (Independent Green Party of Virginia) | 20.6 | 4,217 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.6 | 330 | ||
| Total votes: 20,486 | |||
| = 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
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 Mark Sickles (D) ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 43 general election.[3]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 43 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Mark Sickles Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 22,094 | |
| Total Votes | 22,094 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
Democratic primary election
Incumbent Mark Sickles ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 43 Democratic primary.[4]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 43 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Mark Sickles Incumbent | ||
Republican primary election
No Republican candidate filed to run for this seat. [5]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 43 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
Endorsements
In 2017, Sickle’s endorsements included the following:
- NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia[6]
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.[7] Incumbent Mark Sickles was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Anna Urman was unopposed in the Republican primary. Paul McIlvaine ran as an independent candidate. Sickles defeated Urman and McIlvaine in the general election.[8][9]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 43 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Mark Sickles Incumbent |
63.3% | 7,696 | |
| Republican | Anna Urman | 33.4% | 4,058 | |
| Independent | Paul McIlvaine | 3.3% | 398 | |
| Total Votes | 12,152 | |||
2014
Sickles ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Virginia's 8th District.[10] He ended his campaign on March 12, 2014.[11]
2013
Sickles won re-election in the 2013 election for Virginia House of Delegates District 43. Sickles ran unopposed in the June 11 Democratic primary. He defeated Gail Parker (G) in the general election on November 5, 2013.[12]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 43 General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Mark Sickles Incumbent |
73.6% | 14,799 | |
| Green | Gail Parker | 25.3% | 5,090 | |
| Other | Write-in | 1.1% | 231 | |
| Total Votes | 20,120 | |||
2011
On November 8, 2011, Sickles won re-election to District 43 of the Virginia House of Delegates. He was uncontested in the August 23 primary and ran unopposed the November 8 general election.[13]
2009
In 2009, Sickles was re-elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. He defeated Tim Nank in the general election.[14]
| Virginia House of Delegates General Election, District 43 (2009) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Mark Sickles (D)
|
10,363 | |||
| Tim Nank (R) | 8,081 | |||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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2023
Mark Sickles did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Mark Sickles did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Mark Sickles 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.
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.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 10 to March 9. Special sessions occurred May 13, 2024; June 18 to July 1; and July 18, 2024.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 11 to February 25.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 12 to March 12.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 13 to February 8.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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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.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 9 through February 24.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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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.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 11 through February 25.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 13 through March 11.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 14 to February 28, 2015.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 8 through March 10.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 9 to February 25.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Virginia General Assembly was in regular session from January 11 to March 10.
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Personal
Sickles announced that he is gay in a Washington Post opinion column on February 21, 2014.[15][16][17]
See also
2025 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Virginia House of Delegates District 17 |
Officeholder Virginia House of Delegates District 17 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed May 28, 2014
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Democratic Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Republican Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ NARAL, "2017 Endorsed House Candidates," accessed August 31, 2017
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, "2015 Primary election results," accessed September 1, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, "2015 General election candidates," accessed September 1, 2015
- ↑ Roll Call, "Fifth Democrat to Enter Race to Replace Jim Moran," accessed January 27, 2014
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedendcamp - ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, “Official Results - 2013 General Election," accessed December 2, 2013
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "November 2011 General Election Official Results"
- ↑ FollowtheMoney.org, "Virginia House of Delegates 2009 General Election Results," accessed May 28, 2014
- ↑ Washington Post, "Virginia Del. Mark D. Sickles: A marriage ruling that counts me in," accessed February 24, 2014
- ↑ Greenfield Reporter, "Virginia Del. Mark Sickles, congressional hopeful, announces he's gay in opinion column," accessed February 24, 2014
- ↑ Edge Boston, "Va. Del Comes Out, Will Face Gay Sen. For Congressional Seat," accessed February 24, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Chris Head (R) |
Virginia House of Delegates District 17 2024-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Virginia House of Delegates District 43 2004-2024 |
Succeeded by Will Morefield (R) |
