Rebecca Colaw
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Rebecca Colaw was a 2017 Democratic candidate for District 64 of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Biography
Colaw holds a B.S. in communications and broadcast management, an M.S. in criminal justice, and a J.D. She served in the U.S. Air Force from 1984 to 2004 and was deployed to Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War. Her professional experience includes practicing as an attorney.[1]
2017
Colaw’s campaign website highlighted the following issues:[2]
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Health Care
People are our most important assets in Virginia. The United States Senate’s repeal bill makes health care so much worse for so many people in so many ways, all to give huge tax breaks to the wealthy and big corporations. Instead of cutting backroom deals, Republican senators should start working with Democrats to keep what works and fix what doesn’t in the current law. They need to govern, not dictate and control. Every version of health care repeal proposed leads to higher costs for families, especially older Americans. The senate repeal bill will force people to pay more in 2020 for the same coverage that people have today. The increase would be particularly harsh for older and low-income Americans, many of whom are veterans. For people 60-64, making $45,000/year, total costs would increase by $11,704. I will work with everyone to improve and fix the problems of Obama Care. You can fix programs with a scalpel, not an axe.
Small Business
Small businesses are the engines of our Commonwealth, but we are over burdening these businesses with taxes and fees that make it extremely difficult for them to survive and operate. I propose that for businesses with 20 or fewer employees, we review and reduce employer share of taxes, eliminate yearly property tax on purchased equipment and set a fixed price for business license fees not based on gross revenue.
Farmers
Virginia employs nearly 55,000 farmers who generate approximately $3.3 billion in total output. However, our average farmer is over 50 years old. We need to recruit new farmers. And we need to review and adjust the personal yearly property tax that they pay on their farm equipment. Crash crops like hemp (used for clothing and other products) would allow farmers to broaden their marketability. We could also look at adjusting the tax structure to allow current farmers to survive and to encourage others to consider farming as a career.
The 2nd Amendment
I believe in the 2nd Amendment and a citizen’s right to have firearms. I also believe the 2nd amendment allows us to keep guns out of the hands of people with mental illness and violent offenders. Most gun owners agree. I will oppose over-reaching gun control measures no matter which party proposes them; but I will support the requirement for federal firearms licenses and background checks at commercial venues such as gun shows because it’s what Virginians want. An Islamic State magazine also encouraged their followers to purchase weapons at gun shows because it’s easy and there is no background check if they purchase from a non-licensed seller.
Education
Education is one of the most important features of a successful democracy. Education helps the public make better decisions for the political future, and an educated American workforce is more capable and competitive in the world market. Education gives people a better chance of securing well-paying jobs. Formal education, together with hard work, can equip you with qualifications and credentials that will land you that promotion or management position. And education will also insure that you are a well-rounded person and develop your full potential. Knowledge is the most powerful tool in the world. The more you know, the better you will survive. We need to increase funding for education at the state level and there has been an average of an 11% decline in funding per child since 2009. This reduction has caused class size to increase and has put a strain on teachers. We need to eliminate or significantly change the Standards of Learning because we are teaching our children to take a test and not to think. Children also sit for more than 3 hours to take these tests-that is hard for an adult to do.
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Elections
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.[4] Emily Brewer (R) defeated Rebecca Colaw (D) in the Virginia House of Delegates District 64 general election.[5]
Democratic primary election
Rebecca Colaw defeated John Wandling and Jerry Cantrell in the Virginia House of Delegates District 64 Democratic primary.[6]
Republican primary election
Emily Brewer defeated Rex Alphin in the Virginia House of Delegates District 64 Republican primary.[7]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 64 Republican Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
 Emily Brewer |
60.86% |
4,418 |
| Rex Alphin |
39.14% |
2,841 |
| Total Votes |
7,259 |
See also
External links
- ↑ colawfor64.com, Virginia's 64th Delegate Candidate, "Meet Rebecca," accessed May 12, 2017
- ↑ www.colawfor64.com, "Issues," accessed August 23, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 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
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Don Scott
Majority Leader:Charniele Herring
Minority Leader:Terry Kilgore
Representatives
Democratic Party (51)
Republican Party (49)
