Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Sara Townsend
Sara Townsend was a 2017 Democratic candidate for District 31 of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Townsend was a 2015 Democratic candidate for District 31 of the Virginia House of Delegates.[1]
Biography
Townsend graduated from Liberty High School. She received her B.A. in history and M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from George Mason University. Her professional experience includes working as a middle school teacher.[2]
Campaign themes
2015
Townsend's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ | Education As a former middle school teacher, I know that great public schools are important to our economy. I can attest to the numerous issues plaguing our public education system. Many school divisions, including those in our district, struggle with severe overcrowding and inadequate local funding. Good teachers continue to leave the classroom because of policies that restrict teacher creativity and only prioritize standardized testing. I’ll work to reduce the number of standardized tests students are forced to take. Teachers spend too many hours preparing students for these tests and some teachers are asked to teach remedial classes on subjects for which they have NO training and students are pulled from other classes to be taught to take tests, NOT taught to do better in class. I’ll work to change this. Legislators in Richmond need to prioritize our schools to make sure every child gets the best education possible, so they can compete for jobs in the 21st century economy. Economy and Jobs Supporting Veterans Instead, Virginia needs to be a leader in supporting our veterans. We need to make sure when our veterans come home, proper medical care, support, and employment opportunities are waiting for them. Transportation Reducing Gun Violence I support commonsense solutions such as universal background checks to reduce gun violence. Responsible gun owners know that enforced background checks won’t take away their rights to own a gun. It will just help to prevent criminals, mentally ill, and those convicted of domestic violence from obtaining guns. If we don’t take action, the devastating violence in our communities and around the country will continue. Women's Rights Women’s healthcare decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor, not politicians in Richmond. Women are severely under-represented in our state government. Of 100 delegates, only 16 are women. All of Virginia would be better served with more women leaders involved in the decision making process. Environment Virginia should be a leader in promoting alternative and renewable energy. We need to prioritize solar and wind energy in order to diversify our energy usage, to decrease costs for families and businesses, and to protect our environment. As a Fauquier resident, I know how important land preservation is to residents in Fauquier County. I’ll work to preserve agricultural communities and rural space in Fauquier and counties like it.[3][4] |
” |
Elections
2017
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.[5] Elizabeth Guzman (D) defeated incumbent Scott Lingamfelter (R) and Nathan Larson (Independent) in the Virginia House of Delegates District 31 general election.[6]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 31 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Elizabeth Guzman |
54.07% | 15,466 | |
| Republican | Scott Lingamfelter Incumbent | 44.25% | 12,658 | |
| Independent | Nathan Larson | 1.68% | 481 | |
| Total Votes | 28,605 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
Elizabeth Guzman defeated Sara Townsend in the Virginia House of Delegates District 31 Democratic primary.[7]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 31 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Elizabeth Guzman |
52.15% | 3,062 |
| Sara Townsend | 47.85% | 2,809 |
| Total Votes | 5,871 | |
Incumbent Scott Lingamfelter ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 31 Republican primary.[8]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 31 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Scott Lingamfelter Incumbent | ||
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.[9] Sara Townsend was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Scott Lingamfelter was unopposed in the Republican primary. Lingamfelter defeated Townsend in the general election.[10][11]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 31 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Scott Lingamfelter Incumbent |
53.4% | 9,506 | |
| Democratic | Sara Townsend | 46.6% | 8,287 | |
| Total Votes | 17,793 | |||
Endorsments
2017
In 2017, Townsend’s endorsements included the following:
- Delegate Paul Krizek (D)[12]
- Run for Something[13]
See also
- State legislative elections, 2017
- Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2017
- State legislative special elections, 2017
- Virginia House of Delegates
- Virginia State Legislature
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Official general election candidate list," accessed June 24, 2015
- ↑ Sara Townsend for Delegate, "Meet Sara," accessed May 10, 2017
- ↑ Sara Townsend for Delegate, "Issues," accessed October 29, 2015
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Blue Virginia, "Del. Paul Krizek Endorses in Virginia House of Delegates Primaries," May 8, 2017
- ↑ Run for Something, "Our first Run for Something candidates," May 2, 2017
