Trudy Bell Berry was born in Lansing, Michigan. She served in the U.S. Air Force from 1974 to 1978. She earned a high school diploma from Holt Senior High School and a bachelor's degree from Longwood University in 2001. Her career experience included working as a legal services specialist and administrative secretary until she retired. She has been affiliated with the Lunenburg County Chamber of Commerce, the Lunenburg Branch NAACP, the American Legion, the American Criminal Justice Association - Lambda Alpha Epsilon, Omicron Delta Kappa, Alpha Kappa Delta, and Pinnacle.[1]
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Earnadette Powell Farrar advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 50.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Tommy Wright advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 50.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Trudy Bell Berry completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Berry's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
I am a U.S. Air Force veteran and served as a Legal Services Specialist. I was raised in a working-class family and attended public schools. I graduated magna cum laud when I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice from Longwood College (now University) in Farmville, VA. I also received a Certificate in Social Policy Administration from Longwood University.
While at Longwood, I was inducted into several honorary and leadership organizations: Pinnacle, Alpha Kappa Delta, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Lambda Alpha Epsilon. I also received two citizen leader awards: St. Joan of Arc Visionary and Most Contributions to Commuter Life.
I was a Cub Scout Leader, Brownie Girl Scout Leader, and Little League Team Mother. I also volunteered in various roles with church, homeowners’ association, PTA, college, public library, and chamber of commerce. I am currently a member of the American Legion, Lunenburg NAACP, Lunenburg County Chamber of Commerce, Omicron Delta Kappa, and the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA-LAE).
I am running as a true representative of the people. I represent the people, not a political party or corporation. Electing me will help the General Assembly be more representative of the population diversity within House District 50, specifically, and within Virginia, generally.
I am running to work on real solutions to strengthen our economy, not a political party's power. The number one concern of District 50 voters is their pocketbooks. Jobs are too few; wages too low; rent, groceries, and the cost of energy and healthcare is too high.
I am running to work on strengthening our environmental justice legislation. We are being overrun with landfills, solar facilities, and data centers that put our health and safety at risk, decreasing our quality of life, while lining the pockets of corporate CEOs and not substantially increasing the number of long-term jobs.
Protecting civil rights, fully funding education, strengthening the economy by increasing job opportunities and wages, protecting our environment, and decreasing the cost of healthcare and housing.
Elected officials must be honest and possess integrity, compassion, and the ability to listen to people and act on their concerns. They must put people over politics and support equality and justice legislation.
Not necessarily. Those with experience in government or politics may tend to see things only one way, not be open to change or new ideas, and be unaware of how their policies really affect the general public. Electing people from outside the box, so to speak, infuses new perspectives into law-making and keeps ideas fresh.
Yes, on both sides of the aisle. To enact good legislation, legislators need to look at problems and solutions from all angles. A my way or the highway attitude only serves discontent and does not benefit the people.
There are two: Delegate Sam Rasoul and U.S. Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan. They possess honesty, integrity, and compassion. They are leaders within their communities and are able to work with legislators on both sides of the aisle to get legislation passed that positively affects their constituents.
No. My interest is not in higher office; it's in the state house or senate. State legislatures set the tone for the federal government and are the first line of defense against an errant governor, congress, and president.
I've heard too many times that people's rent keeps increasing and they are afraid they will lose housing. Too many times I heard that people don't vote because they believe their vote doesn't count, doesn't matter, nothing changes, and both parties (Republican and Democrat) are the same. Too many times I heard that people couldn't vote because they lost that right as a felon.
These are signs that our legislature needs to change. We need new representatives who are unaffiliated with either party and who can help rebuild the people's trust in their state government.
It will depend on what others introduce. I'm looking at repealing Right-to-Work and reforming campaign finance laws, as well as eliminating for-profit healthcare and banning equity firms from owning housing to be used as a commodity to be bought and sold for profit.
It would be good because it gives the people another way to participate in their government and an avenue to address an issue that is important to them that the legislature might otherwise set aside.
As an introvert, it is quite an accomplishment for me to find myself running for political office. My passion to make the government better and more responsive to the people has pushed me forward.
I have some vague ideas but need to take a deeper dive into Virginia Code Title 24.2 to see which sections I believe need to be amended to make the entire election process easier and as safe and reliable as can be.
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.
Note: Berry submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on September 30, 2025.
I grew up in a working-class family and attended public schools. I served in the U.S. Air Force for four years and worked as a Legal Services Specialist. While my children were growing up I volunteered as a Cub Scout Leader, Brownie Girl Scout Leader, and Little League Team Mother. I also volunteered in various roles with my church, homeowners association, and PTA. More recently I volunteered with my local public library as a member of the Friends of the Victoria Public Library. I am currently a member of the Lunenburg County Chamber of Commerce, Lunenburg Branch of the NAACP, American Legion, and the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA-LAE).
I received a Bachelor of Science degree from Longwood College (now a University). I also received a Certificate in Social Policy Administration from Longwood University. While attending Longwood, I volunteered with the Commuter Student Association, received two citizen leader awards, and was inducted into four honor societies.
I am not affiliated with any political party because I believe the role of every elected representative is to serve the people over party, politics, and corporations. Labels come with preconceived ideologies and are difficult to overlook to see the actual person and hear what values and ideas that person holds.
Too often I have perceived that decisions made by elected representatives have been to appease a political party rather than to benefit the people. It is the responsibility of every elected representative to give the people a voice and to listen to those voices; to legislate for equality, human rights and freedoms, and to prevent government overreach.
I ran previously as a member of a political party but I dropped my affiliation because the two-party system is no longer working and the people are losing. Too many people have told me they don't and won't vote because the two major political parties are the same and that their vote doesn't count. Too many people can't vote because their voting rights haven't been restored; some explained how difficult it is to get them restored.
It is for these people and all the people who struggle with finding a job and affordable housing and healthcare that I continue to campaign to give them a representative that understands them and will work to improve their living standard.
I have been persistent in trying to give the people a new representative; one who brings a different perspective to the table. I have been consistent in my message to put people first.
I don't just give lip service by telling people what they want to hear. I listen to them and hear what they want and need. Their struggles are real. I have experienced some of the same struggles: job loss, lack of health insurance, inability to pay for medical and dental care, electricity cut-off, and poverty level wages.
I know people want change, and I want them to know that they have to keep voting in every election so that change will happen. Sometimes voting for change means voting for the person that is not affiliated with any political party.
The economy; what is in our pocketbooks? Can people afford to pay for all their basic living expenses: their rent or mortgage; their healthcare; groceries; travel to and from work; are there enough job opportunities in our rural communities?
Education. Knowledge and skills lead to innovation and creativity. It is what allows our communities to thrive economically. Do our public schools receive enough money to make sure our students have the materials and tools they need?
Environmental Justice: Is our health at risk because our clean air and water are at risk? Are data centers, landfills, and solar facilities removing the natural resources we need for clean air, water, forestry and agricultural products?
Compassion and empathy. It's important not to disregard someone's feelings and what they are going through just because you haven't experienced what they have.
My very first job was babysitting. I started when I was in 6th grade and lasted through 9th or 10th grade. The other two high school jobs I worked were at Burger King and for an office and school supply company.
Protecting natural resources, preventing data centers, landfills, and solar facilities from destroying our rural communities, eliminating foreign ownership of our businesses, farmlands, and housing, overcoming wage stagnation, and building affordable housing.
The two most frequent stories are people are afraid they will become homeless because their rent keeps increasing, and others fear that they can't pay their court fees on time, due to lack of employment opportunities and low wages, to prevent them from being re-incarcerated.
I would introduce a resolution to amend Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution of Virginia to remove the sentence that reads, "No person who has been convicted of a felony shall be qualified to vote unless his civil rights have been restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority."
Restoration of voting rights is subject to politics and harms individuals. Taking away voting rights contradicts Article I, Section 9, that prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. Holding that punishment over one's head for what can and often does last a lifetime, after all other sentencing requirements are met, is cruel and unusual.
There should be full financial transparency in government funding and spending, and the government and government officials should be held accountable for their actions and omissions.
It would be good to allow the people to vote on issues that either the legislature refuses to take up or if the majority of the legislature votes against the will of the people.
It would be bad if the initiative was one that violates basic human rights and freedoms. No such initiative should be allowed.
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.
Note: Berry submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on April 19, 2025.
Trudy Bell Berry completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Berry's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Someone lost a friend, a military veteran, because VA medical rules would not allow him to be tested because he did did not fit the normal age parameters. If a patient suspects something is wrong with his or her own body, the doctor should be allowed to perform every necessary test no matter the usual parameters.
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.
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.
Trudy Bell Berry campaign contribution history
Year
Office
Status
Contributions
Expenditures
2023
Virginia State Senate District 9
Withdrew general
$9,925
$9,296
2021
Virginia House of Delegates District 61
Lost general
$15,977
$6,719
2019
Virginia House of Delegates District 61
Lost general
$10,925
N/A**
Grand total
$36,826
$16,016
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections 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
Ballotpedia features 636,933 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Click here to contact our editorial staff or report an error. For media inquiries, contact us here. Please donate here to support our continued expansion.
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.
