Gov. Glenn Youngkin is backing three local Republican candidates in state races, including two that have contested primaries on June 20.
With early voting already underway in the primaries for state and local offices across Prince William County, the governor’s latest round of endorsements comes at a key time.
“I know this group of candidates – which includes experienced legislators, law enforcement officials, small business leaders and business executives – are committed to making Virginia the best place in America to live, work and raise a family,” Youngkin said in a press release.
In state Senate District 30, which includes parts of Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, Youngkin endorsed Bill Woolf, a political newcomer. Woolf is a small business owner and a former northern Virginia police detective. His Republican primary opponent is Mark Ruffolo, also an entrepreneur and a 29-year U.S. Army veteran.
There is no incumbent in the newly drawn state Senate district, which is comprised of nearly 135,000 voters, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Del. Danica Roem, D-13th, is the Democratic nominee in the contest. Roem’s state delegate district includes part of the 30th District. Roem has served as state delegate since 2018. She is a former newspaper journalist.
Youngkin endorsed John Stirrup in the Republican primary in the House of Delegates’ 21st District over his opponent Josh Quill. The newly drawn district is comprised of about 58,000 voters in Gainesville and Brentsville, according to VPAP.
Stirrup represented the Gainesville District on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors for two terms after being first elected to the seat in 2003. Stirrup has worked as an accountant, commercial real estate broker and a lobbyist for local governments.
Quill is a business management consultant, Trump Administration appointee to the Department of Veterans Affairs and a veteran who served for 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. There is no incumbent in the newly drawn house district.
Quill recently criticized Stirrup for mailers featuring photos of Stirrup wearing a Youngkin-style red vest and photos of Stirrup with Youngkin that Quill said implied the governor's endorsement prior to Youngkin making it official.
Josh Thomas is the Democratic nominee for the 21st District House of Delegates seat. Thomas is an attorney, a U.S. Marine veteran and has served in the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps.
Ian Lovejoy, a former City of Manassas city councilman, received Youngkin’s nod for the Republican nomination in House of Delegates’ 22nd District. Lovejoy was elected to the Manassas City Council in 2012 and served two terms. Lovejoy ran for House of Delegates in 2019 in the former District 50 and lost to former delegate Lee Carter, a Democrat.
Lovejoy taught at Radford University; founded Reliant Hiring Solutions, a firm that organizes hiring fairs in various sectors; and manages an art gallery with his wife, Nancy.
The newly drawn 22nd District is comprised of about 62,000 voters in the western and mid-county areas of Prince William County, according to VPAP.
Travis Nemhard, an attorney, a former financial regulator and a former administrative law judge, is the Democratic nominee in House District 22 for the Nov. 7 election.
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