We wrapped up the 2023 Session this past week and so I am back in the Valley and ready for an exciting year.
Over the past two weeks, an unprecedented number of General Assembly retirements have been announced. The time has come for me to announce that… I am NOT retiring! I AM RUNNING FOR REELECTION TO THE VIRGINIA STATE SENATE!
Virginia is one of the few states in the country that has elections in odd numbered years so I don't exaggerate when I say that all eyes will be on Virginia this year.
All 100 House of Delegate districts and 40 State Senate districts are up for grabs and we must keep our Republican majority in the House of Delegates and win back majority in the State Senate. There are going to be a lot of new faces in Richmond. It looks like nearly one third of the members of the General Assembly will be new.
Every 10 years, Virginia is required to draw new State Senate districts as a result of the census. In 2021, the Supreme Court of Virginia did just that and as a result, I will now be running to represent Senate District 2. Although the district number is different, the communities I hope to represent and my resolve to stand up for our conservative values in Richmond remains unwavering.
To learn more about Senate District 2, visit my website MarkObenshain.com/redistricting.
I'm running for reelection because the work I started when I was first elected in 2003 is not finished. When I was first elected I promised to fight for Virginia's taxpayers. Right now we are engaged in a budget stalemate in which we have a $3.6 billion budget surplus, but many in Richmond fail to recognize that this is money that belongs to the taxpayers and they deserve to have at least a portion of it returned to them. I plan to continue to fight against undisciplined government growth and the efforts of those who believe we are taxed too little.
I promised that I would fight for safer communities in Virginia. Too many Virginians are suffering the effects of the opioid, meth and fentanyl epidemics that are killing young people, ruining lives, breaking up families and devastating our communities. We need commonsense public safety reforms that will return us to a trajectory in which we have safer communities and neighborhoods.
I promised that I would stand strong for the protection of innocent human life. I have fought to defend our parental consent laws and fought against radical legislation that would legalize abortion up to the moment of birth. With the decision of the Supreme Court this year overturning the wrongly decided Roe v. Wade decision, I stand with Governor Youngkin and others in the General Assembly to pass laws that further a culture that values and protects innocent human life, especially including the unborn.
When I first ran, I promised to fight to protect our Second Amendment rights. During the short period of time when Democrats controlled the Executive Branch and both chambers of the General Assembly, unnecessary and burdensome restrictions were imposed upon the constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. Many so-called civil libertarians seek to pick and choose those parts of the Bill of Rights they deem to be relevant, while ignoring the Second Amendment and the right to free speech – when it involves speech with which they disagree. I will continue to stand up for the entire Bill of Rights – Second Amendment included.
I promise you this: liberal elites and Democrats around the country are looking at Virginia and ready to pour millions of dollars to take back the House of Delegates and maintain their majority in the Senate. If that happens, they will be able to block legislation that we know to be necessary to ensure we leave the Commonwealth a better place for future generations.
I hope you'll consider a donation today to my campaign to help fight against liberal attempts to take over Virginia. Click here to donate today.
Over the next eight months, I look forward to getting out on the campaign trail and meeting you, whether it be at your doorstep, at the diner where you eat lunch, or at the church you attend on Sundays.
It has been my distinct honor and privilege to represent the people of Shenandoah, Warren and Rappahannock Counties in the Senate for the past 20 years, but redistricting forces me to bid farewell to these counties and the many friends that Suzanne and I have made during that time. While I will not be representing you in the future, I know that our friendships will endure and that those friends will continue to call me if I can ever be of service.
The new legislative district maps have given me the opportunity to spend more time in Eastern Rockingham County, Augusta, Highland and Bath Counties. I have already made many friends and I look forward to making many more and look forward to serving the citizens of those counties (along with those of Page, Rockingham and Harrisonburg) in the coming days, weeks and years
Suzanne and I are deeply grateful for the support I have received in my political endeavors and that our family has received. We do not lightly embark on this endeavor and I hope that I have or will earn your support in this important campaign for reelection to the Virginia State Senate.
Thank you for your friendship and support.
Best,
Mark
Posts
