Democrats Shippee, Gibson enter race for 57th District seat
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Two Democrats have announced plans to seek their party’s nomination for the in the race for the newly redesigned 57th District in Virginia’s House of Delegates.
Henrico residents Susanna Gibson and Bob Shippee are vying for the nomination and the right to face the Republican nominee. To date, David Owen is the only Republican who has announced for the seat.
The district includes a portion of western Henrico and a portion of eastern Goochland and has no incumbent currently living within the district. It is viewed as a nearly even split between Republicans and Democrats.
Shippee, a resident of the district for 26 years, is retired after a career at Capital One. In his previous foray into politics, he finished second in a three-way race in 2015 for the Three Chopt District seat on the Henrico Board of Supervisors, earning about 39% of the vote to finish second to Republican Tommy Branin (53%).
He supports a transition to clean energy and transportation and believes such a move will create tens of thousands of jobs. He also has vowed to protect voting rights and women’s reproductive health decisions, improve gun safety and support public education and increased pay for teachers.
Shippee and his wife, Martha, raised five children who attended Henrico County public schools. He served as treasurer for community organizations, including for the Wellesley community, and has been active in the Sierra Club.
Gibson, raised in Charlottesville, works as a nurse practitioner. She is seeking elected office for the first time.
She has made reproductive rights, appropriate funding for schools, clean energy, senior advocacy and resources, and mental health and substance abuse support the top focal points of her campaign.
Gibson and her husband John have two young children, Jack and Lila.
Shippee has raised just more than $50,000 (including $20,000 from Clean Virginia Fund), according to the Virginia Public Access Project. No financial reports were yet available for Gibson as of June 30, according to VPAP.
