ELECTION 2023: 2 Democrats seek party nomination in heavily funded 57th District primary race
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Virginia’s 57th House of Delegates District was completely redrawn in 2021, has no incumbent delegate and may be a tight race come November; Democrats Susanna Gibson and Bob Shippee are running in the June 20 primary election for the chance to face Republican David Owen in the November general election.
The 57th District covers the eastern side of Goochland County as well as most of Short Pump with a portion of Henrico County’s Three Chopt District. Before Virginia’s 2021 redistricting process, the 56th District covered this area, but it also included all of Louisa County and a portion of Spotsylvania County. The 56th District was considered heavily Republican, but the new 57th District may be considered a swing seat come November since it lost a large rural population.
As of June 13, the 57th District is the second most funded primary election in the state this cycle (after Richmond city’s District 79) according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Gibson raised about $80,000 more than Shippee so far, and both candidates’ top two donors are Clean Virginia Fund and Commonwealth Forward. Gibson received 236 separate donations of more than $100, while Shippee received 339.
Susanna Gibson
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, allowing states to restrict abortion rights, nurse practitioner Susanna Gibson felt it was time for her to step up and serve her community in a different way as a delegate in the General Assembly.
Gibson has thought about running for public office ever since she grew up watching her mother, Mary Susan Payne, (who was heavily involved in Democratic politics) serve on the Charlottesville City School Board. Her mother’s influence prompted Gibson to consider running on more than one occasion, but the Roe decision increased her urgency, she said.
“Virginia really is at a tipping point when it comes to reproductive healthcare,” Gibson said, “and I think it's hugely important that we elect a reproductive rights champion and medical expert to talk eloquently about those issues and the implications.”
Protecting reproductive rights is Gibson’s first priority. She plans to introduce legislation to codify reproductive freedoms in Virginia’s constitution including abortion, contraception and fertility treatments, she said. She believes easing access to reproductive healthcare will positively affect Virginia’s economy since tight restrictions deter large businesses.
Gibson also wants to pass universal background checks and safe storage legislation to combat gun violence.
“These shootings are absolutely preventable,” Gibson said. “It's a multifaceted approach and solution but one that we really need to work on solving.”
During her time as the lead nurse practitioner for the Virginia Commonwealth University Division of Geriatrics, Gibson saw patients in the Home Based Primary Care Program. Gibson believes there is no better opportunity to learn the challenges that community members are facing than going into their homes every day and working to get them what they need to survive, she said.
Gibson has two elementary-age children and believes Virginia needs to have strong public schools so that every child has the opportunity to succeed. She supports increasing pay for teachers, increasing benefits and giving them collective bargaining rights and more ownership over their professional development, she said.
In her work in geriatrics, Gibson saw that Virginia does not have enough affordable housing for seniors, she said. Creating more infrastructure to support Virginia’s aging adult population is a top priority of hers.
Gibson enjoys knocking on community members’ doors to hear from them and believes delegates need to be accessible.
“I feel strongly that you cannot represent people if you don't spend time talking to them,” she said. “Asking them their priorities and [what] things that would actually help them, and listening. Actively listening.”
Gibson has worked in the Greater Richmond area for more than 15 years as a public health expert making connections and building trust with people from all walks of life, she said. She wants to use that skill set to reach across the aisle and be an effective legislator.
As a nurse practitioner, Gibson will continue seeing her patients two days per week if elected, she said. She has lived within the 57th District for seven years and is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
Bob Shippee
Two factors primarily motivated Bob Shippee to run for the House of Delegates: what he termed dysfunction in the General Assembly and the new map of the 57th District.
As a volunteer lobbyist, Shippee was frustrated by seeing the Republican governor and House leadership in Virginia siloed from the Democratic-led leadership in the Senate. He felt that no real progress was being made because of the split government.
“For somebody who's just giving my time to do this five days a week,” Shippee said, “to see no real possibility of getting anything good done, I really felt like I could do a lot better than this.”
The redistricting was the final push, Shippee said. He already knew the community well from his campaign for the Three Chopt District Supervisor in 2015, he said, when he finished in second place with about 39% of the vote (Republican Tommy Branin won with 53%).
Shippee supports increasing gun control by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and wants to enforce universal background checks with no loopholes and reasonable waiting periods. He also prioritizes clean air and clean water and would focus on shifting to fully clean electric and transportation in Virginia, he said.
The education system is another priority for Shippee, and he believes it is important to focus on properly funding public education and paying teachers as opposed to banning books and changing curriculums, he said.
“When [Democrats] had the majority for two years,” Shippee said, “we made some strides from a budgeting perspective to support public education. We need to get back to that. We have a very good, especially in this district, grade school system. We just are losing teachers.”
Shippee believes a great way to lower the cost of living in the district is to focus on energy efficiency, which would lower monthly utility bills, he said. He wants to make incentives for owners to take on energy efficiency retrofit projects themselves, increase funding to assist low-income renters and boost programs that would help with the lack of affordable housing.
While lobbying, Shippee learned how to work across party lines to pass legislation and has even gained republican cooperation on environmental and energy bills, he said.
“I do think that almost any Republican delegate in the house will still talk to me and will respect me,” Shippee said. “They've seen me at work for a while now, and I think I bring an objective problem solving approach to these conversations.”
Since retiring from working at Capital One, Shippee has spent eight years volunteering as a lobbyist for organizations such as the Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood. He believes his career in finance proves he knows how the economy works and can manage money well in the General Assembly, he said. He also already learned the intricacies of passing legislation while lobbying.
If elected, Shippee plans to host regular town halls, send weekly newsletters and continue to talk with community members online. He has worked and volunteered in the district for 27 years and feels that his track record proves he is ready for the House of Delegates, he said.
LEARN MORE
Susanna Gibson's campaign website
Bob Shippee's campaign website
Virginia Department of Elections – Citizen Portal
