Creigh Deeds is beloved in Democratic circles – a long-time liberal from a largely rural district who spent a decade in the House before moving up to the Senate. His Bath County home was drawn into a new district where he would face a formidable Republican. Instead, Deeds bought a house in Charlottesville – a part of his old district, where he hopes to be re-elected.
Also vying for the seat, two-term Delegate Sally Hudson who surrendered her job in the House to seek higher office.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that Sally Hudson would have been re-elected to the House.”
David Tocano served in the House of Delegates for 14 years.
“What was puzzling to me was why she would challenge someone whose views resonate pretty strongly with this area and who has represented this area for 20 years.”
Back in 2019, Toscano decided not to seek re-election when Hudson challenged him.
“Inertia might have been a powerful force, and I might have stayed there to be honest, but frankly I think the primary challenge just made it more apparent to me that it was time for me to move on. I really didn’t want to be there anymore.”
Deeds, on the other hand, wants very much to stay in the state Senate, and Toscano is backing him.
“He’s got a level of seniority that is unmatched in the Senate among Democrats, and to think that we would try to take somebody out who had all that seniority, who feels strongly about issues that a lot of us care about just doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
Toscano notes Deeds passed 26 bills in the last session – more than any other legislator in Richmond. He’s on important committees, including judiciary, finance and appropriations, and he’s been an effective advocate for better mental health care in the Commonwealth since his own son suffered a breakdown, attacked Deeds and then committed suicide.
“Creigh had always been interested in mental health issues, but boy did it focus his energies on those issues. He became known as a real go-to guy on mental health issues,” Toscano recalls.
That said, Hudson has passionate followers who think it’s time to give somebody else a chance.
“It’s a new district, and it’s an opportunity to look at the race through a little bit of a different lens,” says Diantha McKeel, an Albemarle County Supervisor. She has nothing bad to say about Deeds, who is 65, but she’s excited by Hudson, a 34-year-old professor at UVA’s school of public leadership and policy.
“I think she’s innovative. I think she is very forward thinking. I like the fact that she is young, because it’s important to have a bench. She comes at issues as an economist, and I will say, she’s helped to educate me, because I’m just a teacher and a nurse, right? Those were my backgrounds.”
McKeel adds that she’s not voting for Hudson just because she’s a woman.
“We need women, and I get that. We need to elect young people – that’s part of it. I want diversity in gender, in race, in occupations.”
She and Toscano agree both Deeds and Hudson are good candidates, and both are spending a lot of money that could be used by Democrats in the general election this fall.
Who wins, as always, will depend on who turns out to vote and where they live. The city of Charlottesville, generally viewed as more progressive than other parts of the state, could well break for Hudson, and younger voters are likely to favor her. Deeds, on the other hand, is expected to draw older voters and those who live in Albemarle, parts of Nelson, Amherst and Louisa Counties. They outnumber city voters by more than two to one.
