Background

Award winning TV anchor who is dedicating all his efforts to public service because of a profound personal tragedy.
He is a proven unrelenting human rights advocate with intimate knowledge of local issues.
He is holding government officials accountable, getting access to mental care for families, and equality in education for special needs students
Through his previous work as a journalist, he has shown that he is a supporter and defender of voters’ rights.

How Close is this Race?

This race is extremely tight. Clinton won district 12 by only 3 percentage points in 2016 (993 votes). The incumbent Republican is young and has a strong following of supporters. He has been flipflopping on issues to appear more moderate.

November 2016 Presidential Race
Clinton
(D)		 Trump
(R)
16,062 15,069
48% 45%
2013 House of Delegates Race
Harder
(D)		 Yost
(R)
8,650 9,541
47.42% 52.31%

Why this Race Matters most:
Chris Hurst will support legislation that will help bring economic opportunity to SW Virginia including expanding Medicaid and healthcare jobs. If Democrats show up to the polls, they will have a chance of electing a Democrat who works for them and will help prevent further state gerrymandering.

  • Why Democrat Chris Hurst?
    • He wants to attract jobs to the New River Valley, raise the minimum wage and expand broadband access.
    • He will fight to expand Medicaid (and the associated jobs and benefits), increase access for opioid addiction treatment and reinvest in rural hospitals and mental health clinics.
    • Chris will revamp the formulas for funding schools so they aren’t shortchanged by $800 million.
  • Why NOT Republican Joseph Yost?
    • He has repeatedly voted against minimum wage increases despite the fact that Virginia has the 42nd worst record in the US.
    • He has consistently voted against the expansion of Medicaid, despite the fact that it would bring $12.2 million to the district and 200 jobs.
    • He has voted continually along party lines, indicating his constituency comes second over his party.
Side by Side on Key Policy Issues:
Democrat Position Republican Position
Medicaid Expansion

 

 Hurst is for expanding Medicaid to an additional 3700 residents and 200 new jobs. Yost has continually voted against expansion even though it would help with the Opioid crisis.
Minimum wage Hurst wants to increase the minimum wage to provide a living wage to poorer residents. Yost has consistently voted against raising the minimum wage.
Additional jobs in health care Hurst understands that by increasing Medicaid, this will add new jobs in healthcare to the district. Yost voted not to expand Medicaid.

 

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