Donte Tanner
HD-40
Centreville/Pr. William/Fairfax Counties
DC Metro
https://dontetanner.com
More Information
Background
With two police officer parents, public service was Donte’s ambition; from public schools, he entered the US Air Force Academy in 1997. Donte’s story of “service before self” is his campaign message.
Donte served in the USAF for 4 years, with distinction, working on space and missile systems, promoted to captain at age 25. He left for the private sector in 2007. Donte is a small businessman and understands their needs. After serving as a government contractor for 8 years he set up his own small business as a government consulting firm in 2015.
Donte is endorsed by “VoteVets”, a PAC whose mission is to elect veterans to public office. Although progressive, they have endorsed both Republicans and Democrats.

How Close is this Race?
Clinton won district 40 by 9 percentage points in 2016. The incumbent Republican is a prolific fundraiser with unsavory donors and strong name recognition.
November 2016 Presidential Race
Clinton (D) |
Trump (R) |
17,363 | 14,504 |
51.3% | 42.85% |
2013 House of Delegates Race
Foltz (D) |
Hugo (R) |
5,781 | 10,875 |
34.7% | 65.3% |
Why this Race Matters most:
The time is right to defeat an entrenched Republican. We have a good chance to turn Virginia’s legislature from red to blue.
With a shifting electorate, this race has a good chance of having a Democrat elected, if Democrats show up to the polls.
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Why Democrat Donte Tanner?
- Donte strongly believes that anyone who wishes to serve his or her country should be allowed to do so.
- Donte wants to save the Affordable Care Act for the benefit of Virginians and provide Medicaid to everyone.
- Donte will work for the District: to strengthen public schools, solve traffic problems and support small businesses.
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Why NOT Republican Incumbent Tim Hugo?
- Hugo has received large amounts of money from the tobacco industry, has sponsored bills to help the industry, and has voted against bills limiting tobacco’s reach to minors.
- Hugo has voted against Medicaid expansion, a move that costs Virginians billions of dollars of federal funding and thousands of new jobs.
- Hugo has sponsored and supported numerous bills that make it easier to obtain guns and carry concealed guns.
- Hugo has voted for bills to make it more difficult for ordinary citizens to vote.
- Hugo has been in office for 7 terms and done little to solve the traffic problems except enrich himself with public funds for his own excessive transportation and travel. He billed almost $30,000 for personal expenses in an 18-mo. period.
Side by Side on Key Policy Issues:
Healthcare | Donte wants to save the ACA for the benefit of all Virginians. | Hugo voted with all other Republicans against Medicaid |
Voter Suppression | Donte supports an Independent Redistricting Commission to end Republican gerrymandering | Hugo has voted for bills that create paperwork hurdles to voting, making it more difficult for ordinary citizens to vote. |
Local Economy | Donte supports helping small business owners as the engine of growth. He supports equal pay for women and making government work better for Virginia families, beginning at the local level. | Hugo votes along right-wing Republican lines and opposes all tax increases while favoring pre-emptive state legislation that blocks localities from raising income taxes. He helped kill a bill in committee to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 in 2017. |