Two more Democrats announce 2019 bids for state House

By James Ivancic, Times Staff Writer

A second Democratic candidate has entered the 2019 race for the 18th District seat in Virginia’s House of Delegates, while another has announced her bid for the 88th District seat. Both districts include parts of Fauquier County.

Jessica Foster and Laura Galante are both first-time candidates. Foster is so far the only Democrat in the running to unseat Del. Mark Cole, who has represented the 88th District since 2001. The 88th District includes part of southern Fauquier, including Remington, as well as Fredericksburg and parts of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties.

Galante will face at least one other Democrat, former House of Delegates candidate Tristan Shields, in a nominating contest to become the Democrats’ choice to unseat Del. Michael Webert, a Republican who has held the 18th District seat since 2012. The 18th District covers parts of Fauquier, Culpeper and Warren counties and all of Rappahannock County.

Webert, of Marshall, previously said he’d decide whether to run for another term after discussing it with his wife during the Christmas holiday.

Galante, 33, of Marshall, has a background in cybersecurity. She worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency and with a private cyber-intelligence team. In 2017, she started a consulting practice, Galante Strategies, that works on cybersecurity issues.

Galante was born in Chicago and grew up in Fairfax County. She said she spent free hours at Frying Pan Park and was involved in 4-H, an organization in which she remains active.

She said she supports boosting the future of agriculture by supporting “earn to learn” opportunities – apprenticeships and on-the-job training paired with know-how in project management, marketing and communication.

“The trades will tell you that ‘we’re dying for people.’ It would be easy to partner up with community colleges and high schools” to provide that sort of training, she said.

Galante said she’s spoken to small farmers and was told that supply-chain improvements would help them, such as establishing food ports – regional distribution centers where they can bring what they produce.

“We need to focus on the needs of local farms and not just the big producers,” she said.

She said more work needs to be done to expand access to broadband internet by exploring new technologies such as road-adhering fiber and working with telecommunications and electric co-ops.

Galante calls for “cost transparency” in the health care system so patients know the cost of various tests and medical procedures upfront.

Galante also supports passing the Equal Rights Amendment. “It’s long overdue,” she said.

The candidate described her style of addressing problems this way: “I dig in not only on a policy level but on the community level.”

Foster: ‘Virginians really want a change’

Foster said changes in the political landscape since 2017, which saw Democrats pick up 15 seats in the General Assembly, prompted her bid for office.

“I’m running based on the last two years. Since 2017, it’s looked like Virginians really want a change. I think it’s time,” said Foster, who lives in Remington and is a criminal defense attorney working out of Manassas.

“I’m more of a take-action type of person. I’ll treat my constituents like they were clients,” she said in describing her work mode.

Foster, 37, said she would represent people and not corporate interests. She said she’s attending meetand-greets to talk to people and get a feel for their concerns.

She said the state General Assembly should ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and work toward better health coverage for Virginians. “Medicaid was expanded but there’s still a lot of work to do,” she said.

Jessica Foster

Laura Galante

Foster said she’d also like to see movement on the gun-control issue.

“There’s no discussion between the two sides. We need to acknowledge there is a problem. We need both sides to come to the table” to come up with a solution, Foster said. “It seems like anything proposed dies in committee.”

Foster moved to Belgium with her parents when she was 12 and moved back to the U.S. about five years later. She received an undergraduate degree in administrative justice at George Mason University and received a law degree in Michigan.

Galante has a campaign website at galantefordelegate.com. Foster has one at jessfoster.org.

Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@fauquier.com.