MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – Two new faces are running for the House of Delegates In the New River Valley in this November’s election.
The seat for District 7 is up for grabs this year and Derek Kitts and Marie March are eyeing it.
The elected candidate will represent Floyd County and parts of Montgomery and Pulaski counties.
It may be Democrat Derek Kitts first time running for District 7, but he is not new to the campaign trail.
He ran for the 9th Congressional District in 2016 against incumbent Republican Morgan Griffith.
“But it made me even more passionate to run for the area that I love and I grew up in,” he said.
The Army veteran and small business owner is running with a focus on school and educational equity.
“Education is the great equalizer,” he said. “That’s what allows us to compete in a global economy.”
He also wants to improve roads and other infrastructure while pushing for tax incentives to promote rural small businesses.
Kitts is running against Republican candidate Marie March.
She owns the Due South BBQ restaurant in Christiansburg and wants to encourage more small business development in her district.
“We need to be teaching the younger folks, the millennials about how to open their own small businesses,” she said. “And I really want to bring an injection of that enthusiasm to the community to get some of the wealthier business owners to start helping the young people.”
March also wants to push for constitutional carry and school choice.
“It’s a big position,” she said. “It’s a very important position for our community. And I was just ready to jump in with both feet when I heard Nick Rush was retiring.”
The election will be held on November 2nd.