ROANOKE, Va. – A familiar face in Roanoke City politics is setting her sights on Richmond.
Trish White-Boyd is the Democratic candidate for Virginia Senate District 4. She faces off against Republican incumbent David Suetterlein.
“I’m really, really excited,” said White-Boyd.
The newly-drawn district covers Roanoke City, Salem, and parts of Roanoke and Montgomery Counties.
“It is a bigger area. It just means that we have more work to do and more ground to cover,” said White-Boyd.
White-Boyd has served on Roanoke City Council for almost five years and as vice mayor for two of those years. She has owned a small home care business for nearly two decades, employing dozens of people.
If elected, White-Boyd said she wants to strengthen the region’s economy.
“I have actually helped create hundreds of jobs here in Roanoke City and I will do the exact same thing when I get to Richmond,” she said.
Her other priorities include education and teacher pay, tax relief for working families, expanding Amtrak service to Christiansburg, and improving safety on I-81.
“It’s almost irresponsible not to fund something as dangerous as I-81,” she said.
White-Boyd wants to reduce crime and gun violence by enforcing safe storage, enforcing gun locks, and identifying ghost guns.
“We can do simple things like that,” said White-Boyd. “You would not believe what it would do to reduce crime.”
If she wins, White-Boyd would make history as the first woman and person of color to represent Southwest Virginia in the State Senate. With two weeks until election day, she wants voters to know she will fight for them.
“It is going to be my job to make sure that we bring the resources and the revenue to Southwest Virginia that is way overdue,” said White-Boyd.
Election day is Tuesday, November 7. See more election news here.