The Competitive Commonwealth Fund Announces the First Wave of Endorsements of 2019

MERRIFIELD, VA – The Competitive Commonwealth Fund (CCF), a Virginia PAC dedicated to recruiting and funding Democratic candidates in traditional GOP strongholds, announced its first wave of endorsements for the 2019 cycle. The Fund selected seven Democrats vying for red seats in the Virginia House of Delegates. The endorsements are:

Beverly Harrison (HD 15) v. Del. Todd Gilbert

Larry Barnett (HD 27) v. Del. Roxann Robinson

Irina Khanin (HD 29) v. Del. Chris Collins

Neri Canahui-Ortiz (HD 54) v. Del. Bobby Orrock

Sheila Bynum-Coleman (HD 66) v. Del. Kirk Cox

Jess Foster (HD 88) v. Del. Mark Cole

Phil Hernandez (HD 100) v. Del. Rob Bloxom

“CCF understands that when we support Democratic candidates everywhere in Virginia, we will discover and develop progressive talent in unexpected places, and we will help build a Democratic majority in the House of Delegates,” said Competitive Commonwealth Fund Board Chair Jess Brown. “We are thrilled to get involved in these seven races.”

The Competitive Commonwealth Fund mission is to support Democratic campaigns in areas that usually don’t receive enough resources to run effective campaigns. It is a Virginia Political Action Committee founded in October 2016 by Thomas Bowman and Morgan Jameson to recruit and support Democratic candidates for office at all levels and in all regions of Virginia.

“Democrats win when Democrats run,” Morgan Jameson said. “As we saw in 2017, reliably Republican seats can flip to Democratic seats if we run efficient and effective campaigns.”

“I spent more than thirty years working for Chesterfield County Mental Health,” said CCF endorsed candidate Larry Barnett. “As the Director of Emergency Services, I worked to set up same day access, and led trainings with first responders on de-escalation skills. While this work connected me with many different aspects of our community I never imagined that I would run for public office. That all changed in 2017.

With the help and guidance of the Competitive Commonwealth Fund I came just 128 votes from winning in the 27th House of Delegates District. This year, I'm determined to finish the job we

started, and I'm proud to once again have the support of the Competitive Commonwealth Fund."

CCF is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of veteran Virginia union organizers and campaign and political professionals.