by Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury
May 12, 2025

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, is joining the board of directors of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the national party’s state-level strategy arm, just as Virginia enters one of its most consequential election years in recent memory.

The DLCC  will draw on Scott’s experience — alongside that of six other new board members from around the country — to help shape its plans to support state legislative races this year and beyond.

With all 100 seats in Virginia’s House of Delegates seats and the state’s entire executive branch up for election this year, DLCC President Heather Williams emphasized that “all eyes are on Virginia.”

Speaking by phone on Friday, Scott described the commonwealth as both an “incubator for democracy” and a “bellwether for the rest of the country.”

Virginia holds its gubernatorial elections the year after each presidential contest, which offers national observers a fresh barometer on public sentiment. This year, Democrats are framing the races as a referendum on President Donald Trump and his influence over the Republican Party. 

But Scott stressed that all elections are also inherently local. Each House race will also revolve around  hallmark issues for Virginia Democrats — including advancing three constitutional amendments on voting rights, reproductive freedom and marriage equality — alongside regional issues like infrastructure and the economy. 

“People are really concerned about kitchen-table issues,” Scott said. 

His appointment to the DLCC’s board of directors comes on the heels of the organization announcing a seven figure investment in Virginia’s elections this year. The state is one of several battlegrounds identified in the organization’s 2025-2026 Target Map, which also includes North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona. The committee aims to help Democrats flip legislatures or build stronger democratic bases. 

Others joining Scott on the DLCC board include legislative leaders from California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsin. 

“Our board members represent some of the sharpest minds in politics, and I’m excited to partner with them to build our plan for victory for cycles to come,” DLCC president Williams said in a recent statement.  

While the DLCC’s core mission has always been state legislature races, this year the group also plans to boost the eventual Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. While the state Senate — where Democrats hold a slim majority — is not on the ballot, the next lieutenant governor could play a key role in breaking future ties. 

As the DLCC falls under the Democratic National Committee umbrella, the overarching organization has also recently announced a funding focus to help boost state elections. DNC chair Ken Martin announced last month that the organization will transfer more than $1 million per month to its state and territorial parties over the next four years.

“When we organize everywhere to compete everywhere, we can win anywhere,” he said on a press call during the announcement. “The role of political parties is to build infrastructure everywhere.”

That infusion comes as Democrats are running candidates in all 100 House districts. Some are incumbents or former candidates returning for a rematch in competitive districts; others are fresh faces stepping up through recruitment efforts. 

Much of that  recruitment has been led by  Dr. Fergie Reid Jr., whose father, Dr. William “Fergie” Reid Sr., became the first Black elected official in Virginia after  Reconstruction. Reid Jr., a retired physician, has spent the past decade working to ensure Democrats contest every district — from the safest blue districts to the reddest red — to help build a base and spark party enthusiasm. 

“Dad turned 100 a few weeks ago. There are 100 districts in the state house,” Reid recently told The Mercury. “My goal is not to let what happened in 2021 happen again, especially on Dad’s 100th year when he’s watching. He’s been calling me every night to make sure that we get in 100 districts.”

Meanwhile, Scott, the first Black House speaker in Virginia history, hopes to share what his home state has learned with Democrats in other states. In  2023, Scott helped his party claw back its majority in the House of Delegates, which set the stage for his ascension to speaker. 

“The number one thing that we’ve learned is that we have to meet people where they are,” Scott said. “Most people are trying to figure out how they put food on the table, how they afford the things that they need, whether they have good schools for their kids, and whether it’s safe to live in the community, and that’s what we’ve been focused on.”

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.

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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article focuses primarily on Virginia House Speaker Don Scott’s appointment to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) and the state’s upcoming elections. The content highlights the strategic moves by the Democratic Party in Virginia, including their focus on key issues such as voting rights, reproductive freedom, and marriage equality, as well as the influence of national political dynamics like President Trump’s influence on the Republican Party. The tone and emphasis on Democratic goals and actions reflect a Center-Left perspective, showcasing the party’s strategies while highlighting Scott’s leadership role. The article’s framing, while generally factual, leans toward promoting the Democratic party’s efforts without presenting substantial opposing viewpoints or criticisms of these positions.