Summary
Current Position: US Representative since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: State Senator from 2013 – 2018
District: Includes all of Rappahannock County, Fauquier County, and Loudoun County, parts of Fairfax County and Prince William County, as well as the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Pinned Tweet Aug 15, 2022: I’ve always fought to #ProtectSocialSecurity and have the backs of Virginia seniors who rely on this crucial program. But now it’s under greater threat than ever from extreme Republicans who have unveiled a plan to end this lifeline in just 5 years. We can’t let them win.
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News
Associated Press – February 17, 2023
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced the introduction of the Conducting Oversight to Secure Transparency (COST) of Relocations Act to require any federal agency preparing to relocate to conduct and release to the public a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of the proposed move before it is carried out. The legislation comes after a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found that the previous administration’s relocation of two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research agencies in 2019 led to a decline in workforce size and productivity.
“The recent GAO report examining the Trump administration’s relocation of two USDA research agencies shines new light on just how devastating the moves were on the agencies’ mission and workforce – and we cannot let this kind of haphazard move happen again,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “I’m proud to take a stand with Senator Van Hollen to prevent these types of politically motivated attacks on our nonpartisan federal workforce and defend the integrity of the essential work our civil servants perform for the country. The impacts of any relocation can and must be fully evaluated and deserve to be made clear to the agency’s workforce and the American public.”
“Moving any federal agency has far-reaching implications for federal workers and their families, taxpayer funds, and the economy of the surrounding communities. Congresswoman Wexton and I are working together on this bill to ensure that big decisions like these are made thoughtfully and driven by the best interests of the American people and their tax dollars,” said Senator Van Hollen, Chairman of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for federal government real estate.
The COST of Relocations Act would put in place necessary guardrails to protect against politically motivated attempts to relocate federal agencies that could cripple their ability to effectively carry out their missions and force federal employees out of their jobs.
Under the legislation, federal agencies would be required to conduct a cost-benefit analysis in accordance with federal guidelines for “best practices” for undertaking such a review. These best practices would require an analysis of both quantitative data, such as the costs of real estate and staffing, and qualitative metrics necessary to the success of federal agencies, such as employee attrition, loss of institutional knowledge, and short- and long-term impacts on the ability of the agency to carry out its mission. The results of this analysis would be submitted to the agency’s Inspector General for review and then made available to the public.
“AFGE applauds Representative Wexton for reintroducing the COST of Relocations Act to fight the uprooting and diminishing of institutional knowledge and expertise at federal agencies. AFGE strongly supports a fully funded and staffed up federal government which includes ensuring agencies do not close, consolidate, or get relocated,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley.
“The COST Act would make sure that federal agencies are able to serve the public interest effectively and efficiently without the disruption of an unnecessary relocation. The 2019 relocation of two USDA research agencies from Washington, DC to Kansas City, Missouri, was a case study in the potential harms of a politically motivated relocation: The agencies lost 75 percent of their staff, delaying research and grants that support farmers, veterans and others, and digging a hole that took years to even begin to climb out of. The public deserves transparency and accountability from our government and should be able to feel confident that any future relocations have been carefully considered and judged in the best interest of the agency and those they serve,” said Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) Deputy Director of Food and Environment Karen Perry Stillerman.
During the 2019 relocation of the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) from Washington, DC, to the Kansas City region, the Trump administration refused to publicly release a full third-party cost-benefit analysis, obscuring the many detrimental impacts to the workforce and mission of the agencies which have now been revealed through the GAO report.
The COST of Relocations Act is endorsed by Project on Government Oversight (POGO), Union of Concerned Scientists, and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
The legislation is cosponsored by Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and David Trone (D-MD).
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) issued the following statement on why Springfield, Virginia is the optimal location to establish the new FBI headquarters, joining other bipartisan Virginia leaders today in calling for a fair evaluation of Springfield as a finalist for the move. Wexton could not attend the press event hosted by other elected leaders as she is currently traveling for official business:
“I stand with my Virginia delegation colleagues from both sides of the aisle in emphasizing the overwhelming evidence for why the FBI’s new home should be here in Springfield, Virginia. A clear and convincing case was made today for why Springfield would be not only optimal for the agency but optimal for the local community as well.
“We are eager to welcome the FBI and its many dedicated agents and staff here to the Commonwealth, and I look forward to continue working with my colleagues in a bipartisan way to highlight the many mutual benefits this move will bring.”
Associated Press – February 9, 2023
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), along with co-leads Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and Madeleine Dean (D-PA), introduced a resolution to officially designate February as “Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.” Millions of teens are affected by teen dating violence, which can include physical violence, sexual violence, psychological aggression, and stalking. The bipartisan resolution recognizes the devastating short- and long-term impacts that unhealthy, abusive, or violent relationships can have and promotes healthy and safe dating relationships for our teens.
“Teens across the country are suffering physical, sexual, and psychological abuse as well as stalking in staggering numbers, and we must do more to raise awareness and give young people somewhere to turn to for help,” said Rep. Wexton. “The lasting impacts of dating violence will follow teens long into their adulthood if they can’t extract themselves from these relationships and obtain the supports they need moving forward. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort to help more teens, parents, and communities recognize and understand teen dating violence and promote healthy relationships.”
“Teen dating violence is a growing public health crisis amongst youth in our country that can no longer be ignored,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “The long-term consequences for teens involved in physically and emotionally abusive relationships are grim. It is critical that we take steps to empower victims, promote safe, healthy relationships, and educate the public on teen dating violence prevention and intervention.”
“Every year, millions of teenage Americans report experiencing abuse in their relationships – whether that is physical or emotional. As a mom of two boys, I want to be sure they have healthy relationships and know how to help their peers who find themselves in an abusive situation. I am proud to once again lead this bipartisan legislation with Representative Jennifer Wexton to foster positive relationships for young people,” said Rep. Hinson.
“Our resolution to make February Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month will help raise awareness of teen dating violence, so that teenagers can better understand healthy relationships in adolescence,” said Rep. Dean. “It’s crucial that we protect and equip our children with the knowledge and resources to safely navigate the dating world.”
Teen dating violence is a pervasive public health crisis. According to the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, almost half of teens experienced at least one type of violence, and more than 15% experienced at least two types of violence. While dating violence can impact any teen, young women, some racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+ teens experience higher risk of violence.
Technology-facilitated dating abuse in particular – such as cyber extortion, cyberstalking, and doxing – has become a growing issue in recent years, with over a quarter of teens who have been in a romantic relationship in the past year reported experiencing at least one form of digital dating abuse.
Unhealthy, abusive, or violent relationships can have severe consequences to teens development, and short- and long-term wellbeing. Challenges associated with articulating dating violence to their friends and family can cause many teens to suffer in silence and to not receive the help and support they need.
It is crucial to raise awareness of this issue and support communities in empowering teens to develop healthy relationships. If you or a teen or parent you know would like to speak to a trained peer advocate, you can contact the National Dating Abuse Helpline at 1-866-331-9474, text “loveis” to 22522, or live chat at loveisrespect.org.
In addition to Wexton, Fitzpatrick, Hinson, and Dean, the resolution is cosponsored by Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR), Al Green (D-TX), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Wiley Nickel (D-NC), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Mark Takano (D-CA), and David Trone (D-MD).
Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced the appointment of Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) to the House Budget Committee for the 118th Congress. Wexton also served on the Committee during the 117th Congress. The Committee’s chief responsibility is to draft an annual concurrent resolution on the budget that provides a Congressional framework for spending and revenue levels, the federal surplus or deficit, and public debt.
“I am honored to once again receive an appointment to the House Budget Committee and be a voice for Virginia’s kids and families on this important committee,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “Our efforts this year will be crucial as we work in a bipartisan way to support a budget that delivers the support families need right now and continues the strong and stable economic recovery we’ve achieved the past two years. I look forward to building on the great progress we’ve delivered for the American people.”
Last Congress, the Budget Committee was responsible for advancing the American Rescue Plan through the budget reconciliation process, which delivered critical COVID-19 aid resources to families, schools, small businesses, and communities in need during the pandemic and laid the groundwork for a strong and stable economic recovery.
Wexton also serves on the House Appropriations Committee.
House Democrats plan to put Republicans on the spot Wednesday with a vote to condemn future government shutdowns, even as the threat of another border wall showdown remains just weeks away.
Democratic leaders will force a vote on a resolution that states that “shutdowns are detrimental to the nation and should not occur,” according to a draft of the measure obtained by POLITICO.
The symbolic vote, led by Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), does nothing to ward off the next shutdown threat. But it will draw unwanted attention to a House GOP conference that privately loathes the prospect of another shutdown battle when existing budgets run out on Feb. 15.
Republicans will have to go on record on whether to oppose another shutdown even as President Donald Trump’s close advisers continue to insist it’s a possibility as a hard-line tactic to demand border money.
The Democratic resolution is much more narrow than initially planned, after an uproar from some House Republicans that spilled onto the floor Tuesday.
Conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus griped loudly that the Democrats’ initial version struck a personal chord: explicitly blaming Trump for the shutdown and quoting their own House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) saying that “going into a shutdown is stupid.”
Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) called out the Democratic resolution for what he called “totally partisan and political messaging points,” specifically calling out the Trump language.
After seeing the text, Republicans Meadows, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Paul Gosar of Arizona complained to McCarthy, who agreed to allow them to force protest votes on the floor. At one point, lawmakers were forced out of their offices and committee hearings to the House chamber for a mid-afternoon vote.
Some conservatives fiercely loyal to Trump privately said McCarthy should have put up more of a fight when he first heard about the plan from Democrats.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) ultimately agreed to remove the language about Trump and McCarthy, partly to neuter the GOP attack line ahead of Wednesday’s vote and eliminate possible reasons for Republicans to oppose the resolution, according to one Democratic aide.
The initial draft of the measure mentioned Trump five times, and blamed him for his “insistence that appropriations for particular items be provided at his preferred levels” — without specifically mentioning the border wall.
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) announced $18,411,519 in Community Project Funding that she has secured for Virginia’s 10th District in the final 2023 appropriations government funding package. This funding responds directly to some of the most pressing needs in the region.
“I am proud that through my work on the Appropriations Committee, I’ve successfully secured over $18 million to support key community projects across Virginia’s 10th District,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “These investments will meet long overdue needs in our community like supporting affordable child care and the needs of early childhood educators, expanding job and tech training programs for our youth, and reducing traffic and easing commutes through new infrastructure improvements. I’m eager to see this federal funding make an impact in VA-10, and look forward to working closely with local leaders on the next phases of these projects.”
Rep. Wexton championed funding for 14 projects that will directly benefit Virginia’s 10th District residents. These include:
- $2,100,000 for neighborhood job and entrepreneurship technology and research training centers for Fairfax County teens and young adult
- $1,500,000 for improved access for families to the Fairfax County Early Childhood Development and Learning Program
- $1,000,000 for the Franklin Park to Purcellville Trail improvements
- $820,000 for the George Mason University Tick-Borne Disease Diagnostic Clinic
- $1,037,519 for the George Mason University Empowered Community Partnership Center for substance use services, treatment, and associated support services
- $2,000,000 for the Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn Metro Station area pedestrian improvements
- $685,000 for the Northern Virginia Community College diesel technology certificate program
- $580,000 for the roundabout construction at Rollins Ford Road and Estate Manor Drive
- $4,000,000 for Route 7 and Route 690 (Hillsboro Road) interchange reconfiguration construction
- $160,000 for the Town of Haymarket stormwater infrastructure assessment
- $1,000,000 for the Tuscarora Crossing affordable housing developments
- $500,000 for the Valley Health System behavioral health professionals training program
- $1,500,000 for renovated and expanded Valley Health System Federally Qualified Health Clinic
- $1,529,000 for the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education for early childhood educator development programs, including scholarships
The twelve-bill government funding package will create good-paying American jobs, grow opportunity for the middle class and small businesses, and provide a lifeline for working families. Taken together, the funding for Virginia’s 10th District and the funding increases for critical government programs will continue to build on historic investment in our communities achieved by this Congress.
The package will be taken up in the Senate this week, before being sent over to the House for final passage. It will then go to President Biden’s desk for his signature.
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) announced that Washington Dulles International Airport will receive another $20 million from the Airport Terminals Program through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to support the creation of a new 14-gate terminal. The new terminal project, which has already received $49.6 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law, will replace the existing regional and commuter concourse to improve passenger access and support future growth.
“I’m proud that our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making this new terminal at Dulles possible to improve the ease and quality of travel for regional and commuter passengers,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “From improved roads to expanded broadband to support for major local transit priorities like this, the investments that we delivered in the infrastructure law are already benefiting Virginians every day. I’ll continue working with local leaders to ensure this once-in-a-generation legislation meets the needs of every community in VA-10.”
The new terminal will be conveniently located atop the underground Concourse C/D Aerotrain station, providing quick and easy access to passengers and reducing transit times for passengers with connections at Dulles who must currently use shuttle buses or long walkways. Where current regional and commuter passengers must board their flights using outdoor covered walkways and aircraft stairs, the new terminal will allow for jet bridge boarding that reduces boarding times and is more accessible for passengers with disabilities. It will be nearly four times larger than the current facility, which will reduce crowding, allow for expanded concessions and passenger amenities, and create additional space for operational areas, offices, aircraft servicing, and baggage handling. This project will also improve Dulles’s environmental footprint, as the proposed new facility will be built to LEED Silver Certifiable standards. Environmental improvements include support for electric aircraft servicing vehicles and the use of modern energy efficient construction methods and materials.
Last year, Wexton sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Aviation Administration Acting Administrator Billy Nolen in support of Dulles’ application for the first round of grant funding to make the new terminal possible.
About
Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton has been serving the people of Northern Virginia and Shenandoah Valley for nearly two decades as a prosecutor, advocate for abused children, state Senator, and now a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia’s 10th District.
From 2001 to 2005, Jennifer served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Loudoun County, prosecuting felony and misdemeanor criminal and traffic cases in all of the Loudoun Courts. She successfully prosecuted hundreds of trials, including those of criminals who committed domestic violence, sexual offenses, and murder.
After leaving the prosecutor’s office, Jennifer went into private law practice, but remained committed to public service. She served as a court-appointed guardian ad litem, representing children who had been abused or neglected. She also served as a special justice in mental commitment hearings, and a substitute judge in proceedings in Loudoun County’s district courts.
Jennifer took her passion for protecting others to the state Senate, winning a special election in January 2014. In her five years in Richmond, Jennifer passed more than 40 bills while serving in the minority party. She found bipartisan support for legislation that makes our children safer, combats the heroin and opioid epidemic, increases access to affordable healthcare, prepares our children for jobs of the future, eases traffic congestion, and brings more businesses to Northern Virginia.
Jennifer comes to Congress with experience in legislating and a deep understanding of Virginia’s 10th district and the issues that matter most to our region’s families. Rep. Wexton looks forward to working across the aisle in Congress to deliver positive results for the people of Northern Virginia and the United States.
A native of the Washington area, Jennifer graduated with honors from the University of Maryland in College Park, and earned her law degree in 1995 from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She lives in Leesburg with her husband, two sons, and two rescued labrador retrievers.
Personal
Full Name: Jennifer T. Wexton
Gender: Female
Family: Husband: Andrew; 2 Children: Matthew, Jamie
Birth Date: 05/27/1968
Birth Place: Washington, DC
Home City: Leesburg, VA
Source: Vote Smart
Education
BA, University of Maryland, College Park
JD, Law, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, 1995
Offices
Washington, DC Office
1210 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5136
Fax: 202-225-0437
Contact
Email: Government
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Election Results
2022
Wexton was reelected to a third term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee and U.S. Navy veteran Hung Cao, 52.9% to 47.1%.
2020
Wexton was reelected to a second term in 2020, defeating the Republican nominee, former U.S. Marine Aliscia Andrews.
2018
| Jennifer Wexton (D) | 206,356 | 56.7% |
| Barbara J. Comstock (R) | 160,841 | 43.73% |
| Write In (Write-in) | 598 | 0.16% |
| TOTAL | 367,795 |
2015
| Jennifer Wexton (D) | 18,577 | 56.6% |
| Stephen Bartholomew Hollingshead (R) | 14,190 | 43.2% |
| Write in (Write-in) | 59 | 0.2% |
| TOTAL | 32,826 |
2013
| Jennifer Wexton (D) | 11,431 | 52.7% |
| John Carroll Leon Whitbeck, Jr. (R) | 8,133 | 37.5% |
| oe Turner May () | 2,117 | 9.8% |
| Write in (Write-in) | 4 | |
| TOTAL | 21,685 |
Finances
Source: Open Secrets
Committees
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New Legislation
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
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District
Source: Wikipedia
Virginia’s 10th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is currently represented by Democrat Jennifer Wexton, who was first elected in 2018.
The district includes all of Rappahannock County, Fauquier County, and Loudoun County, parts of Fairfax County and Prince William County, as well as the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. The district closely matches Virginia’s voting patterns in statewide races with nearly identical margins as the final statewide results.
Beginning when it was re-created in 1952, the 10th district was in Republican hands for 60 of 66 years, including long stints in office by Joel Broyhill (1953–74) and Frank Wolf (1981–2014). Barbara Comstock, a former aide to Wolf, succeeded him after the 2014 election. Wexton defeated Comstock in the 2018 midterms, becoming only the second Democrat to win it.
The modern 10th congressional district was formed in 1952. For the next two decades, it consisted of Arlington, Alexandria, and most of Fairfax County. As a result of redistricting following the 1970 census, it lost Alexandria and was pushed westward to take in Loudoun County. Virginia’s 10th congressional district used to be a Republican stronghold, having once voted by double-digit margins for Republican candidates. In 2000, ten-term incumbent Republican Congressman Frank Wolf won over 80% of the vote and did not face a Democratic opponent. Two years later, Wolf defeated his Democratic challenger John Stevens by 43 points. In 2004, President George W. Bush won the district by 11 points. In recent years, the district has become much friendlier to Democrats due to population growth in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. In 2012, Mitt Romney narrowly carried the district by a point, while in 2016, Hillary Clinton won the district by 10 points.
In 2017, Democrats scored major gains in the state legislative elections, leaving Comstock as the only elected Republican above the county level in much of the district. Ralph Northam also easily carried the district in the gubernatorial race. This proved to be a precursor to Comstock’s defeat by Wexton a year later. As of 2022, VA-10 is the third-wealthiest Congressional district in the country, with a median household income of $140,889.
Wikipedia
Jennifer Lynn Wexton (née Tosini, May 27, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the United States representative for Virginia’s 10th congressional district since 2019.[1] The district is anchored in the outer portion of Northern Virginia, and includes all of Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Rappahannock County, parts of Fairfax County and Prince William County, and the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.[citation needed]
A Democrat, Wexton was a member of the Virginia Senate from 2014 to 2019; she represented the 33rd district, which includes parts of Fairfax and Loudoun Counties.
In 2018, Wexton was elected to Congress, defeating Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock with 56% of the vote. She was re-elected in 2020 and 2022. Some commentators have described Wexton as a moderate Democrat. In September 2023, after being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, Wexton announced that she would not seek re-election in 2024.
Early life and education
Wexton is from Leesburg, Virginia. Her father and mother were senior economists at the United States Department of the Treasury and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, respectively.[2]
In 1992, Wexton graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. She then enrolled at the College of William & Mary‘s Law School and received a Juris Doctor in 1995.[2][3] At William & Mary, she was a member of Phi Delta Phi, a legal honor society.[4]
Early career
Wexton was a partner in the Laurel Brigade Law Group.[5] She served as a substitute judge in Loudoun County, Virginia, and from 2001 to 2005 as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney.[6][7]
Wexton successfully prosecuted Clara Jane Schwartz for the murder of her father, Robert Schwartz.[8] She ran for Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney in 2011, narrowly losing to Republican incumbent Jim Plowman.[9][10] She was elected to the Virginia Senate in 2014.[5][7]
Virginia Senate
After Mark Herring, who represented the 33rd district in the Virginia Senate, won the 2013 election for attorney general of Virginia, Wexton declared her candidacy in the special election to fill the seat. The district includes northeastern Loudoun County and northwestern Fairfax County.[9] In the Democratic primary, Wexton defeated Herndon Town Councilor Sheila Olem.[11] In a campaign ad Wexton spoke of her experience defending victims of rape and assault and said she would “fight just as hard against tea party Republicans who would take away a woman’s health care and her right to choose, even in cases of rape and incest.” The Republican Party of Virginia criticized the ad, saying it compared Tea Party activists to rapists; Wexton’s campaign denied the comparison.[12] She faced Republican John Whitbeck and Republican-turned-Independent Joe T. May in the January 2014 special election, and won 53%–38%–10%.[13] She took office on January 24, 2014,[14] and was reelected in the November 2015 general election. After being elected to the United States House of Representatives, Wexton resigned her Virginia Senate seat on January 3, 2019.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018
In April 2017, Wexton announced that she would run in the Democratic primary for the 10th district.[6] Her state senate district included much of the eastern portion of the congressional district, wrapping around Leesburg and Sterling. In June 2018 she won a six-way primary to become the Democratic nominee.[15] She defeated Alison Friedman, Lindsey Davis Stover, Deep Sran, Dan Helmer, Paul Pelletier, and Julia Biggins in the Democratic primary. In the November general election she defeated Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock[16] with 56% of the vote to Comstock’s 44%.[17]
Wexton’s victory meant that a Democrat would represent the 10th district for the first time since 1981.[18] The district had been represented by a Republican in Congress for 60 of the previous 66 years.[19] Wexton’s victory also meant that until the next voting cycle, no Republicans would represent a congressional district in the immediate Washington, D.C. region.[20]
2020
Wexton was reelected to a second term in 2020, defeating the Republican nominee, former U.S. Marine Aliscia Andrews.[21]
2022
Wexton was reelected to a third term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee and U.S. Navy veteran Hung Cao, 53.2% to 46.7%.[22]
Tenure
Shortly after defeating Comstock, Wexton declared her support for D.C. statehood.[23]
Wexton opposed Nancy Pelosi for speaker when running for Congress in 2018,[24] but voted for Pelosi for speaker in 2019.[25]
In May 2019, Wexton called for HUD Secretary Ben Carson‘s resignation after his House testimony that month.[26]
In July 2019, Wexton visited two mosques in Northern Virginia to hear from Muslim residents after President Donald Trump vilified Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar at a campaign rally.[27][28] Later that month, she announced her support for voting to impeach Trump over his request that Ukraine announce an investigation into his political rival Joe Biden.[29][30][31][32] On August 23, 2019, Wexton formed a new congressional caucus to examine and promote agritourism, which she believes could bring economic and social benefits to areas like the Loudoun Valley.[33][34]
In September 2020, Wexton authored the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act of 2020, a bill to require all publicly traded US companies to disclose whether any of their goods or part of their supply chain can be traced to the use of forced labor by ethnic minorities in Chinese internment camps or factories. The act was a companion bill to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which seeks to keep goods made with forced labor of detained ethnic minorities in China out of the US.[35]
During Donald Trump’s presidency, Wexton voted in line with the president’s stated position 6.5% of the time.[36] During the 117th Congress, she voted with President Joe Biden‘s stated position 100% of the time according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[37]
After being diagnosed with progressive supra-nuclear palsy in September 2023, Wexton announced that she would not seek reelection in 2024.[38][39]
On July 25, 2024, Wexton became the first member of the House of Representatives to have a model of her voice generated by artificial intelligence speak for her on the House floor. This also made her the first member of the House of Representatives to use any augmentative and alternative communication device on the House floor. The model said in part, “My battle with progressive Supranuclear palsy, or PSP, has robbed me of my ability to use my full voice and move around in the ways that I used to.”[40]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
- New Democrat Coalition[41]
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Political positions
Some commentators have called Wexton a moderate Democrat.[42][27] She has emphasized her willingness to compromise and work with both Republicans and Democrats.[43]
Crime
On February 9, 2023, Wexton voted to allow the District of Columbia‘s Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 to take effect. This act was a rewrite and modernization of the criminal code and included reductions in the maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking, and robbery.[44][45]
Economy
In a 2019 town hall event, Wexton described herself as a capitalist.[46] In 2020, she supported increasing federal spending on infrastructure improvements and subsidies for the US airline industry, which was hit by decreased travel demand during the coronavirus pandemic. She also supports expanding broadband access, particularly in rural areas.[47]
Guns
Wexton supports a bill to study the utility of credit card transactions as a warning tool for mass shootings. She suggested that “the Second Amendment and gun-violence prevention laws can coexist.”[46]
Health care
Wexton supports a public option for health care, suggesting that it would provide increased competition in areas with fewer private insurance options. She does not support “Medicare for All”, a proposal to create a single-payer healthcare system and eliminate private insurance. She supports granting the federal government the ability to negotiate prescription drug prices.[46]
Wexton supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act and opposes the Trump administration’s efforts to convince the US Supreme Court to invalidate the law. In a 2020 debate, she argued that striking down the ACA would once again allow insurance companies to impose lifetime health care spending limits.[47]
Immigration
Wexton supports expanding the federal seasonal agricultural worker visa program and the H-1B visa program.[47]
Labor rights
Wexton supports making it easier for workers to unionize. She criticized the Trump administration for not enforcing federally mandated workplace protections during the coronavirus pandemic.[47]
LGBT rights
In January 2019, Wexton hung a transgender pride flag outside her office to show her support for the transgender community.[48][49] In February 2021, Wexton tweeted in support of Marie Newman, who has a transgender daughter, after Newman received criticism from Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for hanging a transgender flag outside her office as the House passed the Equality Act.[50]
Electoral history
| Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney | |||||
| November 8, 2011[51] | General | James E. “Jim” Plowman | Republican | 26,050 | 51.83 |
| Jennifer T. Wexton | Democratic | 24,104 | 47.96 | ||
| Write-ins | 101 | 0.20 | |||
| Republican incumbent reelected | |||||
| Virginia Senate, 33rd District | |||||
| January 21, 2014[52] | General Special | Jennifer T. Wexton | Democratic | 11,431 | 52.72 |
| John C. L. Whitbeck, Jr. | Republican | 8,133 | 37.51 | ||
| Joe T. May | Independent | 2,117 | 9.76 | ||
| Write-ins | 3 | 0.01 | |||
| Mark Herring resigned; seat remained Democratic | |||||
| November 3, 2015[53] | General | Jennifer T. Wexton | Democratic | 18,577 | 56.60 |
| Stephen B. Hollingshead | Republican | 14,190 | 43.23 | ||
| Write-ins | 54 | 0.16 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer Wexton | 22,405 | 41.89 | |
| Democratic | Alison Friedman | 12,283 | 22.96 | |
| Democratic | Lindsey Davis Stover | 8,567 | 16.02 | |
| Democratic | Dan Helmer | 6,712 | 12.55 | |
| Democratic | Paul Pelletier | 2,010 | 3.76 | |
| Democratic | Julia Biggins | 1,513 | 2.83 | |
| Total votes | 53,490 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer Wexton | 206,356 | 56.1 | ||
| Republican | Barbara Comstock (incumbent) | 160,841 | 43.7 | ||
| n/a | Write-ins | 598 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 367,795 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer Wexton | 268,734 | 56.5 | +0.4 | |
| Republican | Aliscia Andrews | 206,253 | 43.4 | −0.3 | |
| Write-in | 559 | 0.1 | −0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 475,546 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer Wexton (incumbent) | 157,405 | 53.15% | −3.35% | |
| Republican | Hung Cao | 138,163 | 46.65% | +3.25% | |
| Write-in | 577 | 0.19% | +.09% | ||
| Total votes | 296,145 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Personal life
Wexton married Andrew Wexton in 2001.[2] They have two sons.[11] Wexton is an aunt of a transgender child.[49]
In April 2023, Wexton announced that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. In September of that year, she announced that her diagnosis had been changed to progressive supranuclear palsy, which is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease at early stages.[38][58] The condition has affected Wexton’s mobility, her hearing, and her ability to speak. As of 2023, there is no treatment and no cure for progressive supranuclear palsy.[59] In May 2024, Wexton started using a text to speech app for delivering her speeches on the floor of the House.[60]
See also
References
- ^ “Congresswoman displays transgender pride flag outside office – CBS News”. www.cbsnews.com. January 5, 2019.
- ^ a b c “WEDDINGS; Jennifer Tosini, Andrew Wexton”. The New York Times. May 27, 2001. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ “Report of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law 1997-1998”. William & Mary Law School. 1998. p. 72. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2014.
- ^ “Jennifer L. Tosini”. Phi Delta Phi. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ^ a b Marcia Coyle (November 8, 2018). “How Many Women Lawyers Were Elected in the Midterms? Quite a Few”. The National Law Journal. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ a b Portnoy, Jenna (April 20, 2017). “Democrat Jennifer Wexton says she will challenge Rep. Barbara Comstock”. The Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ a b “Virginia New Members 2019”. The Hill. November 15, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ Echtenkamp, Jon (October 15, 2002). “Fantasy, reality collide at murder trial”. Fairfax Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Gibson, Caitlin (November 13, 2013). “Leesburg attorney Jennifer Wexton announces bid for Herring’s Senate seat”. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ Gibson, Caitlin (November 9, 2011). “Incumbents fare well in many Northern Va. races, but Loudoun is an exception”. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ a b Baratko, Trevor (November 24, 2013). “Wexton wins Democratic primary to replace Herring in Virginia Senate”. Loudoun Times-Mirror. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ^ Gibson, Caitlin (January 9, 2014). “Va. GOP takes offense at Wexton’s state Senate campaign ad”. The Washington Post.
- ^ Baratko, Trevor (January 21, 2014). “Jennifer Wexton wins Virginia Senate special election to succeed Mark Herring”. Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ “Democrat Wexton joins Senate – Richmond Times-Dispatch: Local Government & Politics”. Timesdispatch.com. May 15, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ^ Portnoy, Jenna (June 12, 2018). “State Sen. Jennifer Wexton wins the Democratic race to run against Rep. Comstock”. The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ Portnoy, Jenna (November 6, 2018). “Democrat Jennifer T. Wexton defeats Rep. Barbara Comstock, turning a GOP stronghold district in Virginia blue”. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ “Virginia – Full House results”. cnn.com. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ “Wexton unseats Comstock in Virginia’s 10th District”. WTOP News. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ Wilkie, Christina (November 7, 2018). “Good early sign for Democrats: Jennifer Wexton unseats GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock in Virginia: NBC News”. CNBC. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ “Wexton Wins House Seat In Virginia As D.C. ‘Burbs Go Blue”. WAMU. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ “Rep. Jennifer Wexton holds off Andrews to win second term”. Insidenova. November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ “Democrat Jennifer Wexton wins Virginia’s 10th Congressional District race”. WRIC.com. November 9, 2022. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Delgadillo, Natalie (November 8, 2018). “Virginia’s Jennifer Wexton Comes Out In Support Of D.C. Statehood”. WAMU. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Perticone, Joe (October 29, 2019). “Opposition to Trump is making the DC suburbs finally turn blue”. Business Insider. Insider Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Laslo, Matt (November 20, 2018). “New Virginia Democrats Deciding on House Speaker”. WVTF. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Golgowski, Nina (May 23, 2019). “Lawmaker Urges Ben Carson To Resign After Disastrous House Testimony”. HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ a b Gambino, Lauren (July 20, 2019). “The moderate squad: swing-state Democrats wary of leftward path”. The Guardian. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ “Following Trump’s racist tweets, Rep. Jennifer Wexton visits Northern Va. mosques”. WDVM 25. July 19, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Portnoy, Jenna (July 30, 2019). “Rep. Wexton, Del. Holmes Norton call for an impeachment inquiry against Trump”. Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ “A new flood of Democrats call for impeachment proceedings, but does it matter?”. CBS News. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ McPherson, Lindsey (August 1, 2019). “Support for Impeachment Inquiry Grows in the House”. Roll Call. FiscalNote. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Fandos, Nicholas (August 13, 2019). “Impeachment tracker: How many Democrats are calling for an impeachment inquiry into Trump?”. The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Ouellette, Nathan (August 23, 2019). “Congress’ new caucus: Wexton gives agritourism a voice”. Roll Call. FiscalNote. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Cline, Nathaniel (August 26, 2019). “Rep. Wexton launches Congressional Agritourism Caucus, tours rural businesses”. Loudoun Times. Virginia News Group. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ “Congress seeks to block goods from China over forced labor”. Associated Press. September 22, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Silver, Nate. “Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump – Jennifer Wexton”. FiveThirtyEight. ABC News. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). “Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?”. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ a b Portnoy, Jenna (September 18, 2023). “Rep. Jennifer Wexton will not seek reelection as diagnosis changes”. The Washington Post. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ Zanona, Melanie (September 18, 2023). “Jennifer Wexton will not seek reelection, citing health concerns”. CNN.
- ^ Gainor, Danya (July 25, 2024). “Wexton makes history as first member to use AI voice on House floor | CNN Politics”. CNN.
- ^ “Leadership | New Democrat Coalition”. New Democrat Coalition. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ Pope, Michael (June 13, 2018). “Democrats Didn’t Always Pick The Most Progressive Candidate And That Might Help Them In November”. WVTF. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Barakat, Matthew (June 1, 2018). “Race to take on Comstock focuses on resume, not ideology”. Associated Press. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Minock, Nick (March 6, 2023). “Va. AG slams Spanberger, Wexton, Beyer and Connolly for approving DC criminal code bill”. WJLA.
- ^ “House votes to overturn DC criminal code and voting laws”. AP News. February 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c Palermo, Jill (February 11, 2020). “A town hall divided: Speakers reflect political chasm splitting Virginia voters”. Prince William Times. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Olivo, Antonio. “Jennifer Wexton, Aliscia Andrews spar over immigration, health care during debate in blue-leaning Virginia congressional district”. The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Martinez, Gina (January 5, 2019). “Rep. Jennifer Wexton Hangs Transgender Pride Flag Outside Her Capitol Hill Office”. Time. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ a b “Transgender pride flag hung in Congress by Rep. Jennifer Wexton”. NBC News. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ “Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Twitter attack on congresswoman’s transgender daughter draws outrage”. Los Angeles Times. February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ “Election Results – Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney – Nov11 General Election”. Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
- ^ “Special General Election – January 28, 2014”. Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- ^ “General Election – November 3, 2015”. Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ “2018 June Democratic Primary”. Results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ^ “Official Results, 2018 November General”. Virginia Department of Elections. November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ “2020 November General”. Results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ^ “2022 November General”. Results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ Wong, Scott (September 18, 2023). “Rep. Jennifer Wexton won’t seek reelection after new diagnosis: ‘I’m heartbroken’“. NBC News. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ “Coping with “Parkinson’s on steroids,” Virginia Rep. Jennifer Wexton navigates exhausting and gridlocked Congress – CBS News”. www.cbsnews.com. November 18, 2023.
- ^ “Rep. Jennifer Wexton uses voice app to address House after degenerative condition diagnosis”. May 7, 2024.
External links
- Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia’s 10th congressional district | ||
|---|---|---|
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| People | |
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| Other | |
Politics
Recent Elections
2022
Wexton was reelected to a third term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee and U.S. Navy veteran Hung Cao, 52.9% to 47.1%.
2020
Wexton was reelected to a second term in 2020, defeating the Republican nominee, former U.S. Marine Aliscia Andrews.
2018
| Jennifer Wexton (D) | 206,356 | 56.7% |
| Barbara J. Comstock (R) | 160,841 | 43.73% |
| Write In (Write-in) | 598 | 0.16% |
| TOTAL | 367,795 |
2015
| Jennifer Wexton (D) | 18,577 | 56.6% |
| Stephen Bartholomew Hollingshead (R) | 14,190 | 43.2% |
| Write in (Write-in) | 59 | 0.2% |
| TOTAL | 32,826 |
2013
| Jennifer Wexton (D) | 11,431 | 52.7% |
| John Carroll Leon Whitbeck, Jr. (R) | 8,133 | 37.5% |
| oe Turner May () | 2,117 | 9.8% |
| Write in (Write-in) | 4 | |
| TOTAL | 21,685 |
Finances
WEXTON, JENNIFER T has run in 4 races for public office, winning 4 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $11,444,470.
Source: Follow the Money
Committees
House Committee on Appropriations
Representative Wexton serves on the House Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful committees in Congress.
The Committee oversees 12 spending bills that fund most of the functions of the federal government.
Wexton serves on the Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies and the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch.
House Committee on the Budget
Representative Wexton serves on the House Committee on the Budget. The Committee’s chief responsibility is to draft an annual concurrent resolution on the budget that provides a Congressional framework for spending and revenue levels, the federal surplus or deficit, and public debt. The budget resolution can contain reconciliation instructions directing authorizing committees to change laws in their jurisdiction to change revenues or mandatory spending levels. The resolution also can include mechanisms that aid in enforcing budget procedures in general or for particular purposes. In drafting the budget resolution, the Committee examines the President’s annual budget request, as well as economic and fiscal projections from the Congressional Budget Office. The Committee also has jurisdiction over budget process laws and tracks the budgetary effects of legislative action.
Congressional-Executive Commission on China
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China was created by Congress in October 2000 with the legislative mandate to monitor human rights and the development of the rule of law in China, and to submit an annual report to the President and the Congress. The Commission consists of nine Senators, nine Members of the House of Representatives, and five senior Administration officials appointed by the President.
Caucuses
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Voting Record
See: Vote Smart. and Government page
Legislation
H.R.1414 – FinCEN Improvement Act of 2019
Issues
Source: Campaign page
In Congress, Jennifer has worked to make health care more affordable for our families, keep our kids safe from gun violence, and has fought to protect the interests of federal workers and contractors in our region.
Democracy & Governance
Voting Rights
The right to vote is one of the most basic tenets of our democracy, and Jennifer believes that we need to make it easier, not harder, for people to vote. In the State Senate, she sponsored and voted for legislation to end gerrymandering, allow easier access to the polls, expand absentee voting options, and add more options for the acceptable forms of voter identification. Jennifer has kept her promise to uphold these values while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In Congress, Jennifer has fought against attempts to suppress access to the ballot box. She has remained in opposition to voter suppression tactics by Republicans and has consistently spoken out against the Republican myth of extensive voter fraud. Instead, she has focused on expanding access. To restore the strength of the Voting Rights Act and combat voter discrimination, Jennifer voted to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act in 2019 to help ensure that every American has fair and equal access to the ballot box.
Jennifer believes that securing America’s elections is protecting America’s democracy. In Congress, she voted to pass the Securing America’s Federal Elections (SAFE) Act of 2019, an election security bill that aimed to help update our nation’s voting systems and bring American election security into the 21st century. In response to Russian-sponsored hacking of America’s 2016 election cycle, Jennifer remains an adamant supporter of sanctioning Russia for its interference and taking active measures to dissuade future attempts to tamper with our electoral process.
Jennifer is committed to remaining an advocate in Congress for ending racial and partisan gerrymandering, expanding early voting, making Election Day a federal holiday, and reforming our broken campaign finance system that benefits special interests at the expense of normal citizens.
Economy & Jobs
Jobs and the Economy
Jennifer believes we need to create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.
In the State Senate, she voted in favor of several measures that would raise the minimum wage, and introduced legislation that would ensure women doing the same job as men receive equal pay and employment benefits. She also introduced legislation that would have established Paid Medical Leave in Virginia.
As a member of the Financial Services committee, Jennifer has been at the forefront of Congressional economic policy, holding the Trump administration and Wall Street accountable to the American people.
Workforce Development and Equality
Jennifer believes that making investments in our workforce is a key to growing our economy. As our state and our nation evolve from an industrial to a technology-based economy, our workers must be prepared for the jobs of the future, not those of the past. Jennifer supports increased investments in career and vocational training, and retraining for those who have been displaced from the workforce.
Too often, wages have not kept pace with costs and the increased use of low-bid or unrealistic contracts has resulted in an American workforce doing more work for less pay. Jennifer supports increasing wages and salaries, establishing paid family and medical leave programs nationwide, revitalizing America’s middle-class, protecting and expanding workers’ rights, making affordable housing more accessible to Americans, reining in Wall Street, and supporting America’s small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Equal pay for equal work is a critical aspect of Jennifer’s ideal economy. She was proud to vote in favor of the Paycheck Fairness Act to strengthen and close loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act and help ensure women are being paid fairly for their work.
Jennifer remains a strong advocate for the more than 35,000 federal employees in her district. She was a vocal fighter for the inclusion of paid parental leave for all federal employees in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. She also voted for the measure and was proud to have her amendment to support military intelligence members transition into jobs in the public sector included and passed with the final legislation.
Fueling Our Economy through the COVID-19 Crisis
As the nation faces new challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, Jennifer has continued in fighting for these economic priorities. In voting to pass the bipartisan CARES Act, she helped ensure wage, salary, and benefit security for more than two million air industry workers, $339.8 billion for state and local funding, $3.5 billion for child care assistance for frontline workers and billions more to boost other key parts of our economy, such as small businesses and public schools. Jennifer also voted for the bipartisan HEROES Act, funding our public health response and providing economic assistance for American families. It aims to provide $12 billion in state funding for the people of Virginia, in addition to over $1 billion in urgently needed funding for localities in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. During this time, Jennifer stands with labor and in the fight to ensure worker protection through personal protective equipment allocation, hazard pay, and proper leave allowances.
As an advocate for the 13,447 small businesses in her district, Jennifer spent many days calling small businesses owners during the COVID-19 crisis and sent hundreds of loan and grant support letters for those businesses to the Small Business Administration. After passage of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), she raised the alarm to the SBA regarding the uneven and problematic disbursement of PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. When the Trump administration failed to publicly disclose information over the $500 million loan disbursements, Jennifer called for and helped secure more transparency and accountability from the Treasury and SBA. She understands her responsibility to small businesses and has remained in constant contact with lending institutions to ensure adequate assistance is provided.
Education & Health Care
Healthcare
Jennifer believes that access to affordable health care is a right for all Americans and has made health care her top priority in Congress. She feels that Congress needs to stop playing politics with Americans’ access to care and work for bipartisan solutions to problems within our current healthcare system.
In Virginia, she has been a champion for mental health reform and combating the heroin and opioid crisis. She has been a passionate advocate for a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions and to more easily access reproductive, family planning, and contraception services. While in the State Senate, she fought alongside her fellow Democrats to expand Medicaid to more than 400,000 hardworking Virginians and bring over $10 billion back to Virginia’s economy. She continues the fight for Virginia’s access to health care in Congress.
Prescription Drug Prices
In Congress, Jennifer has continued to fight to lower the cost of prescription drugs and level the playing field for American patients who are paying more for their medicines than patients in other countries. Jennifer was proud to vote in 2019 for the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act in pursuit of this mission and to place a cap on Americans’ annual out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs.
Jennifer works tirelessly to uphold her promise to protect healthcare for Virginians. In Congress, she supports common sense legislation to lower healthcare and prescription drug costs. She voted in favor of the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act, which included three bills to lower prescription drug costs by helping lower-priced generic drugs get to market faster.
Fair Insurance Practices
Jennifer believes that Congress needs to protect coverage for those with preexisting conditions, eliminate lifetime caps, and ensure that access to insurance is equitable in our society. Fair access to healthcare includes its affordability. Jennifer was proud to sponsor the Health Savings For Families Act of 2019 to give families flexibility in saving money for health care. The bipartisan bill focused on allowing couples to save and spend in a personalized way that was most affordable and easy for them.
While supporting important legislation that helps lower healthcare and prescription drug costs, Jennifer has worked to further expand these protections for Americans. Jennifer’s first amendment to the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act added findings in the bill’s text to fight against the expansion of the sale and marketing of junk insurance plans which weaken protections for the millions of Americans with pre-existing health conditions and for families who have children with complex medical needs or disabilities. Her other amendment examined health insurance enrollment and the cost of coverage on the individual market. This bill included four measures to reinforce protections for people with pre-existing conditions and expand enrollment in quality, affordable coverage to more Americans.
Adolescent and Child Mental Health
Jennifer has continuously prioritized the mental and emotional health of Americans. In Congress, she proudly has led a push for additional federal funding that will improve the pipeline for school-based mental health professionals. These resources and expanded support would help combat bullying and suicide rates among our youth.
Protecting the Affordable Care Act and Strengthening Medicare and Medicaid
A vocal advocate against President Trump’s lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), on her first day in Congress Jennifer joined her colleagues in authorizing the general counsel of the House of Representatives to enter the legal battle over the ACA. She believes that repealing the ACA could result in over 20 million Americans losing healthcare coverage. In defense against this devastation, she voted and helped pass a House resolution condemning the Trump Administration’s legal campaign to take away Americans’ healthcare and vocalized support for the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019.
Jennifer has continuously worked to close major gaps in Medicaid coverage, including those for beneficiaries living in nursing facilities. As the sponsor of the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) Modernization Act, Jennifer fought to align the PNA with today’s economic realities and protect as well as expand the financial freedoms of our seniors and disabled Americans.
Education
Jennifer is a proud product of public education from elementary through law school, and both her children attend Loudoun County Public Schools. She believes strongly that every American deserves a high-quality public education from their first day of pre-k to their college graduation.
In the state Senate, Jennifer was a strong advocate for education priorities. Her initiatives included eliminating unnecessary standardized tests, modernizing school teaching, and opposing Republican efforts to take away local control of schools. She passed legislation to stem the school-to-prison pipeline through alternatives to long-term and short-term suspensions, which disproportionately affect minorities and students with disabilities.
Jennifer’s state Senate priorities, including higher education loan refinancing and efforts in sexual violence prevention and survivor advocacy, have not ceased in her Congressional work.
In Congress, Jennifer is a tireless advocate for improving educational access and resources from pre-K to college. In her first year in Congress, she supported record base funding for Title I schools, Head Start, and the Child Care and Development Block Grants. She believes we need to reduce the student-to-provider ratios within school systems; that’s why she is a cosponsor of the Student Support Act which would provide $100 million in grants to states to hire school social workers, psychologists, and counselors.
An avid defender of making higher education more affordable, Jennifer believes that Congress must support student loan borrowers. From her seat on the Financial Services committee, she has advocated on behalf of borrowers to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in order to ensure they are providing proper protections from predatory lenders. She has also fought to improve federal student financial aid programs, consolidate federal student loans, expand loan forgiveness, and increase accountability measures through the College Affordability Act.
Affordability is a barrier to higher education that Jennifer works to combat in Congress. In 2020, she introduced the bipartisan Yellow Ribbon for Overseas Education Act to remove barriers that prohibit student veterans from using the Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon Program to attend overseas colleges and universities.
Jennifer knows how vital education is to the success of our community. Through raising teachers’ pay and benefits, promoting more STEM courses and careers, incentivizing career and technical training, and fighting for adequate public school funding, Congress can create a more equitable and beneficial education system for our communities and help grow our economies.
Heroin and Opioid Crisis
The heroin and opioid epidemic has ravaged Virginia and our nation, as the number of deaths caused by drug overdoses now far exceeds deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents and by firearms each year.
As a State Senator, Jennifer served on the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse, and worked to change how doctors prescribe opioids, as well as to improve access to treatment for addiction and overdoses. She patroned and passed bills to improve Virginia’s prescription monitoring program, helped get the lifesaving overdose-reversal drug Narcan into the hands of more people, and allowed Child Protective Services to help substance-exposed newborns and their mothers gain access to more resources to get and stay clean. She also supported and advocated for Drug Courts, Virginia’s Good Samaritan law, and laws that allow police and prosecutors to pursue charges against predatory drug dealers.
In Congress, Jennifer has continued to work to secure funding for substance use prevention and treatment, to stem the overprescribing of dangerous opioids, and to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable healthcare, including treatment services.
Jennifer has been fighting hard in Congress as an advocate for addiction prevention and recovery efforts. She is a founding member of the bipartisan Freshmen Working Group on Addiction and focuses on legislation that is aimed at saving lives. In July 2019, she introduced, and passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, the bipartisan Expanding Findings for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment (EFFORT) Act. This bill was widely supported by the scientific community studying addiction and would direct the National Science Foundation to expand research on opioid addiction. Jennifer understands that addiction is an illness that impacts too many families in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. She is working in Congress to listen and learn from her constituents and move toward productive and concrete actions to stop the cycle of addiction.
Energy & Environment
Jennifer believes we need to be good stewards of the environment and that we must protect our land, air, and water for our children and future generations. Climate change and sea level rise are real threats to Virginia and our nation, and Jennifer knows we must take active steps to address them. From the state Senate to Congress, she has been a strong advocate for renewable energy and our environment.
As a strong defender of the environment, Jennifer takes pride in earning numerous awards from major environmental groups, including the
“Environmental Freedom” Award from Sierra Club Virginia and the “Legislative Hero” Award from the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. She is honored to hold an endorsement from the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund.
In Congress, Jennifer continues to protect the public’s health and safety through prioritizing pro-environment legislation and her work on the Science, Space, and Technology committee.
Climate
In Congress, Jennifer has and will continue to stand firm against climate threats. She has been vocal in her support of the scientific evidence laid out in the Fourth National Climate Assessment, which displays the dire, man-made consequences facing our nation. Taking action, Jennifer co-sponsored and voted to pass the Climate Action Now Act to fight the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and advocate for the nation to move toward meeting important greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.
Protecting Public Health and Environmental Health
Jennifer recognizes the direct correlation between safe environmental standards and protecting public health. To protect our students and teachers, she has cosponsored legislation to closely test the drinking water in schools and day care facilities for lead. Jennifer also was proud to be a cosponsor of the 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019 that aimed to set a national goal of reducing greenhouse gas pollution and improving our nation’s air quality.
Waterways and Offshore Drilling
Jennifer voted in favor of federal legislation to protect public health through the removal of harmful chemicals in our waterways and ensuring our drinking water safety is closely regulated. She has also helped pass bills in the House of Representatives to block dangerous offshore drilling efforts and protect Virginia coastlines, as well as those around the nation, from oil and gas development. Her efforts have included placing pressure, in coordination with the Virginia House delegation, on the U.S. Department of the Interior to be continuously attentive to Virginia’s coastline needs.
Transportation and Infrastructure
Jennifer knows traffic and transportation are major concerns across Northern Virginia. She has a long history of focusing on transportation solutions.
As a member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Jennifer worked to bring resources to her district to relieve congestion, fix problems with Metro, and advocate for smart growth in Loudoun and Fairfax counties. In the State Senate, she introduced legislation that would give localities more control over, and funding for transportation projects in their jurisdictions. She opposed tolls on I-66 and repeatedly carried legislation to reduce the tolls on the Dulles Greenway.
In Congress, her focus on relieving transportation congestion has remained a priority.
Infrastructure Investment
Jennifer knows that America needs to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. She supports a full-scale investment in new green infrastructure that will create millions of good paying jobs.
She believes this investment should include updating and expanding our roads, bridges, public transit, airports, and rail lines. She believes Congress should also invest in infrastructure that will help build a clean energy future, expand the availability of high-speed broadband, and fix and modernize our electric grid and water systems.
In 2019, Jennifer not only voted to pass the Save the Internet Act, a bipartisan bill to restore net neutrality protections, but she also included an amendment to prioritize universal broadband access. In order to expand access to high speed broadband internet for her district and others, this amendment demanded better data collection on what providers are servicing which areas, in order to display who has access and who does not.
WMATA and Metro
Jennifer believes, “A world-class transit system will encourage job creation, reduce congestion and pollution, and promote equity in Northern Virginia.”
A strong advocate for VA-10, in 2019 Jennifer brought her district-specific transportation and infrastructure priorities to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In her letter, Jennifer stressed VA-10 as a hub of the region whose transportation improvement would help spur smart growth across all of Northern Virginia and greater Washington D.C. Her priorities included dedicated federal funding for WMATA, reauthorizing and increasing funds for the Federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, I-81, U.S. Route 15, and U.S. Route 11 improvements, as well as construction of the Northern Collector Road for U.S. Route 50.
Working with her National Capital House Congressional Delegation colleagues, Jennifer also supported the reintroduction of the Metro Accountability and Investment Act that would reauthorize federal investment and funds to the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and bring safe, reliable, and operating cost efficient standards and maintenance to Metro.
Jennifer succeeded in fully funding the WMATA at $150 million by including the demand in two bipartisan minibus appropriations packages passed to avoid a government shutdown ahead of Fiscal Year 2020.
Global Affairs
Human Rights
Disability Rights
Jennifer is a staunch advocate for people with disabilities. She believes that America has major strides to make to become more inclusive for people with disabilities and that Congress has a duty to move forward in this mission.
In the State Senate, Jennifer passed legislation that closed a loophole and extended parental support for severely disabled and special-needs children over age eighteen, giving relief to single parents. She also created a law that stemmed the school-to-prison pipeline, which disproportionately impacts children with disabilities, by implementing alternatives to suspension. She fought for increased funding for Intellectual Disabilities (ID)/Developmental Disability (DD) Waiver slots to shrink waiting lists, the implementation of a more inclusive environment for students with disabilities, expanded state and local employment opportunities for those with disabilities, a focus on patient-centered, community-based centers and housing options, and Medicaid expansion to cover our most vulnerable Virginians.
In Congress, Jennifer has been a strong defender of the the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Social Security Disability Insurance Program. She is dedicated to expanding educational and employment opportunities for people with disabilities and protecting funding for Medicaid and other affordable healthcare programs.
In 2019, Jennifer introduced the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) Modernization Act to support our seniors and disabled Americans. This legislation would double the federal floor of the PNA and align its value with today’s economic realities.
She has made protecting children and students with disabilities needs a top priority in Congress. She successfully amended the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act, calling attention to the negative impact short-term and junk plans have on children with complex medical needs. She’s been fighting for access to education by supporting the IDEA Full Funding Act, which would gradually increase IDEA spending to cover 40 percent of the average per pupil cost of special education.
Jennifer has also fought to keep disability rights at the forefront of major budget conversations and decisions. In response to Trump’s fiscal year 2021 budget, she was a vocal opponent of nearly $1 trillion cut from Medicaid and ACA subsidies which would jeopardize health care for millions of Americans. Jennifer will not stand to see funds vital for protecting disability rights lost in the federal budget.
LGBTQ Rights
Jennifer has worked hard to promote fairness and equal opportunity for all Virginians, including our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
In the General Assembly, she repeatedly championed legislation to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, and cosponsored legislation that would prohibit discrimination in public employment. She also supported bills that would remove the same-sex marriage ban in the Virginia Constitution, expand Virginia’s hate crimes statute to include the LGBTQ community, end conversion therapy, and allow localities and school boards to establish their own non-discrimination policies. She opposed harmful Republican legislation that would have allowed government officials to refuse to marry same-sex couples, establish a Virginia version of the “bathroom bill,” and numerous other attempts to treat the LGBTQ community as second-class citizens.
A proud member of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus and the Transgender Equality Task Force, Jennifer continues to be a strong advocate for the LGBTQ community. She supports legislation in Congress to expand anti-discrimination statutes, fight against bullying of LGBTQ youth, and other initiatives to make our country more inclusive and equal for everyone. In 2019, Jennifer voted to pass the Equality Act that would provide full protections guaranteed by the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 to LGBTQ Americans.
She also introduced the Ensuring Equal Access to Shelter Act. This legislation served to ensure access to shelter for transgender Americans by blocking a discriminatory rule proposed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that would allow shelters and programs to discriminate against transgender people seeking access to housing.
Jennifer voted in favor of House Resolution 124 to reject the Trump-Pence Administration’s transgender military ban and remains committed to stand up for equal rights on all fronts.
Women’s Rights
Jennifer is a strong advocate for women’s rights. She believes women’s health care decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor, and has continuously fought to keep government out of those decisions. In the State Senate, Jennifer fought against the Republicans’ undue restrictions on abortion, championing legislation that would remove unconstitutional barriers to access like unnecessary waiting periods and TRAP laws targeting women’s health clinics.
In the State Senate, Jennifer created several new laws that have expanded women’s rights in Virginia. She wrote and passed a law that finally gave mothers the right to breastfeed in public. She created a landmark law that allows victims of revenge porn and surreptitious photos to sue their perpetrator for damages, and sponsored a bill to ensure women must not only receive equal pay but also equal benefits without being fired for asking about salaries.
Jennifer supported Virginia’s efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in the U.S. Constitution while in the State Senate, and in Congress she urged her Virginia colleagues to hold a vote on the subject. She was also an advocate in Congress and voted to pass a House Resolution to eliminate the deadline for ratification. Jennfier was overjoyed to see Virginia’s General Assembly finally succeed in ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment in January 2020, and to serve as Speaker pro Tempore during floor debate on the ERA extension on the House floor.
In Congress, Jennifer continues to be a true advocate for women. She supports legislation that expands women’s access to quality, affordable healthcare, family planning services, and contraception, establishes paid family and medical leave programs, ends violence against women, and promotes women’s involvement in STEM and political fields.
In 2019, she fought for women’s financial security and voted to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act in the House of Representatives, legislation that would strengthen and close loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act, including providing remedies for women who are not being paid equal pay for equal work. Jennifer continues to advocate for eliminating the wage gap that hurts women and their families across our country and disproportionately impacts women of color.
Jennifer is proud to have the support of leading women’s advocacy groups such as EMILY’s List, NARAL, National Organization for Women, and Planned Parenthood. She was humbled in 2019 to also receive the annual Hope Award from Calvary Women’s Services for her decades of work to end domestic violence.
Public Safety
Criminal Justice Reform
The criminal justice system is not always fair or just. As a former prosecutor, substitute judge, legal advocate for children, and as a legislator, Jennifer has seen this all too clearly. One example: Virginia led the nation in prosecuting kids criminally for even minor incidents that take place in our schools. That’s why she passed legislation in the state legislature to promote alternatives to suspension, including positive behavior incentives, mediation, peer-to-peer counseling, community service, and other intervention alternatives so that we’re sending fewer of our children into the school-to-prison pipeline.
During her time as a prosecutor and defense attorney, she saw first-hand the disparate application of justice toward Black Americans and the deep need for a response of concrete legislative action. She believes our nation should be able to provide justice while also correcting injustices that plague our criminal justice system and lead to mass incarceration. That’s why she is a proud co-sponsor of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. This legislation aims to make sweeping reforms to address discriminatory and excessive policing practices.
Congress should make our system more effective, efficient, and equitable for all. Jennifer supports reforming mandatory minimums, ending use of for-profit private prisons, working with localities and states to promote community policing, supporting reentry programs and voting rights restoration, supporting drug, mental health and veterans courts, and decriminalizing possession of marijuana.
Gun Violence Prevention
Jennifer is a strong advocate for gun violence prevention and has consistently fought for common sense legislation to keep our communities safe while also respecting the rights of responsible gun owners.
In the State Senate, she championed and voted for bills that would establish universal background checks and close the gun show loophole, ban bump stocks, mandate the reporting of lost and stolen firearms, and keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers and those convicted of stalking. She also fought against legislation that would loosen restrictions on who can obtain concealed carry permits.
In Congress, Jennifer continues to support legislation that expands mandatory background checks on gun purchases, closes loopholes that allow criminals to purchase firearms, establishes a ban on sales of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and allows the federal government to study gun violence as a public health issue.
Jennifer believes that there must be swift action to address gun violence in the United States. She was a proud cosponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 and in response to the tragic 2019 mass shooting in Virginia Beach, Jennifer introduced the Empowering Law Enforcement for Safer Firearm Transfers Act. The legislation aimed to enable law enforcement to block the sale or transfer of any weapon regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA), including silencers, an accessory used in the Virginia Beach shooting.
Taking a historic first step in pursuit of a bold gun safety agenda, Jennifer voted to pass the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. The legislation works to end the epidemic of gun violence that has terrorized our schools, our places of worship, and countless other public spaces.
To identify and report suspicious or illegal financial activity related to firearms, Jennifer introduced the Gun Violence Prevention Through Financial Intelligence Act, an Everytown for Gun Safety supported piece of legislation. The bill embodies her pursuit of using financial intelligence as an effective tool to combat gun violence in America.
She is proud to be endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety and Giffords.
Immigration
America is a nation of immigrants, and Jennifer’s family is among those who came here seeking freedom, safety, and opportunity. Rather than working together to find bipartisan policies that will improve our immigration system, the President and Congressional Republicans continue to promote fear-mongering tactics, like raids and roundups, against immigrants.
As State Senator, Jennifer consistently voted against and spoke out against Republican attempts to stigmatize immigrants, including their anti-Sharia legislation, the so-called “sanctuary cities” bills, and legislation that would have required Virginia to track and report on the location of refugees who resettle here.
Jennifer believes Congress needs to pass comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for immigrant families, protects DREAMers and their futures, prioritizes the deportation of violent criminals over status offenders, shuts down inhumane private detention centers, and ensures money that this administration would spend on building a wall instead be spent on securing and modernizing our borders and defending national security.
In Congress, Jennifer has advocated to protect Dreamers and ensure a fair pathway to citizenship. She voted to pass the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would offer a path to citizenship for up to 2.5 million immigrants who have spent much of their lives in the United States.
Protecting our Children
Keeping Virginia’s children safe has always been a top priority for Jennifer, from her time as a prosecutor and court-appointed legal advocate for children, to her role as a State Senator, and as a member of Congress.
In the State Senate, Jennifer passed legislation that made it easier for local law enforcement to prosecute child predators both online and in our communities. She also wrote a new law that required daycares and assisted living facilities in Virginia to use fingerprint-based background checks on their employees when they are being hired, making daycares safer by ensuring criminals are less likely to slip through the screening process.
In Congress, Jennifer continues to promote policies that keep our children safe, which includes keeping guns out of our schools, reducing children’s access to firearms, and ensuring safe health standards in daycare and education facilities, as well as protecting children from acts of domestic violence.
Supporting our Veterans
From her time in the State Senate, on the Board of Veterans Services, and in Congress, Jennifer has fought for Virginia’s veterans and their families. In the state Senate, Jennifer supported measures that increase resources for mental health services for active duty and retired military, expanded veteran entrepreneurship programs, eradicated veteran homelessness in Virginia, made it easier for service members to vote overseas, and lowered tuition and fees while expanding veterans’ resources on community college campuses.
Jennifer believes we should never send our men and women into war without ensuring the care and resources they and their families need is in place when they return home. In Congress, Jennifer continues to be an advocate for our active duty military, veterans, and their families. She supports establishing veterans courts across the country, expanding access to healthcare and mental health services, fully funding and reforming the VA, and providing college, training, and workforce development programs so our veterans and their spouses can obtain good paying jobs.
Taking action, Jennifer introduced the bipartisan Yellow Ribbon for Overseas Education Act, which would remove barriers that prohibit student veterans from using the Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon Program to attend overseas colleges and universities. She also cosponsored the Veterans Treatment Court Coordination Act to establish a program within the Department of Justice to provide grants, training, and technical assistance to help state, local, and tribal governments develop and maintain veterans treatment courts.
Advocating on behalf of veterans and their families, Jennifer voted for the bipartisan Veterans’ Access to Child Care Act which would make the VA’s Child Care Pilot Program permanent and expand the program so veterans have a convenient, cost-free child care option during VA medical appointments.
See Also
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Wikipedia
Jennifer Lynn Wexton (née Tosini, May 27, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the United States representative for Virginia’s 10th congressional district since 2019.[1] The district is anchored in the outer portion of Northern Virginia, and includes all of Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Rappahannock County, parts of Fairfax County and Prince William County, and the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.[citation needed]
A Democrat, Wexton was a member of the Virginia Senate from 2014 to 2019; she represented the 33rd district, which includes parts of Fairfax and Loudoun Counties.
In 2018, Wexton was elected to Congress, defeating Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock with 56% of the vote. She was re-elected in 2020 and 2022. Some commentators have described Wexton as a moderate Democrat. In September 2023, after being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, Wexton announced that she would not seek re-election in 2024.
Early life and education
Wexton is from Leesburg, Virginia. Her father and mother were senior economists at the United States Department of the Treasury and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, respectively.[2]
In 1992, Wexton graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. She then enrolled at the College of William & Mary‘s Law School and received a Juris Doctor in 1995.[2][3] At William & Mary, she was a member of Phi Delta Phi, a legal honor society.[4]
Early career
Wexton was a partner in the Laurel Brigade Law Group.[5] She served as a substitute judge in Loudoun County, Virginia, and from 2001 to 2005 as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney.[6][7]
Wexton successfully prosecuted Clara Jane Schwartz for the murder of her father, Robert Schwartz.[8] She ran for Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney in 2011, narrowly losing to Republican incumbent Jim Plowman.[9][10] She was elected to the Virginia Senate in 2014.[5][7]
Virginia Senate
After Mark Herring, who represented the 33rd district in the Virginia Senate, won the 2013 election for attorney general of Virginia, Wexton declared her candidacy in the special election to fill the seat. The district includes northeastern Loudoun County and northwestern Fairfax County.[9] In the Democratic primary, Wexton defeated Herndon Town Councilor Sheila Olem.[11] In a campaign ad Wexton spoke of her experience defending victims of rape and assault and said she would “fight just as hard against tea party Republicans who would take away a woman’s health care and her right to choose, even in cases of rape and incest.” The Republican Party of Virginia criticized the ad, saying it compared Tea Party activists to rapists; Wexton’s campaign denied the comparison.[12] She faced Republican John Whitbeck and Republican-turned-Independent Joe T. May in the January 2014 special election, and won 53%–38%–10%.[13] She took office on January 24, 2014,[14] and was reelected in the November 2015 general election. After being elected to the United States House of Representatives, Wexton resigned her Virginia Senate seat on January 3, 2019.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018
In April 2017, Wexton announced that she would run in the Democratic primary for the 10th district.[6] Her state senate district included much of the eastern portion of the congressional district, wrapping around Leesburg and Sterling. In June 2018 she won a six-way primary to become the Democratic nominee.[15] She defeated Alison Friedman, Lindsey Davis Stover, Deep Sran, Dan Helmer, Paul Pelletier, and Julia Biggins in the Democratic primary. In the November general election she defeated Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock[16] with 56% of the vote to Comstock’s 44%.[17]
Wexton’s victory meant that a Democrat would represent the 10th district for the first time since 1981.[18] The district had been represented by a Republican in Congress for 60 of the previous 66 years.[19] Wexton’s victory also meant that until the next voting cycle, no Republicans would represent a congressional district in the immediate Washington, D.C. region.[20]
2020
Wexton was reelected to a second term in 2020, defeating the Republican nominee, former U.S. Marine Aliscia Andrews.[21]
2022
Wexton was reelected to a third term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee and U.S. Navy veteran Hung Cao, 53.2% to 46.7%.[22]
Tenure
Shortly after defeating Comstock, Wexton declared her support for D.C. statehood.[23]
Wexton opposed Nancy Pelosi for speaker when running for Congress in 2018,[24] but voted for Pelosi for speaker in 2019.[25]
In May 2019, Wexton called for HUD Secretary Ben Carson‘s resignation after his House testimony that month.[26]
In July 2019, Wexton visited two mosques in Northern Virginia to hear from Muslim residents after President Donald Trump vilified Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar at a campaign rally.[27][28] Later that month, she announced her support for voting to impeach Trump over his request that Ukraine announce an investigation into his political rival Joe Biden.[29][30][31][32] On August 23, 2019, Wexton formed a new congressional caucus to examine and promote agritourism, which she believes could bring economic and social benefits to areas like the Loudoun Valley.[33][34]
In September 2020, Wexton authored the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act of 2020, a bill to require all publicly traded US companies to disclose whether any of their goods or part of their supply chain can be traced to the use of forced labor by ethnic minorities in Chinese internment camps or factories. The act was a companion bill to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which seeks to keep goods made with forced labor of detained ethnic minorities in China out of the US.[35]
During Donald Trump’s presidency, Wexton voted in line with the president’s stated position 6.5% of the time.[36] During the 117th Congress, she voted with President Joe Biden‘s stated position 100% of the time according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[37]
After being diagnosed with progressive supra-nuclear palsy in September 2023, Wexton announced that she would not seek reelection in 2024.[38][39]
On July 25, 2024, Wexton became the first member of the House of Representatives to have a model of her voice generated by artificial intelligence speak for her on the House floor. This also made her the first member of the House of Representatives to use any augmentative and alternative communication device on the House floor. The model said in part, “My battle with progressive Supranuclear palsy, or PSP, has robbed me of my ability to use my full voice and move around in the ways that I used to.”[40]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
- New Democrat Coalition[41]
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Political positions
Some commentators have called Wexton a moderate Democrat.[42][27] She has emphasized her willingness to compromise and work with both Republicans and Democrats.[43]
Crime
On February 9, 2023, Wexton voted to allow the District of Columbia‘s Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 to take effect. This act was a rewrite and modernization of the criminal code and included reductions in the maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking, and robbery.[44][45]
Economy
In a 2019 town hall event, Wexton described herself as a capitalist.[46] In 2020, she supported increasing federal spending on infrastructure improvements and subsidies for the US airline industry, which was hit by decreased travel demand during the coronavirus pandemic. She also supports expanding broadband access, particularly in rural areas.[47]
Guns
Wexton supports a bill to study the utility of credit card transactions as a warning tool for mass shootings. She suggested that “the Second Amendment and gun-violence prevention laws can coexist.”[46]
Health care
Wexton supports a public option for health care, suggesting that it would provide increased competition in areas with fewer private insurance options. She does not support “Medicare for All”, a proposal to create a single-payer healthcare system and eliminate private insurance. She supports granting the federal government the ability to negotiate prescription drug prices.[46]
Wexton supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act and opposes the Trump administration’s efforts to convince the US Supreme Court to invalidate the law. In a 2020 debate, she argued that striking down the ACA would once again allow insurance companies to impose lifetime health care spending limits.[47]
Immigration
Wexton supports expanding the federal seasonal agricultural worker visa program and the H-1B visa program.[47]
Labor rights
Wexton supports making it easier for workers to unionize. She criticized the Trump administration for not enforcing federally mandated workplace protections during the coronavirus pandemic.[47]
LGBT rights
In January 2019, Wexton hung a transgender pride flag outside her office to show her support for the transgender community.[48][49] In February 2021, Wexton tweeted in support of Marie Newman, who has a transgender daughter, after Newman received criticism from Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for hanging a transgender flag outside her office as the House passed the Equality Act.[50]
Electoral history
| Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney | |||||
| November 8, 2011[51] | General | James E. “Jim” Plowman | Republican | 26,050 | 51.83 |
| Jennifer T. Wexton | Democratic | 24,104 | 47.96 | ||
| Write-ins | 101 | 0.20 | |||
| Republican incumbent reelected | |||||
| Virginia Senate, 33rd District | |||||
| January 21, 2014[52] | General Special | Jennifer T. Wexton | Democratic | 11,431 | 52.72 |
| John C. L. Whitbeck, Jr. | Republican | 8,133 | 37.51 | ||
| Joe T. May | Independent | 2,117 | 9.76 | ||
| Write-ins | 3 | 0.01 | |||
| Mark Herring resigned; seat remained Democratic | |||||
| November 3, 2015[53] | General | Jennifer T. Wexton | Democratic | 18,577 | 56.60 |
| Stephen B. Hollingshead | Republican | 14,190 | 43.23 | ||
| Write-ins | 54 | 0.16 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer Wexton | 22,405 | 41.89 | |
| Democratic | Alison Friedman | 12,283 | 22.96 | |
| Democratic | Lindsey Davis Stover | 8,567 | 16.02 | |
| Democratic | Dan Helmer | 6,712 | 12.55 | |
| Democratic | Paul Pelletier | 2,010 | 3.76 | |
| Democratic | Julia Biggins | 1,513 | 2.83 | |
| Total votes | 53,490 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer Wexton | 206,356 | 56.1 | ||
| Republican | Barbara Comstock (incumbent) | 160,841 | 43.7 | ||
| n/a | Write-ins | 598 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 367,795 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer Wexton | 268,734 | 56.5 | +0.4 | |
| Republican | Aliscia Andrews | 206,253 | 43.4 | −0.3 | |
| Write-in | 559 | 0.1 | −0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 475,546 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer Wexton (incumbent) | 157,405 | 53.15% | −3.35% | |
| Republican | Hung Cao | 138,163 | 46.65% | +3.25% | |
| Write-in | 577 | 0.19% | +.09% | ||
| Total votes | 296,145 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Personal life
Wexton married Andrew Wexton in 2001.[2] They have two sons.[11] Wexton is an aunt of a transgender child.[49]
In April 2023, Wexton announced that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. In September of that year, she announced that her diagnosis had been changed to progressive supranuclear palsy, which is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease at early stages.[38][58] The condition has affected Wexton’s mobility, her hearing, and her ability to speak. As of 2023, there is no treatment and no cure for progressive supranuclear palsy.[59] In May 2024, Wexton started using a text to speech app for delivering her speeches on the floor of the House.[60]
See also
References
- ^ “Congresswoman displays transgender pride flag outside office – CBS News”. www.cbsnews.com. January 5, 2019.
- ^ a b c “WEDDINGS; Jennifer Tosini, Andrew Wexton”. The New York Times. May 27, 2001. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ “Report of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law 1997-1998”. William & Mary Law School. 1998. p. 72. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2014.
- ^ “Jennifer L. Tosini”. Phi Delta Phi. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ^ a b Marcia Coyle (November 8, 2018). “How Many Women Lawyers Were Elected in the Midterms? Quite a Few”. The National Law Journal. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ a b Portnoy, Jenna (April 20, 2017). “Democrat Jennifer Wexton says she will challenge Rep. Barbara Comstock”. The Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ a b “Virginia New Members 2019”. The Hill. November 15, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ Echtenkamp, Jon (October 15, 2002). “Fantasy, reality collide at murder trial”. Fairfax Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Gibson, Caitlin (November 13, 2013). “Leesburg attorney Jennifer Wexton announces bid for Herring’s Senate seat”. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ Gibson, Caitlin (November 9, 2011). “Incumbents fare well in many Northern Va. races, but Loudoun is an exception”. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ a b Baratko, Trevor (November 24, 2013). “Wexton wins Democratic primary to replace Herring in Virginia Senate”. Loudoun Times-Mirror. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ^ Gibson, Caitlin (January 9, 2014). “Va. GOP takes offense at Wexton’s state Senate campaign ad”. The Washington Post.
- ^ Baratko, Trevor (January 21, 2014). “Jennifer Wexton wins Virginia Senate special election to succeed Mark Herring”. Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ “Democrat Wexton joins Senate – Richmond Times-Dispatch: Local Government & Politics”. Timesdispatch.com. May 15, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ^ Portnoy, Jenna (June 12, 2018). “State Sen. Jennifer Wexton wins the Democratic race to run against Rep. Comstock”. The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ Portnoy, Jenna (November 6, 2018). “Democrat Jennifer T. Wexton defeats Rep. Barbara Comstock, turning a GOP stronghold district in Virginia blue”. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ “Virginia – Full House results”. cnn.com. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ “Wexton unseats Comstock in Virginia’s 10th District”. WTOP News. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ Wilkie, Christina (November 7, 2018). “Good early sign for Democrats: Jennifer Wexton unseats GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock in Virginia: NBC News”. CNBC. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ “Wexton Wins House Seat In Virginia As D.C. ‘Burbs Go Blue”. WAMU. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ “Rep. Jennifer Wexton holds off Andrews to win second term”. Insidenova. November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ “Democrat Jennifer Wexton wins Virginia’s 10th Congressional District race”. WRIC.com. November 9, 2022. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Delgadillo, Natalie (November 8, 2018). “Virginia’s Jennifer Wexton Comes Out In Support Of D.C. Statehood”. WAMU. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Perticone, Joe (October 29, 2019). “Opposition to Trump is making the DC suburbs finally turn blue”. Business Insider. Insider Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Laslo, Matt (November 20, 2018). “New Virginia Democrats Deciding on House Speaker”. WVTF. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Golgowski, Nina (May 23, 2019). “Lawmaker Urges Ben Carson To Resign After Disastrous House Testimony”. HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ a b Gambino, Lauren (July 20, 2019). “The moderate squad: swing-state Democrats wary of leftward path”. The Guardian. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ “Following Trump’s racist tweets, Rep. Jennifer Wexton visits Northern Va. mosques”. WDVM 25. July 19, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Portnoy, Jenna (July 30, 2019). “Rep. Wexton, Del. Holmes Norton call for an impeachment inquiry against Trump”. Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ “A new flood of Democrats call for impeachment proceedings, but does it matter?”. CBS News. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ McPherson, Lindsey (August 1, 2019). “Support for Impeachment Inquiry Grows in the House”. Roll Call. FiscalNote. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Fandos, Nicholas (August 13, 2019). “Impeachment tracker: How many Democrats are calling for an impeachment inquiry into Trump?”. The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Ouellette, Nathan (August 23, 2019). “Congress’ new caucus: Wexton gives agritourism a voice”. Roll Call. FiscalNote. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Cline, Nathaniel (August 26, 2019). “Rep. Wexton launches Congressional Agritourism Caucus, tours rural businesses”. Loudoun Times. Virginia News Group. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ “Congress seeks to block goods from China over forced labor”. Associated Press. September 22, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Silver, Nate. “Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump – Jennifer Wexton”. FiveThirtyEight. ABC News. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). “Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?”. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ a b Portnoy, Jenna (September 18, 2023). “Rep. Jennifer Wexton will not seek reelection as diagnosis changes”. The Washington Post. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ Zanona, Melanie (September 18, 2023). “Jennifer Wexton will not seek reelection, citing health concerns”. CNN.
- ^ Gainor, Danya (July 25, 2024). “Wexton makes history as first member to use AI voice on House floor | CNN Politics”. CNN.
- ^ “Leadership | New Democrat Coalition”. New Democrat Coalition. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ Pope, Michael (June 13, 2018). “Democrats Didn’t Always Pick The Most Progressive Candidate And That Might Help Them In November”. WVTF. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Barakat, Matthew (June 1, 2018). “Race to take on Comstock focuses on resume, not ideology”. Associated Press. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Minock, Nick (March 6, 2023). “Va. AG slams Spanberger, Wexton, Beyer and Connolly for approving DC criminal code bill”. WJLA.
- ^ “House votes to overturn DC criminal code and voting laws”. AP News. February 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c Palermo, Jill (February 11, 2020). “A town hall divided: Speakers reflect political chasm splitting Virginia voters”. Prince William Times. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Olivo, Antonio. “Jennifer Wexton, Aliscia Andrews spar over immigration, health care during debate in blue-leaning Virginia congressional district”. The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Martinez, Gina (January 5, 2019). “Rep. Jennifer Wexton Hangs Transgender Pride Flag Outside Her Capitol Hill Office”. Time. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ a b “Transgender pride flag hung in Congress by Rep. Jennifer Wexton”. NBC News. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ “Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Twitter attack on congresswoman’s transgender daughter draws outrage”. Los Angeles Times. February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ “Election Results – Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney – Nov11 General Election”. Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
- ^ “Special General Election – January 28, 2014”. Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- ^ “General Election – November 3, 2015”. Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ “2018 June Democratic Primary”. Results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ^ “Official Results, 2018 November General”. Virginia Department of Elections. November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ “2020 November General”. Results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ^ “2022 November General”. Results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ Wong, Scott (September 18, 2023). “Rep. Jennifer Wexton won’t seek reelection after new diagnosis: ‘I’m heartbroken’“. NBC News. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ “Coping with “Parkinson’s on steroids,” Virginia Rep. Jennifer Wexton navigates exhausting and gridlocked Congress – CBS News”. www.cbsnews.com. November 18, 2023.
- ^ “Rep. Jennifer Wexton uses voice app to address House after degenerative condition diagnosis”. May 7, 2024.
External links
- Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia’s 10th congressional district | ||
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