Southside VA News

John Stirrup is one of seven candidates endorsed by the American Federation for Children to win a primary on June 20 for a statewide seat in Virginia. He will run for a seat to represent District 21 on the Nov. 7 ballot.

I’m honored to be your Republican nominee for Delegate to go Richmond to get real results for Prince William County. Thank you to the voters for their faith in our message, to all our supporters and volunteers, and to my family and especially my wife Heidi," Stirrup wrote in a June 20 Facebook post. "Now the real work begins, it’s going to take all of us to win this race in November. This campaign isn’t about me, it’s about tearing down the brick wall of obstruction in Richmond to fight for Gov. Youngkin’s agenda of better jobs, excellence in education, reducing crime, and putting parents back in charge of their children’s education. Thank you, tonight we celebrate, and tomorrow we get back to work to ensure a victory for common sense in November.

“It’s happening,” school choice activist Corey DeAngelis tweeted after the Virginia primaries were held on June 20, according to Old Dominion News. He joined the American Federation for Children in celebrating the seven out of eight total candidates endorsed by the AFC that won in the state’s primary election and will be on the November 2023 general election ballot for positions in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. The seven candidates included Stirrup as well as Emily Brewer (SD17), Tara Durant (SD27), Wren Williams (HD47), Lee Peters (HD65), Mark Earley (HD73) and Mike Dillender (HD84).

Stirrup has previously served as Gainesville District Supervisor in Virginia as well as the chief of staff for a member of Congress, according to Ballotpedia. He previously ran for Virginia state senate in 2011, but was beaten by Richard Black (R). He will run against Democrat Joshua Thomas in the November election.

An AFC press release celebrated the news, congratulating the winners and the growing focus of the state and residents on the issue of school choice for their families and students. “The VFC PAC invested more than $300,000 in state races to support school choice proponents during the 2023 primary,” according to the press release.

The American Federation for Children is an organization that fights for school choice rights for all families at the state and federal level. “When funding for education follows students to the school of their choice, families win,” according to the organization's website. “We believe all parents should have a wide range of high-quality educational options to choose from, regardless of income.”

According to EdChoice.org, Virginia has varying types of options for school choice available to K-12 students. They have intradistrict school choice, allowing families to transfer within their district, and also offers a private school scholarship program. This scholarship is open to families earning less than 300% of the federal poverty line, or students of special needs. The program allocates only $25 million annually to students, an average of $2,918 per student scholarship, which equals about 23 percent of the normal per pupil state spending.

“The education establishment in Virginia has fought the ability for parents to select the best education options for their children, but parents made their wishes clear again at the ballot box this week,” AFC National Director of Government Affairs Ryan Cantrell said, according to the press release. “The victories tonight are just the first step in bringing true school choice to Virginia, and parents are well-positioned to elect a school choice majority in both chambers in November’s general election.”