DuhH5a82 Senator Louise Lucas Reviews
Senator l louise lucas has a lot on her plate these days. In addition to her legislative duties, she is engaged in a bruising Democratic primary against longtime colleague Lionell Spruill. The race comes after redistricting shifted the two into the same district, which covers most of Portsmouth and Chesapeake.
She is a strong advocate for education
A Portsmouth native, Lucas studied vocational-industrial education and urban affairs at Norfolk State University, graduating with a BS in 1971 and an MA in 1982. She went on to become the first female shipfitter at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and later served as its Federal Women’s Program manager and an Equal Employment Opportunity officer. She is also a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus’s Military and Veteran Affairs Task Force.
During her time in the Senate, she has helped draft legislation on topics such as voting rights restoration and reducing gun purchases. She has also advocated for expansion of health care and regulation of casino gaming for Virginians.
This week, she took to social media to attack fellow Democrats in the upper chamber, accusing them of supporting her primary opponent Lionell Spruill to block her from leading a key committee. The pair are locked in a Democratic primary for the newly drawn 18th District, which covers parts of Hampton Roads and Chesapeake.
She is a strong supporter of gambling
Louise Lucas, who sponsored a bill to legalize casinos in Virginia, has received more money from companies involved in the gambling industry this election cycle than any other Senate candidate. She is a strong supporter of the Rivers Portsmouth casino that opened in her hometown in January and has said that the city benefits from it. Lucas has also advocated for raising teacher pay and is seeking to reduce the statewide teacher shortage.
Her clashes with Norment and other members of the upper chamber are a sharp break from the seemingly genteel operations of the state Senate, where senators follow strict protocol even during fiercely partisan debates. She alleged that these colleagues from Northern Virginia don’t want to give her a seat on the powerful finance committee, if she is reelected. Subscribers to LegiStorm Pro can see the legislative office that Lucas holds, as well as all of the committees she sits on. Click here to learn more about LegiStorm Pro and get a free trial.
She is a strong supporter of women
A veteran legislator, Lucas represents southeastern Virginia’s 18th District in the Senate. She has worked on issues ranging from voter rights restoration to reducing firearm purchases to regulating casino gambling. She has also advocated for expanding health care options for residents in her area.
Throughout her campaign, Lucas has portrayed herself as a fighter, urging voters to support her over Lionell Spruill. She has worn boxing gloves in her ads and vowed to defend reproductive rights. She also promised to focus on schools and career technical education.
Lucas said she feels she has been a victim of political payback and is tired of the petty insults that have marred her career in the Senate. She said she has complained to Saslaw and the Democratic caucus chairman, Sen. Donald McEachin, but they have been unable to help her.
She described a profane verbal clash with Norment three years ago in a private lounge just off the ornate Senate floor and recalled a physical fight that nearly broke out in another anteroom. She also cited Youngkin’s gaffe in mistaking her for another Black senator during a floor speech for Black History Month.
She is a strong supporter of veterans
Having grown up in Portsmouth, Virginia, L. Louise Lucas is a strong supporter of veterans and other working families in the area. She has been a member of the Virginia State Senate since 1992, representing District 18. She is a leading advocate on issues such as women’s rights, reducing gun trafficking, and regulating casino gambling. She has also championed education, boosting teacher pay, and the promotion of vocational-industrial training.
She says her short-lived alliance with the Republicans had nothing to do with who was appointed to the high court, but with long-simmering grievances that party leaders have passed over black senators for committee posts and taken their votes for granted. She cites an incident three years ago in which she and another senator engaged in a profane verbal fight in a private lounge just off the ornate Senate floor.
During the campaign, Lucas played up her image as a fighter, appearing with boxing gloves in her ads. She and Spruill are facing each other in the Democratic primary, which is one of only two in which current members of the same chamber are running against each other.