"Build the Bench" Touts "Historic Number of Democrats" - Including Women, Candidates of Color - Running for Virginia Hou
RICHMOND, Va. — Build the Bench — a coalition of Virginia-based and national organizations dedicated to identifying, training, and supporting a diverse pipeline of Democratic and progressive leaders to run for office in Virginia — has announced that, as of the June 17 deadline, Democrats have filed and are approved to run in a historic number of House of Delegates seats.
“As Democrats, we need to run everywhere, and for the first time in modern history we have Democratic nominees in 99 out of 100 House of Delegates districts, and one more pending approval,” said Audra Archuleta, spokesperson for Build the Bench. “Hardworking people in every corner of the commonwealth are concerned about the cost of living, especially when it comes to health care, and these candidates will fight to build a strong middle class. To be clear, this recruitment effort was not due to one single person or organization, but rather was driven by the collaboration of many groups, volunteers, local party chairs, and grassroots leaders. We are ready to stand with these candidates to make sure they have the training and support they need to run strong campaigns and make an impact in their communities.”
The diverse line-up of qualified candidates will help achieve a more reflective democracy, which is a top priority for Build the Bench. Notably:
- There is a Democratic woman nominee in 30 of the 49 seats (61%) currently held by a Republican.
- Democratic candidates of color are nominated to run in 14 seats (28%) of those 49 Republican-held seats, including 10 women of color.
https://bluevirginia.us/2025/06/build-the-bench-touts-historic-number-of-democrats-including-women-candidates-of-color-running-for-virginia-house-of-delegates