Makayla Venable, the Democrat running for the House of Delegates seat representing Staunton, Waynesboro and parts of Augusta County and Rockbridge County, gets the obvious question asked of her all the time.
Wouldn’t it just be easier to be a Democrat somewhere else?
The writer here – I ran for a seat on Waynesboro City Council way back in 2008, and lost in a landslide – feels her pain.
“Here’s the truth: this community raised me,” said Venable, who is challenging the MAGA Republican incumbent, Ellen Campbell, in the election in the 36th District in the 2025 election cycle.
Early voting begins Sept. 19; Election Day is Nov. 4.
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“From my schooling to my first jobs, to watching my friends grow into nurses, lawyers, parents and teachers, this place has shaped who I am,” said Venable, adding: “I want the best for our area, because I know what it’s given me. And I also know we haven’t always had leaders who fight for us the way we deserve. That’s my ‘why.’ This is my home. I’m not running away from it – I’m running for it.”
The 36th went 58.6 percent for Donald Trump in 2024, so, it’s on the outer edge of being nominally competitive.
We’re still waiting for Democrats in Richmond to help Venable mount a viable challenge – I’m being facetious there; Richmond Democrats don’t pay attention to us out here in the hinterlands.
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Which is frustrating, because the economics out here suggest that we could make some inroads – the median annual household income in the 36th is $64,000, lagging 20 percent behind the U.S. average, and 30 percent behind the statewide average.
Translation: we have more people who would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage, who will be adversely affected by the trillions that MAGAs cut from Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP, who are more likely to have issues with the increasing unaffordability of housing.
It’s Republicans like Ellen Campbell who vote lockstep with Trump and the MAGAs in favor of cuts to the social safety net, who block wage increases, who back policies that treat people who are unhoused like they are criminals.
This area would benefit from having an actual working- and middle-class champion representing them in Richmond.
Give Makayla Venable credit: she’s trying.
She wrote on her Facebook page this week about attending a local Chamber of Commerce meeting in which the MAGA cuts in the Big Ugly Bill that Trump signed into law on July 4 were being discussed.
“I showed up and listened,” Venable wrote, lobbing criticism at Ben Cline, now the Sixth District congressman, who until 2018 represented what is now the 36th District in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Cline has been under fire since the beginning of the year for not scheduling a single town hall to have to hear directly from people in the Sixth District about how the policies he is helping push through Congress – like the Big Ugly Bill – are making their lives more difficult.
ICYMI
- The Medicaid cuts aren’t an other people problem: They impact us all
- Augusta Health on the brink? Hospital makes plea to save Medicaid
“I heard Augusta Health and many others explain how devastating these cuts would be for us right here at home. Our hospitals, our nursing homes, and our families can’t afford to lose critical resources while costs keep climbing,” Venable wrote.
“That’s the difference: I show up, I listen, and I take to heart what our community is saying. He dodges town halls and brushes off the truth,” Venable wrote. “This isn’t about partisan talking points – it’s about honesty. It’s about whether the people elected to represent us will actually fight for healthcare access or play political games with our lives.
“Let’s be clear: when someone votes to gut programs that protect seniors, working families, and our most vulnerable, that’s not just a ‘difference of opinion. That’s a betrayal of the people they swore to represent,” Venable wrote.
I wrote above about how the 36th was a 58 percent Trump district last year.
Which means, we only need to get roughly 5,000 people who voted MAGA in 2024, and now realize the mistake they made, to flip, and shock the world.
If it’s possible, maybe our gal Makayla Venable can make it happen.
“People always tell me, ‘Makayla, you’re everywhere!’ And if you follow my socials, you know they aren’t lying – I’m in churches, fairs, neighborhoods, businesses, you name it,” Venable said.
“The wild part,” she continued, “is when folks say, ‘I was already going to vote for you, but if I wasn’t, I would just because you show up.’ Now don’t get me wrong – that makes me happy. But wow, the bar is on the floor if just showing up is the game-changer.
“I’ll take it, though, because while the standard might be low, the stakes for our community are high. And I plan on doing way more than just showing up.”
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Chris Graham
