Will Hammer has qualified for November’s Virginia House District 20 ballot. Hammer, the Libertarian candidate who ran against Representative Bob Goodlatte (VA-6) last year, is facing incumbent Delegate Dickie Bell, a Republican. The Virginia State Board of Elections confirmed that Hammer qualified for the ballot and that he will be Bell’s only opponent this election, as the Democrats did not nominate a candidate.
Hammer had to get 125 confirmed signatures of qualified voters in the 20th VA House District by June 9.
Last year, Hammer had to turn in 1,000 confirmed signatures for his federal race, but he noted that even though the state race required far less signatures, it actually felt harder because the district is much smaller and more gerrymandered.
“Getting signatures and talking to people in order to find out which district they voted in, I found that the vast majority of people, who actually vote, didn’t know their district number; understandable, but almost as many people didn’t even know their own delegate,” Hammer said. “Gerrymandering was already an issue that I was running against, but it has become very clear to me that it’s going to be a focal point for my campaign as it allows politicians to elect their voters not the other way around and it protects incumbents.”
Hammer had a strong showing for a third-party candidate last year, especially in Staunton and Waynesboro, earning 19.5% and 17.9%, respectively. He hopes to carry that momentum to this year’s election: “This campaign is the perfect opportunity to give someone with different ideas a chance in Richmond.”
Hammer added, “The only special interest I will serve is you, the people. Unlike my opponent, I am not accepting donations from corporations. When elected, I will bring unprecedented transparency and legislation access to my constituents.”
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