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Virginia House of Delegates
Joshua Cole
House of Delegates — District 65
Democrat
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
0
/ 100
F
Raw: 0 of 30 dynamic max
· 15 of 49 answered
State tier49 of 50 rubric questions apply at this office level — federal-only questions are marked N/A and excluded from the dynamic max. How tier grading works →
Last verified: · from claim evidence
✝ God First
0/ 70
🏛️ State First
0/ 30
National Rank
#5,850 of 9,024 · bottom 35.2% among candidates with at least one scored answer
See the full rankings →Contact This Official
Reach out directly. Your voice matters. Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
Next Election
November 2, 2027
General · Seat up at next election
— until
Registration deadline: 2026-10-13
Early voting: 2026-09-18 – 2026-10-31
State elections office: (804) 864-8901
Voter status: Check registration
State elections site: Virginia Department of Elections
Official Profile
Religion: Christian; clergy — assistant pastor, Union Bell Baptist Church (BA, Liberty University)
Education: Liberty University (attended 3 years)
Birthplace: Washington, D.C. (grew up in Stafford)
Background: VA House of Delegates, District 65 (Fredericksburg area); served 2020-2022 and since 2024; re-elected Nov 2025. Baptist pastor; first Black person elected from the Fredericksburg region to the General Assembly. Publicly identifies as bisexual.
X / Twitter: @JCole4VA
VA Delegate, HD-65 (Fredericksburg area); Baptist pastor; re-elected Nov 2025. [2026-06 RESOLUTE refinement, state tier] Uniformly progressive HARD record and an active LEADER of the measures most opposed by this rubric: CHIEF SPONSOR of the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment (HJR1; A+/'Champion' from ReproRising) and CHIEF SPONSOR of the same-sex-marriage constitutional amendment (HJ3; he is himself bisexual). Led automatic voter registration + felon-voting-rights restoration. Gun-control endorsed (Giffords: voted for safe-storage + universal background checks). Supported pro-transgender school policy; opposes book 'bans.' No conservative deviations found. Confirms the prior 0/70 read. (Note: this record was de-duplicated 2026-06 — a second 'joshua-g-cole' HD-65 record was merged in.)
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
FALSE (0)[1]
1 claim
As part of the unanimous Virginia House Democratic caucus, voted YES on HJR 1 (Virginia Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment) on January 14, 2025 — a 51-48 party-line vote in which all 51 Democrats supported constitutionalizing abortion as a fundamental right — and again voted YES on second passage in January 2026 (64-34, all 64 Democrats YES), placing the amendment on the November 2026 ballot.
- BallotpediaCenter
- BallotpediaCenter
Candidate has voted for or sponsored state legislation moving toward abortion abolition (e.g., heartbeat ban, total ban) — not merely restrictions
FALSE (0)[2]
Candidate opposes state funding for embryonic stem-cell research and supports state IVF embryo-protection laws
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes state physician-assisted suicide laws and opposes state Medicaid death-panel rationing
Not yet verified
FEC / state campaign-finance search found no abortion-industry PAC contributions for state-legislative or statewide-office campaigns (as of the cited search date)
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
FALSE (0)[3]
Candidate opposes state recognition of same-sex marriage / civil unions / domestic partnerships, and supports state non-recognition resolutions where federally permitted
FALSE (0)[3]
1 claim
Voted YES on HJR 9 (2025 session, first passage) and HJR 3 (January 14, 2026, second passage, 67-31 with all 64 House Democrats voting YES along with 3 Republicans) to repeal Virginia's constitutional same-sex marriage ban and replace it with a mandate recognizing marriages without regard to sex or gender, advancing the amendment to the November 2026 ballot.
- BallotpediaCenter
- BallotpediaCenter
Candidate has voted for state legislation affirming biological sex (bathroom/locker access, sports participation, minor gender-procedure bans)
FALSE (0)[4]
Candidate supports state no-fault divorce reform and pro-marriage policy (covenant marriage option, waiting periods, etc.)
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes promotion of LGBTQ+ identity in state-funded schools, state agencies, and state corporate-partnership programs
FALSE (0)[4]
Candidate has voted for state school-choice (vouchers, ESAs, charter expansion) and supports state homeschool freedom statutes
FALSE (0)[4]
Candidate has voted for state law requiring parental notification + consent on minors' medical, mental-health, and gender interventions (incl. school counseling referrals)
FALSE (0)[4]
Candidate has voted for state law restricting CRT/SOGI/comprehensive-sex-ed/gender-ideology curricula in K-12
FALSE (0)[4]
Candidate has voted for state age-verification laws on pornographic content and state criminal penalties for sexualizing minors
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state RFRA-style protections for faith-based adoption + foster agencies; opposes state-mandated SS-couple placement
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state conscience-exemption laws (state RFRA, medical-professional carve-outs, business-owner protections)
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes state-level pronoun mandates + state 'hate speech' laws restricting Christian conviction
Not yet verified
Candidate supports state public-square Christian display protections + state legislative prayer + state Sunday-closure laws
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes state-funded promotion of non-Christian religious displays/curricula/holidays in state institutions
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state law protecting cash as legal tender, opposing state-level CBDC pilot programs, and protecting crypto-as-property status
Not yet verified
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
N/A · out of tier
Candidate has voted for state balanced-budget compliance + opposed state borrowing for non-capital expenditures
FALSE (0)[4]
Candidate has voted for state usury caps + state predatory-lending protections + state charitable-deduction parity
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state pension/treasury divestment from ESG-aligned funds (e.g., BlackRock) + state anti-monopoly enforcement against financial cartels
Not yet verified
Candidate (state SoS/legislature) has voted for state hand-count requirements / opposed electronic voting machines
Not yet verified
Candidate (state SoS/legislature) has voted for state photo voter ID + citizenship verification at registration
FALSE (0)[3]
Candidate has voted to restrict state early-voting windows + tighten state absentee qualifications to verified medical/military
FALSE (0)[3]
Candidate has voted against state mass mail-in voting expansion, against state drop-box deployment, and against legalizing ballot harvesting
FALSE (0)[3]
Candidate (state SoS/legislature) has voted to ban state acceptance of private election grants ('Zuckerbucks') + state penalties for foreign interference
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted for state-funded border-security measures (e.g., TX Operation Lone Star analog, AZ wall expansion)
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted for state laws requiring local cooperation with ICE deportation enforcement
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted to preempt or punish sanctuary-city policies + ban state cities from declaring sanctuary status
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted for state E-Verify mandate (beyond federal floor) for state employers + state-benefit eligibility verification
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted to restrict foreign ownership of state farmland (e.g., China-buyer prohibitions)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports constitutional carry without permit requirements
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted against state red-flag laws, mag-capacity limits, AWBs, and registries (or voted to repeal where enacted)
FALSE (0)[5]
1 claim
Virginia Citizens Defense League records confirm Virginia House Democrats voted unanimously for all gun-control legislation in recent sessions. Cole voted YES on HB 217 (February 5, 2026, 58-34) — the 2026 'assault firearms' ban banning purchase, sale, transfer, and possession of commonly owned semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns, and limiting magazine capacity — part of the broader Democrat-driven 2026 anti-gun package (NRA-ILA, March 15 2026).
- nraila.orgUnclassified
- nraila.orgUnclassified
Candidate (state) has voted for state constitutional-carry statute
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted against state universal-background-check schemes
FALSE (0)[5]
Candidate (state) has voted to enact / strengthen state Castle Doctrine + stand-your-ground statute
Not yet verified
Candidate has publicly backed law enforcement and opposed defunding/dismantling police
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes cashless-bail, soft-on-crime, and rogue-prosecutor (e.g. Soros-DA) policy
Not yet verified
Candidate supports victim restitution and proportional punishment of evildoers
Not yet verified
Candidate refuses to treat violent crime as a "public health" excuse to avoid punishment
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms the magistrate's God-ordained duty to bear the sword (Rom. 13:4)
Not yet verified
Official has voted for or sponsored 10th-Amendment nullification or anti-commandeering measures
Not yet verified
Official has declined unconstitutional federal mandates or federal strings on the state
Not yet verified
Official has resisted federal overreach on guns, life, education, or religious liberty
Not yet verified
Official affirms state sovereignty against unconstitutional federal action
Not yet verified
Official has opposed federal capture of state elections, data, or land
Not yet verified
Sources & Evidence
5 Left1 Lean Left3 Center6 Right6 Official4 Reference7 Other
reprorisingva.org/team/nicole-cole/Left Advocacy
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
Progressive Voters GuideLeft Advocacy
Fredericksburg Free PressLocal News
vahousedems.org/candidates/nicole-cole/Left Advocacy
www.nicolecole.com/Advocacy
Vote Smart — Voting RecordReference
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/Right Advocacy
www.vcdl.org/Right Advocacy
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/house-of-delegates-v...Right Advocacy
www.vcdl.org/voting-recordsRight Advocacy
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2...Right Advocacy
freedomindex.us/va/Right Advocacy
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_G._ColeEncyclopedia
Vote Smart — Voting RecordReference
Vote Smart — Voting RecordReference
Choice Tracker — Abortion VotesLeft Advocacy
giffords.org/candidates/joshua-cole/Unclassified
Bias ratings sourced from AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. Classifications for government, reference, and advocacy domains are maintained by U.S.M.C. Ministries; see source_bias.json.
References & footnotes
Every answer above with a [n] marker corresponds to one of the footnotes below. Wayback-archive links preserve the page as it read at our access date so a reader can verify the citation even if the original URL changes or disappears.
- [1]Chief sponsor of the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment; A+/'Champion' from ReproRising — does not affirm personhood from conception. Left Advocacy
Chief sponsor of the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment; A+/'Champion' from ReproRising — does not affirm personhood from conception.
- [2]Voted the full pro-abortion-access slate; opposite of abortion-abolition legislation. Left Advocacy
Voted the full pro-abortion-access slate; opposite of abortion-abolition legislation.
- [3]Chief sponsor of the constitutional amendment repealing Virginia's same-sex-marriage ban; openly bisexual. Unclassified
Chief sponsor of the constitutional amendment repealing Virginia's same-sex-marriage ban; openly bisexual.
- [4]
- [5]Giffords-endorsed; voted for safe-storage laws and mandatory background checks. Unclassified
Giffords-endorsed; voted for safe-storage laws and mandatory background checks.
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