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Virginia State Senate
L. Louise Lucas
State Senate — District 18
Democrat
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
0
/ 100
F
Raw: 0 of 26 dynamic max
· 13 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
#5,147 of 8,957 · bottom 42.5% 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
Primary · Not up at next scheduled election
— until
Registration deadline: 2026-10-13
Early voting: 2026-09-18 – 2026-10-31
Elections office: (804) 864-8901
Voter status: Check registration
State elections site: Virginia Department of Elections
Official Profile
Religion: Baptist (Deaconess, New Mount Olivet Baptist Church); some structured sources list African Methodist Episcopal — denomination conflict noted
Education: Norfolk State University (BS Vocational-Industrial Education, cum laude; MA Urban Affairs, magna cum laude)
Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Background: VA State Senator, SD-18 (Portsmouth/Chesapeake); in the General Assembly since 1992; Senate President pro tempore and Chair of Finance & Appropriations. First female shipfitter at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (1971); first woman and first African American elected Senate Pro Tem. B.S. and M.A., Norfolk State University.
VA State Senator, SD-18; Senate President pro tempore; Chair, Finance & Appropriations; in the GA since 1992. [2026-06 RESOLUTE refinement, state tier] Uniformly progressive and unusually activist HARD record: CHIEF PATRON of all three 2026 constitutional amendments — reproductive freedom (SJR1), same-sex marriage (SJR3, repealing the Marshall-Newman ban), and felon-voting restoration (SJR2). ReproRising 2025 scorecard A+ ('Champion'). VCDL 2025 record 0% pro-gun; chief patron of the 2026 assault-weapons ban SB749; Giffords 'champion.' Chief patron of SB1 ($15 minimum wage) plus paid-sick-leave (SB199), paid family leave (SB2), child-care assistance (SB3). As Finance Chair, killed Youngkin's private-school voucher proposal ('not going to happen') and declared his sanctuary-funding-restriction budget item dead. Chief patron of SB438 (expanded Sunday early voting) and SB322 (National Popular Vote compact). No conservative deviations.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
1 claim
As Senate President Pro Tempore — the highest-ranking officer in the chamber and the first African American woman to hold that position — Lucas voted YES on SJ247 (January 21, 2025), the constitutional amendment creating an unlimited 'fundamental right to reproductive freedom' including abortion care at any stage. All 21 Democratic senators voted with her in the 21-19 party-line passage; Lucas's leadership role made her instrumental in managing the amendment's floor proceedings.
- Virginia Legislative Information SystemOfficial
- WikipediaEncyclopedia
- acluva.orgUnclassified
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
Candidate has never accepted abortion-industry PAC funding for state-legislative or statewide-office campaigns
FALSE (0)[1]
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
FALSE (0)[1]
Candidate opposes state recognition of same-sex marriage / civil unions / domestic partnerships, and supports state non-recognition resolutions where federally permitted
FALSE (0)[1]
1 claim
Voted YES on the 2025 Virginia constitutional amendment (first legislative passage) to repeal Article I, Section 15-A of the Virginia Constitution — the provision defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman, enacted by Virginia voters in 2006. The Senate passed the repeal amendment 21-18 on January 21, 2025, with Lucas and her Democratic colleagues providing the margin of passage. The amendment received its required second passage in the 2026 session and went to Virginia voters in November 2026.
- Virginia Legislative Information SystemOfficial
- VPM — Virginia Public MediaLean Left
- 19thnews.orgUnclassified
Candidate has voted for state legislation affirming biological sex (bathroom/locker access, sports participation, minor gender-procedure bans)
Not yet verified
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)[1]
Candidate has voted for state school-choice (vouchers, ESAs, charter expansion) and supports state homeschool freedom statutes
FALSE (0)[3]
Candidate has voted for state law requiring parental notification + consent on minors' medical, mental-health, and gender interventions (incl. school counseling referrals)
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state law restricting CRT/SOGI/comprehensive-sex-ed/gender-ideology curricula in K-12
Not yet verified
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
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)[1]
Candidate has voted to restrict state early-voting windows + tighten state absentee qualifications to verified medical/military
FALSE (0)[1]
Candidate has voted against state mass mail-in voting expansion, against state drop-box deployment, and against legalizing ballot harvesting
FALSE (0)[1]
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
FALSE (0)[5]
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)
1 claim
Voted YES on SB749 (2026), Virginia's assault-firearms ban prohibiting the purchase, sale, manufacture, and transfer of 'assault firearms' and magazines over 15 rounds. As Senate President Pro Tempore, Lucas presided over the chamber during the 21-19 party-line passage. The bill was strongly opposed by the Virginia Citizens Defense League and Gun Owners of America, who called it an unconstitutional infringement on Second Amendment rights.
- Virginia Legislative Information SystemOfficial
- gunowners.orgUnclassified
- Virginia MercuryLean Left
Candidate (state) has voted for state constitutional-carry statute
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted against state universal-background-check schemes
Not yet verified
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
1 Left1 Lean Left1 Center6 Right3 Official2 Reference3 Other
Vote Smart — Voting RecordReference
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/Right Advocacy
www.vcdl.org/Right Advocacy
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/senate-voting-record/Right Advocacy
www.vcdl.org/voting-recordsRight Advocacy
freedomindex.us/va/Right Advocacy
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2...Right Advocacy
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
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 patron of SJR1, the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment; ReproRising 2025 A+ 'Champion' — does not affirm personhood from conception. Center
Chief patron of SJR1, the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment; ReproRising 2025 A+ 'Champion' — does not affirm personhood from conception.
- [2]Chief patron of SJR1, the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment; ReproRising 2025 A+ 'Champion' — does not affirm personhood from conception. Left Advocacy
Chief patron of SJR1, the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment; ReproRising 2025 A+ 'Champion' — does not affirm personhood from conception.
- [3]As Finance Chair, killed the private-school voucher/ESA proposal: 'not going to take any money from public schools for vouchers for private schools.' Unclassified
As Finance Chair, killed the private-school voucher/ESA proposal: 'not going to take any money from public schools for vouchers for private schools.'
- [4]Chief patron of SB1 ($15 minimum wage) and of paid-leave / child-care spending laws (SB199, SB2, SB3) — expanded mandates and spending. Lean Left
Chief patron of SB1 ($15 minimum wage) and of paid-leave / child-care spending laws (SB199, SB2, SB3) — expanded mandates and spending.
- [5]As Finance Chair, declared Youngkin's proposal to withhold funds from sanctuary localities dead — pro-sanctuary posture. Unclassified
As Finance Chair, declared Youngkin's proposal to withhold funds from sanctuary localities dead — pro-sanctuary posture.
- [6]Chief patron of SB749, the 2026 assault-firearms / large-capacity-magazine ban; VCDL 2025 record 0% pro-gun. Hosted File
Chief patron of SB749, the 2026 assault-firearms / large-capacity-magazine ban; VCDL 2025 record 0% pro-gun.
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