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Virginia State Senate
Mark Obenshain
State Senate — District 2
Republican
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
100
/ 100
A
Raw: 22 of 22 dynamic max
· 11 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
18/ 70
🏛️ State First
4/ 30
National Rank
#4,271 of 8,972 · top 47.6% 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: Presbyterian — First Presbyterian Church, Harrisonburg
Education: Virginia Tech (BA Economics & History, 1984), Washington and Lee School of Law (JD, 1987)
Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia
Background: VA Senate since 2004 (District 2; formerly 26th). Attorney; 2013 R nominee for Attorney General. Architect of Virginia's photo voter-ID law.
VA State Senator, SD-2 (R), since 2004 — deep voting record. [2026-06 overnight refinement, state tier] Reliable conservative across the board: NO on the reproductive-freedom amendment (born-alive floor quote; ChoiceTracker 'anti-choice'); NO on the same-sex-marriage amendment (not a crossover); YES on the 2016 religious-freedom bill (SB41); longtime school-choice/ESA sponsor; architect of VA photo voter-ID + SAVE-program citizenship-verification bills; tough-on-crime (bail-presumption bill, opposed qualified-immunity repeal); opposed 2026 ICE-restriction bills; opposed the 2020 red-flag law. Note: do NOT confuse with Del. Chris Obenshain (House), a relative who crossed over on marriage.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
TRUE (+2)[1]
1 claim
Co-sponsored Virginia's most protective pro-life legislation introduced in the 2023 General Assembly session: a bill by Sen. Travis Hackworth (with Obenshain and Newman co-patroning) to limit abortion from conception with narrow medical-emergency, rape, and incest exceptions. Though defeated in committee by a Democratic majority, Obenshain's co-sponsorship placed him among the senators most committed to protecting unborn life from the moment of fertilization.
- VPM — Virginia Public MediaLean Left
- virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.comUnclassified
- BallotpediaCenter
Candidate has voted for or sponsored state legislation moving toward abortion abolition (e.g., heartbeat ban, total ban) — not merely restrictions
Not yet verified
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
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
TRUE (+2)[2]
Candidate opposes state recognition of same-sex marriage / civil unions / domestic partnerships, and supports state non-recognition resolutions where federally permitted
TRUE (+2)[2]
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
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state school-choice (vouchers, ESAs, charter expansion) and supports state homeschool freedom statutes
TRUE (+2)[3]
1 claim
Publicly opposed SB1031 (2025 session), a Democratic bill that would have stripped Virginia's religious homeschooling exemption and imposed new regulatory requirements on families who educate at home for faith-based reasons. Obenshain stated: 'I have long believed that one size fits all education does not work for every family in Virginia' and 'I believe parents ought to have the right to make decisions concerning their child' — calling the bill 'an ill-advised attack on parents who choose to homeschool their children.'
- rocktownnow.comUnclassified
- heav.orgUnclassified
- BallotpediaCenter
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)
TRUE (+2)[4]
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
TRUE (+2)[5]
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
TRUE (+2)[6]
Candidate has voted to restrict state early-voting windows + tighten state absentee qualifications to verified medical/military
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted against state mass mail-in voting expansion, against state drop-box deployment, and against legalizing ballot harvesting
Not yet verified
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
TRUE (+2)[7]
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)
TRUE (+2)[8]
1 claim
Voted against the 2026 Virginia assault-weapons ban (SB 749) and broader gun-control package. Publicly called the AWB 'really one of the more extreme bills that is gonna pass this year' and separately blasted a gun-storage mandate bill as unconstitutional: 'It would criminalize most modern pistols and would not last five minutes under any constitutional scrutiny.' He also assembled and circulated a video montage of Democrats admitting the bills would not stop criminals — highlighting the legislation's futility in keeping the public safe.
- Virginia MercuryLean Left
- WHRO (Hampton Roads PBS/NPR)Lean Left
- WikipediaEncyclopedia
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
TRUE (+2)[9]
Candidate opposes cashless-bail, soft-on-crime, and rogue-prosecutor (e.g. Soros-DA) policy
TRUE (+2)[10]
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 Center6 Right2 Official2 Reference4 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
Choice Tracker — Abortion VotesLeft 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]NO on the reproductive-freedom amendment; born-alive floor quote; chief-patroned a fetal-homicide bill; ChoiceTracker 'anti-choice.' Left Advocacy
NO on the reproductive-freedom amendment; born-alive floor quote; chief-patroned a fetal-homicide bill; ChoiceTracker 'anti-choice.'
- [2]In the GOP NO bloc on the same-sex-marriage amendment; not among the 3 named crossovers. Local News
In the GOP NO bloc on the same-sex-marriage amendment; not among the 3 named crossovers.
- [3]Longtime sponsor of Parental Choice Education Savings Account + scholarship-tax-credit bills. Unclassified
Longtime sponsor of Parental Choice Education Savings Account + scholarship-tax-credit bills.
- [4]Voted YES on the 2016 state religious-freedom (conscience-protection) bill SB41. Unclassified
Voted YES on the 2016 state religious-freedom (conscience-protection) bill SB41.
- [5]Carried 'no tax on tips'/tax-relief; abstained on the FY2026 budget as a fiscal-conservative protest against new taxes. Lean Left
Carried 'no tax on tips'/tax-relief; abstained on the FY2026 budget as a fiscal-conservative protest against new taxes.
- [6]Architect of VA photo voter-ID law; sponsored SB1077 (SAVE-program citizenship verification) + SB1256 (photo ID). Unclassified
Architect of VA photo voter-ID law; sponsored SB1077 (SAVE-program citizenship verification) + SB1256 (photo ID).
- [7]Opposed 2026 Democratic bills restricting ICE/federal-immigration cooperation in Virginia. Unclassified
Opposed 2026 Democratic bills restricting ICE/federal-immigration cooperation in Virginia.
- [8]Opposed the 2020 red-flag/ERPO law (due-process + 2A objection); opposes the assault-weapons ban. Unclassified
Opposed the 2020 red-flag/ERPO law (due-process + 2A objection); opposes the assault-weapons ban.
- [9]Tough-on-crime; opposed ending qualified immunity for police; defends parole abolition. Lean Left
Tough-on-crime; opposed ending qualified immunity for police; defends parole abolition.
- [10]Sponsored a bill restoring the judicial presumption against bail for violent felonies; opposes bail-leniency rollbacks. Unclassified
Sponsored a bill restoring the judicial presumption against bail for violent felonies; opposes bail-leniency rollbacks.
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