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City of Newport News
Phillip D. Jones
Mayor
Democrat
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
17
/ 100
F
Raw: 2 of 12 dynamic max
· 6 of 30 answered
Local tier30 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: · scorecard-level timestamp
✝ God First
2/ 70
🏛️ Local First
0/ 30
National Rank
#4,773 of 8,776 · bottom 45.6% 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.
Official Profile
Education: Hampton Christian Academy (NN, 2008); U.S. Naval Academy B.S. History (2012, vice-presidential nomination); Harvard Business School MBA + Harvard Kennedy School MPP
Background: Born 9/19/1989 at Kadena AFB, Okinawa (USAF parents — father F-15 pilot, mother KC-135 navigator). USMC infantry officer 1st Bn/8th Marines 2012-2018 active; currently Major, USMCR. Bain & Company social-impact/public-sector consultant. Newport News Planning Commission ~2 yrs prior to mayoral run. Wife: Jamila Wynter, M.D. Omega Psi Phi. Inaugural member, 'Majority Democrats' coalition (Democratic Mayors Assn); Wikipedia/press categorize him under VA Democrats despite the 2022 independent ballot label. Endorsed in 2022 by Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Sen. Mamie Locke. 27th Mayor of Newport News and the city's youngest directly-elected mayor; term 1/1/2023-12/31/2026 (on Nov 2026 ballot — filing deadline 6/16/2026; per WAVY, campaign said he 'will announce his reelection campaign this fall'; convicted former Del. Phil Hamilton (R) exploring a challenge).
27th Mayor. City's youngest directly elected mayor. Ran as independent but strong Democratic ties (endorsed by Gov. McAuliffe, Sen. Locke; member of Majority Democrats). Term expires Dec 2026.
[2026-06 RESOLUTE refinement] Roster verified: Mayor of Newport News (officially nonpartisan office; the Mayor IS a voting member of council per Newport News Charter §3.04, 'a voting member of the council'); D-leaning per inaugural 'Majority Democrats' membership and McAuliffe/Locke endorsements. HARD adverse 2A evidence: on 11/26/2024 the 6-1 ordinance EXPANDING the city firearms ban (deleting 'openly' so concealed-carry permit holders also barred from carrying in city buildings/parks; only Eley dissented) — Jones was in the 6-vote majority per the charter's voting-mayor rule AND CHAMPIONED the ordinance on the record: 'The safety and security of citizens, of employees, and residents, is top of mind'; 'This is not an infringement of anyone's right. This is … taking steps to protect everyone.' Jones disclosed he himself holds a concealed-carry permit and supported the ordinance anyway. HARD adverse LGBT-promotion evidence: as Mayor, Jones officially proclaimed June as Pride Month in BOTH 2023 ('NN mayor proclaims June as Pride Month; City to host first Pride festival' — WTKR 6/2023) and 2025 ('I AM WHAT I AM: Newport News Pride Festival' — Mayor's proclamation 6/28/2025). These are Mayor's-office proclamations (not council votes), and they're affirmative state promotion of LGBTQ identity. HARD adverse public_justice q3 evidence: publicly framed gun violence as a 'public health crisis' in an Everytown press release ('Gun violence is a public health crisis affecting our nation, and I commend the Everytown Community Safety Fund for seeing the benefits of investing in community health systems'). HARD positive public_justice q0 evidence: repeated affirmative pro-police advocacy beyond bare budget votes — 'We're really doubling down on public safety here in Newport News' (FY27 budget) and 'We have a budget that invests number one in our public safety' (FY25 budget) — clears the high bar. HARD adverse border q2 evidence: joint statement with NNPS School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law on federal ICE actions in schools (Jan 2025) — NNPS schools 'must remain safe havens'; 'protection of all residents — regardless of immigration status'; 'We will not allow federal immigration policies to disrupt the educational experience or hinder the progress of our youth' — sanctuary-style posture against federal immigration enforcement. SEPARATE deviation context (not directly rubric-scored): Jones authored an op-ed (FairVote, 11/20/2024) endorsing expansion of ranked-choice voting to all VA local elections including mayoral races — cuts against the spirit of election_integrity simplicity, but rubric cells q0/q1/q4 are about paper ballots/voter ID/Zuckerbucks specifically, none of which Jones has addressed; left null. NO EVIDENCE FOUND on sanctity of life (no pro-life or pro-choice proclamation), biblical_marriage q0/q2 (no marriage-definition or biological-sex statement), family_child_sovereignty q0/q1/q2 (no school-choice/parental-consent/CRT-SOGI position), christian_liberty (no profession of Christ — Hampton Christian Academy is HS-only, not a personal-faith statement), economic_stewardship q2 (no BBA/deficit framing — the FY budgets are routine governance), election_integrity q0/q1/q4, public_justice q1/q2/q4, refuse_state_overreach q0-q4, border_immigration q1, self_defense q0 separately from q1 (the firearms vote/championing affirms BOTH cells against constitutional carry posture). Religion: NO current church affiliation cited; Hampton Christian Academy HS attendance is the only data point and is not a profession of faith. Counter-archetype flag: CCW-permit-holding USMC officer who sponsors the city firearms-buildings ban — unusual.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
Not yet verified
Candidate (if District Attorney) has committed to prosecuting illegal abortion procedures; (if mayor/council) has supported pro-life city resolutions or refused to declare 'sanctuary city for abortion'
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes embryonic stem-cell research, IVF embryo discard, and chimeric experimentation
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and quality-of-life rationing
N/A · out of tier
Candidate has never accepted Planned Parenthood, NARAL, EMILY's List, or abortion-industry PAC funding
N/A · out of tier
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes all forms of same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in law
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes city/county trans-affirming policies (bathroom mandates on private businesses, Pride flag raisings at city hall, pronouns-required HR rules)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports no-fault divorce reform and policies that strengthen the marriage covenant
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (school board) opts the district into school-choice transfers + protects homeschool freedom + opposes truancy-based criminal referrals
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) requires parental notification before any gender/sexuality counseling of minors; (mayor/council) opposes city programs facilitating minor medical procedures without parents
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) has voted to remove CRT/SOGI/comprehensive-sex-ed/gender-ideology materials from district curriculum and library shelves
Not yet verified
Candidate (mayor/council/library board) supports local enforcement of age-verification + removes sexualized content from library children's sections
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports faith-based adoption/foster agencies and opposes placement of children with same-sex couples
N/A · out of tier
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports conscience exemptions for Christian medical professionals, business owners, adoption agencies, and educators
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city/county/school board) opposes mandatory pronoun policies for staff + employees + students
Not yet verified
Candidate (mayor/council) supports city/county Christian displays (Ten Commandments, Nativity scenes), invocation prayer at meetings, Sunday-closure where chosen by community
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes city-funded non-Christian religious displays/programming (Ramadan illumination, etc.) at city facilities
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/county) opposes city participation in CBDC pilot programs + supports cash-acceptance ordinances for local businesses
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (mayor/council) has voted against deficit-bond issuances for non-capital city expenditures + supports balanced city budgets without service cuts via tax increases on residents
Not yet verified
Candidate supports usury limits, anti-debt-slavery protections, and tithe-friendly tax structures
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city/county) has voted to remove city pension/treasury investment in ESG-aligned funds + opposes city participation in WEF-aligned sister-city programs
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city clerk/county election official) supports hand-counted paper ballots at local precincts where state law permits
Not yet verified
Candidate (city clerk/election official) enforces state photo voter ID + citizenship verification at local precincts
Not yet verified
Candidate supports single-day in-person voting with absentee only for verified medical/military exceptions
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes mass mail-in voting, drop boxes, and ballot harvesting
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city clerk/council) refused acceptance of private election-administration grants ('Zuckerbucks')
Not yet verified
Candidate supports completed physical border barrier and active military border presence
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (DA/sheriff) cooperates with ICE detainers + transfers; (mayor/council) supports local cooperation with ICE rather than sanctuary policies
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/county) has voted against local sanctuary-city ordinances + supports city cooperation with federal immigration enforcement
Candidate supports mandatory E-Verify for all employment and benefit eligibility
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, tourist births, and opposes foreign ownership of U.S. farmland
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (mayor/council) opposes local gun-registry ordinances + local gun-shop zoning restrictions
Candidate (city/council) opposes local-ordinance red-flag/magazine/AWB analogs + local gun-shop zoning restrictions
Candidate supports repeal of the National Firearms Act (NFA), Gun Control Act (GCA), and other federal gun regulations
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports castle doctrine and stand-your-ground laws with full civil immunity for lawful defense
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes ATF overreach, citizen disarmament initiatives, and U.N. small-arms treaty participation
N/A · out of tier
Candidate has publicly backed law enforcement and opposed defunding/dismantling police
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
FALSE (0)[10]
Candidate affirms the magistrate's God-ordained duty to bear the sword (Rom. 13:4)
Not yet verified
Official has asserted local control against unconstitutional state mandates
Not yet verified
Official has declined state strings that compel ungodly or unconstitutional local policy
Not yet verified
Official has protected local citizens from state overreach (lockdowns, mandates, ESG)
Not yet verified
Official affirms subsidiarity — decisions made at the lowest competent level
Not yet verified
Official has refused to enforce unconstitutional state directives
Not yet verified
Sources & Evidence
1 Lean Left1 Center2 Official12 Other
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Jones_(politician)Encyclopedia
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]As Mayor, Jones officially proclaimed June 2023 + June 2025 as Pride Month in Newport News and announced the city's first Pride festival (2023) — state-level promotion of LGBTQ identity in public policy. These are Mayor's-office proclamations, not council votes. Unclassified
As Mayor, Jones officially proclaimed June 2023 + June 2025 as Pride Month in Newport News and announced the city's first Pride festival (2023) — state-level promotion of LGBTQ identity in public policy. These are Mayor's-office proclamations, not council votes.
- [2]As Mayor, Jones officially proclaimed June 2023 + June 2025 as Pride Month in Newport News and announced the city's first Pride festival (2023) — state-level promotion of LGBTQ identity in public policy. These are Mayor's-office proclamations, not council votes. Unclassified
As Mayor, Jones officially proclaimed June 2023 + June 2025 as Pride Month in Newport News and announced the city's first Pride festival (2023) — state-level promotion of LGBTQ identity in public policy. These are Mayor's-office proclamations, not council votes.
- [3]Jan 2025 joint statement with NNPS Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law: schools 'must remain safe havens'; pledged 'protection of all residents — regardless of immigration status'; 'We will not allow federal immigration policies to disrupt the educational experience or hinder the progress of our youth.' Sanctuary-style posture obstructing federal ICE actions in city schools. Unclassified
Jan 2025 joint statement with NNPS Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law: schools 'must remain safe havens'; pledged 'protection of all residents — regardless of immigration status'; 'We will not allow federal immigration policies to disrupt the educational experience or hinder the progress of our youth.' Sanctuary-style posture obstructing federal ICE actions in city schools.
- [4]Jan 2025 joint statement with NNPS Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law: schools 'must remain safe havens'; pledged 'protection of all residents — regardless of immigration status'; 'We will not allow federal immigration policies to disrupt the educational experience or hinder the progress of our youth.' Sanctuary-style posture obstructing federal ICE actions in city schools. Official
Jan 2025 joint statement with NNPS Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law: schools 'must remain safe havens'; pledged 'protection of all residents — regardless of immigration status'; 'We will not allow federal immigration policies to disrupt the educational experience or hinder the progress of our youth.' Sanctuary-style posture obstructing federal ICE actions in city schools.
- [5]As a voting Mayor per Charter §3.04, Jones was in the 6-1 majority on the 11/26/2024 ordinance expanding the NN firearms ban — deleting 'openly' so concealed-carry permit holders are now barred from carrying in city buildings/parks. Jones publicly championed the ordinance: 'taking steps to protect everyone.' Posture is directly contrary to constitutional/permitless carry rights on public property — Jones explicitly opposed extending CCW rights even while holding a CCW permit himself. Lean Left
As a voting Mayor per Charter §3.04, Jones was in the 6-1 majority on the 11/26/2024 ordinance expanding the NN firearms ban — deleting 'openly' so concealed-carry permit holders are now barred from carrying in city buildings/parks. Jones publicly championed the ordinance: 'taking steps to protect everyone.' Posture is directly contrary to constitutional/permitless carry rights on public property — Jones explicitly opposed extending CCW rights even while holding a CCW permit himself.
- [6]As a voting Mayor per Charter §3.04, Jones was in the 6-1 majority on the 11/26/2024 ordinance expanding the NN firearms ban — deleting 'openly' so concealed-carry permit holders are now barred from carrying in city buildings/parks. Jones publicly championed the ordinance: 'taking steps to protect everyone.' Posture is directly contrary to constitutional/permitless carry rights on public property — Jones explicitly opposed extending CCW rights even while holding a CCW permit himself. Unclassified
As a voting Mayor per Charter §3.04, Jones was in the 6-1 majority on the 11/26/2024 ordinance expanding the NN firearms ban — deleting 'openly' so concealed-carry permit holders are now barred from carrying in city buildings/parks. Jones publicly championed the ordinance: 'taking steps to protect everyone.' Posture is directly contrary to constitutional/permitless carry rights on public property — Jones explicitly opposed extending CCW rights even while holding a CCW permit himself.
- [7]Affirmatively championed a local gun-control expansion banning open AND concealed carry in city-owned buildings/parks (the 11/26/2024 6-1 ordinance) — a new local gun registry/restriction beyond state law, with $500 civil penalty. Unclassified
Affirmatively championed a local gun-control expansion banning open AND concealed carry in city-owned buildings/parks (the 11/26/2024 6-1 ordinance) — a new local gun registry/restriction beyond state law, with $500 civil penalty.
- [8]Repeated affirmative pro-police advocacy beyond bare budget votes — 'We're really doubling down on public safety here in Newport News' (FY27); 'We have a budget that invests number one in our public safety' (FY25). Multi-year affirmative public-backing pattern clears the high bar. Unclassified
Repeated affirmative pro-police advocacy beyond bare budget votes — 'We're really doubling down on public safety here in Newport News' (FY27); 'We have a budget that invests number one in our public safety' (FY25). Multi-year affirmative public-backing pattern clears the high bar.
- [9]Repeated affirmative pro-police advocacy beyond bare budget votes — 'We're really doubling down on public safety here in Newport News' (FY27); 'We have a budget that invests number one in our public safety' (FY25). Multi-year affirmative public-backing pattern clears the high bar. Unclassified
Repeated affirmative pro-police advocacy beyond bare budget votes — 'We're really doubling down on public safety here in Newport News' (FY27); 'We have a budget that invests number one in our public safety' (FY25). Multi-year affirmative public-backing pattern clears the high bar.
- [10]Publicly framed gun violence as a public-health crisis: 'Gun violence is a public health crisis affecting our nation, and I commend the Everytown Community Safety Fund for seeing the benefits of investing in community health systems.' Direct adoption of the public-health-crime framing the rubric warns against. Unclassified
Publicly framed gun violence as a public-health crisis: 'Gun violence is a public health crisis affecting our nation, and I commend the Everytown Community Safety Fund for seeing the benefits of investing in community health systems.' Direct adoption of the public-health-crime framing the rubric warns against.
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