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Virginia State Senate
Ryan McDougle
State Senate — District 26
Republican
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
18
/ 100
—
Raw: 18 of 18 dynamic max
· 9 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
14/ 70
🏛️ State First
4/ 30
National Rank
#4,332 of 8,967 · top 48.3% 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: Christian — Baptist (per Ballotpedia personal/religion field)
Education: James Madison University (BS Political Science & History), College of William & Mary School of Law (JD)
Birthplace: Hanover, Virginia
Background: Virginia State Senator, District 26 (Hanover/Caroline area); Senate Republican (Minority) Leader since 2024. In the Senate since 2006 (House of Delegates 2002-2006). Attorney (McDougle Law Firm, Hanover); JMU + William & Mary Law. Committees: Rules; Finance & Appropriations; Courts of Justice; Commerce & Labor; Rehabilitation & Social Services.
VA State Senator, SD-26; Senate Republican Leader since 2024. [2026-06 RESOLUTE refinement, state tier] Genuinely conservative HARD record; cross-party deviation check CLEARED (voted NO on the same-sex-marriage repeal amendment HJ3 2026 and NO on the reproductive-freedom amendment HJ1 2026 per VPAP close-votes). Pro-life (ReproRising F; NO on repro amendment, NO on contraception statute HB6). Marriage: NO on the SSM-repeal constitutional amendment. Election integrity: sponsored photo-voter-ID bills SB764 & SB794, NO on HB26 (expanding non-photo ID). Public justice: chairs Finance public-safety subcommittee, NO on HB45 (earned-sentence-credit expansion) and HB77 (robbery-degree reductions). Immigration: sponsored SB641 (correctional-facility immigration queries) and SB1361 (incarcerated-to-ICE transfer); NO on HB77 2026 (limiting local immigration enforcement). 2A: NO on AWB (HB2 2024), HB46, HB19/HB21/HB40 (2026); VCDL top pro-gun ranking. Federalism / Christian-liberty / family-curriculum cells left null — no isolated cited record found.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
1 claim
As Virginia State Senate Minority Leader, has publicly and repeatedly committed to always defending 'the lives of the unborn.' Voted against Virginia's Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment (2026), which passed the Senate 21-19 on a strict party-line vote with McDougle casting one of the 19 Republican 'no' votes. The amendment heads to a November 2026 referendum and, if passed by voters, would enshrine a near-unlimited abortion right in the state constitution.
- ryanmcdougle.comUnclassified
- BallotpediaCenter
- VPM — Virginia Public MediaLean Left
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
TRUE (+2)[3]
1 claim
Voted against Virginia state budget proposals that would have increased direct appropriations to Planned Parenthood — the nation's largest abortion provider — defunding a key pillar of the abortion industry's operations at the state level.
- ryanmcdougle.comUnclassified
- BallotpediaCenter
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)[4]
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
Not yet verified
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
Not yet verified
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
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
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted to preempt or punish sanctuary-city policies + ban state cities from declaring sanctuary status
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
As Senate Minority Leader, led unified Republican opposition to the 2026 sweeping gun-control package, including the assault-weapons ban (SB 749) that passed the Virginia Senate 21-19. Criticized the legislation's unintended consequences for lawful gun owners and helped coordinate the 19-vote Republican bloc — representing every Republican senator — that held firm against the most expansive gun-restriction package in Virginia history, signed by Gov. Spanberger on May 15, 2026.
- nraila.orgUnclassified
- nraila.orgUnclassified
- Cardinal NewsLocal News
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)[7]
Candidate opposes cashless-bail, soft-on-crime, and rogue-prosecutor (e.g. Soros-DA) policy
TRUE (+2)[6]
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 Center4 Right3 Official5 Reference1 Other
Vote Smart — Voting RecordReference
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/Right Advocacy
www.vcdl.org/Right Advocacy
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2...Right Advocacy
freedomindex.us/va/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]Consistent pro-life record: ReproRising grade F; voted NO on the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment (HJ1, 2026) and NO on contraception statute HB6. Left Advocacy
Consistent pro-life record: ReproRising grade F; voted NO on the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment (HJ1, 2026) and NO on contraception statute HB6.
- [2]Consistent pro-life record: ReproRising grade F; voted NO on the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment (HJ1, 2026) and NO on contraception statute HB6. Reference
Consistent pro-life record: ReproRising grade F; voted NO on the reproductive-freedom constitutional amendment (HJ1, 2026) and NO on contraception statute HB6.
- [3]VPAP top-donor base is Republican/business/NRA ($57,500 NRA); no Planned Parenthood/NARAL/EMILY's List/abortion-industry PAC present (top-tier donor review). Reference
VPAP top-donor base is Republican/business/NRA ($57,500 NRA); no Planned Parenthood/NARAL/EMILY's List/abortion-industry PAC present (top-tier donor review).
- [4]Opposed codifying same-sex marriage in the Virginia Constitution (NO on HJ3 2026; SJ249 2025 first reference passed with only 3 GOP yes votes, McDougle opposing). Center
Opposed codifying same-sex marriage in the Virginia Constitution (NO on HJ3 2026; SJ249 2025 first reference passed with only 3 GOP yes votes, McDougle opposing).
- [5]Sponsored voter photo-ID bills SB764 and SB794; voted NO on HB26 (2024) expanding accepted non-photo voter-ID forms. Reference
Sponsored voter photo-ID bills SB764 and SB794; voted NO on HB26 (2024) expanding accepted non-photo voter-ID forms.
- [6]Sponsored voter photo-ID bills SB764 and SB794; voted NO on HB26 (2024) expanding accepted non-photo voter-ID forms. Reference
Sponsored voter photo-ID bills SB764 and SB794; voted NO on HB26 (2024) expanding accepted non-photo voter-ID forms.
- [7]Chairs the Finance subcommittee on public safety; campaigns on 'Making Our Neighborhoods Safer,' death penalty and no-parole; affirmative pro-law-enforcement posture. Center
Chairs the Finance subcommittee on public safety; campaigns on 'Making Our Neighborhoods Safer,' death penalty and no-parole; affirmative pro-law-enforcement posture.
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