Brandon Waltrip, an independent, is challenging incumbent Del. Brenda Pogge, R-Norge, for the 96th District House Delegate seat in the Nov. 3 election.
During an interview with the Daily Press Editorial Board earlier this month, Waltrip called Pogge a “one-issue candidate” whose one issue is pro-life legislation.
“I am pro-life too, but we have to have some common sense about the laws we present,” said Waltrip, a Baptist Sunday school teacher and defense attorney at a Williamsburg law firm.
Pogge said Waltrip’s claim of her being a one-issue candidate was “ridiculous.”
“I’ve never once put in a pro-life bill,” said Pogge, adding she has supported anti-abortion bills that have come through the General Assembly. “I have sponsored about 50 to 55 bills that got passed. They have run the gamut of different issues of people that have problems with the law come that to my attention. If we can’t solve it, we progress legislatively.”
One bill Pogge is most proud of is a measure that requires taxpayer-funded patients in jails and hospitals to be issued generic medications when possible, she said. The change has saved $10 million to $12 million a year, which has helped balance the budget, she said.
Pogge also sponsored legislation that makes it possible for localities to reopen roads that the Virginia Department of Transportation shuts down, prompted by an issue with Jolly Pond Road in James City County a couple of years back, she said.
One of Waltrip’s priorities if elected would be Medicaid expansion in order to create jobs, he said.
Pogge opposes Medicaid expansion because she believes the states that have expanded it have found the costs are much higher than projected, she said.
Waltrip also has a plan to reform the state’s tax policy, which he says is “crunching the middle class.”
“My plan to restructure our state income tax will eliminate the income tax on households under $50,000, and reduce by 1.5 percent households between $50,000 and $100,000,” Waltrip said. “This will create jobs and boost our economy by increasing consumer spending.”
Waltrip also proposes expanding online high school curriculum to reduce the cost on local school districts.
Pogge’s main priorities for the next session, if reelected, are to deliver a budget on time and to spend taxpayer money wisely, she said.
There will not likely be an opportunity for the two candidates to debate prior to the election, Pogge said.
The two were invited to attend a Virginia Gazette-sponsored debate Wednesday, but Pogge was unable to attend because she was on another forum in Hampton, she said.
Brenda Pogge
Republican, incumbent
Age: 58
Occupation: Retired
Education: Alpha College of Real Estate
Elected office: House Delegate since 2007
Family: Husband Roger; five adult children, five grandchildren
Brandon Waltrip
Independent
Age: 34
Occupation: Attorney
Education: B.A., Virginia Military Institute; J.D., Mississippi College School of Law
Previous elected office: None
Family: Wife April; son age 2
