Incumbent Del. Patrick Hope Runs To Keep 47th District Seat In The VA House Of Delegates

ARLINGTON, VA — Patrick Hope lives in the Buckingham community of Arlington with his wife Kristen and their three children. A member of the Democratic Party, Hope is running to retain his seat representing the 47th District in the Virginia House of Delegates.

During the Nov. 2 general election, voters living in the 47th District, which covers the western portion of Arlington County, will have a chance to decide whether Hope or Republican challenger Laura A. Hall will serve in the next session of the Virginia General Assembly. Early voting is already underway.

Patch asked each of the candidates running in the Nov. 2 general election to fill out the following profile:

Name

Patrick Hope

Position sought

Delegate for the 47th District

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Patrick lives with his wife Kristen and their three children in the Buckingham community of Arlington.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

A high school graduate of Castle Hills First Baptist School in San Antonio, Hope received his Bachelors of Arts degree in History from St. Mary's University in San Antonio ('93), then received his Master's of Arts degree in Congressional Studies from The Catholic University in Washington, DC ('96), and then received a Juris Doctorate degree from The Catholic University Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC ('01).

Occupation

Attorney, After spending several years working on Capitol Hill for Senator Bob Kerry (D-NE) and Representative Henry B. Gonzalez (D-TX), Patrick worked for various health care organizations working to improve access and care for patients. He currently is the Executive Director of the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance. He also is an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Patrick also has a very strong record of community leadership. He has served as the founder and first president of the Buckingham Community Civic Association (2003-2009), and has served on the Arlington County Community Services Board (2005-2008), the Arlington Implementation Task Force to End Homelessness (2008-2010), and was a Commissioner for the Arlington County Commission on Aging (2002-2007). In addition, Patrick belongs to numerous organizations and causes: Arlington County Bar Association, Arlington Historical Society, Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance, Arlington Committee of 100, Leadership Arlington (2010), and Arlington Kiwanis and South Arlington Kiwanis.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Delegate to the 47th District

Why are you seeking elective office?

We have a moral obligation to make our society a better and more inclusive place. As Hubert Humphrey said “the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life — the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” I believe the government can and should take care of those most in need and as Delegate for the 47th District, I have delivered on these values and will continue to do so. There are only 18 Delegates with city or county government experience, and none of them are from Northern Virginia. Obviously we face some different issues here than in other parts of the Commonwealth and this is a really important perspective given the role that local government plays in people’s lives and that local authority in Virginia is limited to what we are allowed to do by Richmond.

What is the single most pressing issue facing our district and the state at-large is gun violence and this is what I intend to do about it.

The prevention of gun violence in our communities and in our Commonwealth is of the utmost importance to me as a legislator and as a father. As Chair of the House Public Safety Committee I am committed to continue to expand on the progress we have made in Virginia. In the last year the House Public Safety Committee has passed bills to:

Require universal background checks.

Enact an extreme risk protective order, allowing law enforcement to temporarily confiscate firearms from individuals deemed at risk to themselves or others.

One-handgun-a-month law.

Required gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms.

Strengthened penalties for leaving an unsecured firearm that endangers a child.

Allow localities to prohibit firearms in public spaces.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

For 20 years while in power, Republicans in Richmond blocked progress on education, health care, the environment, and making Virginia a welcome and inclusive place to live and raise a family. Maintaining our Democratic majority is the only way Virginia continues to move forward.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Economy: One of my top priorities is to create and maintain a sustainable and economically competitive Commonwealth wherein individuals and businesses can thrive. In Richmond, I will always advocate to:

• Find ways to protect existing jobs and create new ones.
• Continue benefits for those who lose their jobs until they can find stable employment.
• Decrease employee turnover by improving benefits and providing a living wage.

Transportation & Infrastructure: I am committed to providing Northern Virginia with its own permanent funding mechanism for transportation, infrastructure, and maintenance. I will work with my colleagues in Richmond to:

• Encourage mass transit through tax incentives to individuals and businesses.
• Develop incentives for businesses to encourage telecommuting.
• Target road improvements to ease congestion and transport people in the most cost and time efficient manner.
• Advocate for the maintenance and operation of Virginia’s roads, bridges, and tunnels.

Energy & Environment: I pledge to support green technology and job creation to help make Virginia the green science epicenter of the U.S. I support:

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by investing in renewable energy such as wind, solar and other technologies.
• Protecting water quality and preserving our natural, open spaces.
• Providing tax credits for the purchase of electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances and home weatherizing technology.

Education: I believe in the power of education to prepare our children in Virginia to be successful students and productive citizens. I plan to accomplish this through:

• Increasing school funding and teacher salaries in order to attract and retain quality teachers.
• Advocating for public school education from pre-k to high school while maintaining the smallest possible class sizes.
• Increasing high school completion rates and supporting initiatives for dropout prevention.
• Supporting the full funding of the Virginia Standards of Quality that protects teachers and students from unfair working and learning conditions.

Health & Human Services: I will always seek to ensure that Virginia's most vulnerable populations are protected by:

• Expanding healthcare coverage and access to all Virginians. Protecting the continuous expansion of Medicaid through the ACA in Virginia.
• Emphasizing the importance of preventative care and coordination of overall care with health information technology.
• Investing more in treatment and services for behavioral health – mental and health and substance abuse - that emphasizes preventive care and crisis stabilization.
• Ensuring people with intellectual and developmental disabilities receive services and we end the Medicaid Waiver waiting list.

Criminal Justice Reform: Criminal justice reform is the civil rights issue of our time and I support bold reforms that achieve greater racial and social justice across Virginia. In Richmond, I will always support:

• Prison/jail reform that eliminates solitary confinement and ends mass incarceration through the reinstatement of parole, record expungement, and other sentencing reforms.
• Police reforms that improve transparency, create accountability, and shift law enforcement encounters away from persons who are homeless, those suffering with mental illness, or substance abuse.
• Ensuring fairness in our judicial process and strengthening Virginia’s indigent defense system.
• Alternatives to incarceration like more mental health and drug courts as a way to offer treatment with community service, home confinement, restorative justice programs, and/or probation as alternatives to incarceration.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Since Democrats took control of the state house in 2019 we have delivered results to make our communities safer. As Chair of the House Public Safety Committee the extensive legislation I oversaw and helped implement a number of policies that will tackle gun violence in our communities. I will continue working hard to pass meaningful legislation and move Virginia forward.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Never give up

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Please contact my office if I can ever be of service.

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