2023 Candidate Profile: Dave Marsden Running For Senate District 35

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Sen. Dave Marsden, a Democrat who has served in the Senate since 2010, is running in the Nov. 7 general election to represent the newly drawn 35th District in the Virginia Senate.

Marsden, who lives in Burke, previously served in the House of Delegates from 2006 to 2010. He is running against Mark Vafiades in the general election for the 35th District seat.

The newly drawn 35th District includes parts of Springfield, Annandale, Burke, Kings Park, Lincolnia and Lake Barcroft.

A lifelong resident of Northern Virginia, Marsden has spent his career working in juvenile justice, serving as superintendent of the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center and chief deputy director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice.

In the general election, Fairfax County voters also will be casting ballots for candidates running for open seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and School Board. Candidates also are running for sheriff, commonwealth's attorney, and clerk of the court, as well directors on the Soil and Water Conversation District.

Early voting will continue through Nov. 4, which is three days before Election Day. More information about how to vote in Fairfax County is available online.

Patch invited the candidates running in the 35th District race to fill out a questionnaire about their campaigns. The following are Marsden's responses.

Name

Dave Marsden

Campaign website

https://marsdenforsenate.nationbuilder.com/

Family

I am proud to have called Fairfax County my home throughout my childhood and adult life. Fairfax is where I grew up and where my wife and I raised our three boys. I graduated from W.T. Woodson High School, and my wife, Julia, attended the now John R. Lewis High School and graduated from West Springfield High School. My sister also attended Fairfax public schools and graduated from Annandale High School. My wife and I raised our kids here in Fairfax County, with all three graduated from Lake Braddock High School.

Education

• W.T. Woodson High School
• Randolph-Macon College, BA Sociology

Occupation

State Senator, Senate of Virginia

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Superintendent, Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center; Chief Deputy/Acting Director, Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice; Delegate, Virginia House of Delegates.

For the past 20 years I've been consulting in serious youth-crime reduction in 35 states, to reduce serious youth-crime and reduce youth-violence as the Technical Assistance Director of President Obama’s National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention.

My top priority in the next session of the General Assembly is to improve and update the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), and this is what I intend to do about it.

The VCEA was passed in 2020 and is designed to make Virginia carbon-neutral by 2050. This will not only protect our environment but is critical to our new and ever-changing economy. There are many problems to be solved and if re-elected I will be holding a two-day symposium to answer a few questions and resolve a number of challenges to ensure that our environment is clean and the economy for the future of our children is sound.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidate?

I respect my opponent and his right to express his opinions on legislation that has been passed in the General Assembly, but we differ on major issues that residents of our district are concerned with. My opponent’s stances on abortion rights, gun safety and environmental protections are in contrast with where I believe our commonwealth should be heading. I believe that women should have access to every form of healthcare, and that the decision of whether or not to have an abortion should be solely between a woman and her doctor.

What do you think makes representing District 35's part of Fairfax County unique compared to senators who represent other parts of Virginia?

The newly drawn district I am running to represent is a diverse place that exhibits varying interests. It constitutes a densely populated area with neighborhoods of people from all walks of life and a thriving business community. This makes it critically important to bring all of these interests together in order to focus on the needs of our entire community.

What are some of the concerns and ideas that you've heard from Fairfax County residents that have resonated with you as you have campaigned that you will bring to Richmond if elected in November?

I have heard a number of the residents in my district express concerns of an abortion ban coming to Virginia. There have been multiple efforts in the General Assembly to overturn the precedent set here in the commonwealth, and it is critical that we support pro-choice legislators that will vote to uphold abortion rights in Richmond. I will oppose any efforts to bring an abortion ban to Virginia.

Describe other issues that define your campaign platform for this Senate seat.

Other issues that the residents in my district are concerned with include gun safety, property taxes and environmental protections. I have sponsored and passed several gun safety bills during my time in the General Assembly, and I will continue my efforts to patron or support common sense gun safety legislation. The influx of property taxes in Fairfax County is a serious problem. I plan to continue doing everything in my capacity to maximize revenue to our county in order to help reduce the burden of property taxes for the residents in my district. I have also talked with many constituents worried about the preservation of environmental protections in Virginia. As the Chief Co-Patron of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), protecting the environment is an important issue to me, and if re-elected, I plan to focus on ways our commonwealth can continue our progress to achieve our critical environmental goals.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

Politics is a business of trust and relationships. Treat your colleagues, Democrats and Republicans alike, with understanding and kindness. Someone who is an antagonist today may be your ally tomorrow. In the end, the goal is to get things accomplished that benefit your constituents, as well as all other Virginians.

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

In the Senate, I have sponsored and passed well over 100 bills and currently serve on the following Senate committees: Transportation (Chair); Finance & Appropriations; Commerce & Labor; Agriculture, Conservation, & Natural Resources; and Rules, and the Senate subcommittees; Economic Development & Natural Resources (Chair); Public Safety; Transportation; Energy; Labor & Employment; and Companion Animals (Chair).

RELATED: 2023 Candidate Profile: Mark Vafiades Running For Senate District 35