Former IBM executive Cynthia Neff said Tuesday that she will seek to represent the Virginia’s 58th district, officially declaring her intent to run as a Democrat in the Virginia House of Delegates’ elections later this year. The 58th district includes parts of Albemarle, Greene, Orange and Fluvanna Counties.
Spurred on in part by her dissatisfaction with the policies and job performance of current 58th District Del. Rob Bell — a Republican who will be seeking reelection — Neff said she hopes to help “consciously decide what Virginia will be about” while focusing on issues like education, energy and transportation.
Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates, Neff said, “have said ‘no’ to everything and haven’t come up with new ideas to substitute.” In this regard, Neff highlighted Republican General Assembly members’ efforts to block discrimination based on sexual orientation from being added to Virginia’s non-discrimination policy.
“We want people to bring their whole selves to work,” Neff said, adding that this is another example of Republicans “going out of their way to say ‘no.’”
Christian Schoenewald, chair of the Albemarle County Republican Committee, however, defended Bell’s record, calling him “one of the most skilled legislators Virginia has seen in a long time.”
Bell was not available for comment as of press time but expressed confidence about his reelection campaign in previous interviews with The Cavalier Daily.
“He has fought for typical conservative causes ... and has done a very good job,” Schoenewald said. “I don’t think Ms. Neff is going to beat him.”
Neff said she decided to run after working with President Obama’s campaign last year. She said she realized she was disappointed with the Virginia House of Delegates, which “appeared to be stuck.”
Albemarle County Democratic Committee chair Fred Hudson said Neff understands how to work within a large organization, adding that she is an “articulate spokesman for her positions.”
Albemarle County, which forms a large portion of the 58th House District, voted Democratic in the fall presidential elections, as 58 percent of voters selected Barack Obama. Bell, though, has successfully defended his 58th district position or run unopposed in each election since first winning his seat in 2001.
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