Prominent Virginia Beach lawyer Tim Anderson is running for the House of Delegates 83rd District as a Republican candidate.
Anderson, who is already involved with GOP state politics, officially announced his campaign on Tuesday through a press release posted to his Twitter and Facebook profiles.
My official announcement to run against anti-business liberal extremist @nancyguyva. pic.twitter.com/vXmq2yuzdN
— Tim Anderson (@AssocAnderson) November 24, 2020
“For me, I decided I wanted to be a part of the [political] process next year and of all the races, statewide and local races, this seemed to be the best one,” Anderson said in an interview with The Virginia Star. “The 83rd is highly contested and I happen to live there, so it all just kind of fell into place.
“Right now we have all Democrats running everything and we have no say. Republicans have no say in any outcome of what happens in any law passed in Virginia and that has to change.”
Many people speculated that Anderson was planning a run for attorney general, but he said a large factor in the decision to go for the 83rd District was to assist in flipping the House Republican so that Virginia has a more evenly divided state government, which will force the two chambers to come up with legislation that helps all Virginians.
Another factor Anderson mentioned was the recent policing reforms passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly during the 2020 regular session last spring and the more recent special session.
“The first thing we have to do is we have to make sure the bad ideas don’t see the light of day in the General Assembly,” Anderson said. “There are still plenty of bad ideas that are floating in the [legislature] that are going to carry forward from the 2020 session and the 2020 special session. One of those bad ideas is ending qualified immunity for police.”
The campaign platform Anderson is running on involves supporting law enforcement, protecting the 2nd Amendment rights of the Commonwealth’s gun-owning citizens, and limiting the governor’s emergency powers.
“I think the time really is on us to where Republicans really need to stand up. I think a lot of people need to stand up and challenge the Democrats,” Anderson said. “We have to get in there and we have to fight like our lives depend on it because the future and the soul of Virginia is going to depend on whether Republicans can have a seat at the table of government.”
Anderson’s decision to run creates an interesting scenario for a Republican primary because former Virginia Beach Delegate Christopher Stolle is also planning to make a bid for the district seat.
“I’ve talked to Tim and he knows that I’m running for that seat as well, so we’ll see how that will play out here in the next few months,” Stolle told The Star. “There is a lot going on between now and anytime of a primary. The redistricting will be coming up and we don’t even know what the district lines look like yet.”
Stolle added: “Anyone who wants to run should run. I’ve always encouraged folks to run and if [Anderson] wants to, he should go ahead and run.”
Regardless of who wins a potential Republican primary, either candidate would need to beat incumbent Del. Nancy Guy (D-Virginia Beach), if she doesn’t face any Democratic challengers, in the general election to secure the district that encompasses parts of Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
In the 2019 election for the 83rd District, Guy narrowly defeated Stolle by just 27 votes, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
The Star reached out to Guy for comment, but did not get a response before press time.
On her Twitter, Guy responded to news of Anderson’s bid by writing: “Too radical for Virginia and too radical for the 83rd District.”
Too radical for Virginia and too radical for the 83rd District. He opposes:
❌ A woman’s right to choose
❌ Common sense gun safety measures
❌ And just about everything else that a majority of Virginians believe in.Chip in to our campaign today: https://t.co/uEwCKRXuGo https://t.co/d7KaqkZQpt
— Nancy Guy (@nancyguyva) November 23, 2020
Gary Byler, former White House aid for President Ronald Reagan and longtime Virginia Beach activist, spoke highly of Anderson as a candidate.
“We’re very excited that Tim Anderson has thrown his head into the House seat race,” Byler told The Star. “I’m going to hold off to see who else shows an interest, but I have been very encouraging of Tim. I think he has a lot to offer the community and I think the House of Delegates would be greatly enhanced by his presence.”
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Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Follow Jacob on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Anderskev. CC BY 3.0.
