Welcome to the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance's 2025 Candidate Conversations page.
The Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance believes that all elections matter, especially when it comes to who represents our region in the General Assembly. Three State Senate and four House of Delegates districts touch on our four-county region and the City of Lynchburg. Due to redistricting, those State Senate districts are the new 8th, 10th, and 11th, and the House of Delegates districts are the new 51st, 52nd, 53rd, and 56th.
Because of the sprawling geographic area covered by these districts, rather than hosting individual debates or candidate forums, the Alliance opted to do virtual recorded candidate interviews. We invited all candidates running in the House and Senate districts that touch the Lynchburg region.
Each candidate, regardless of accepting our invitation to participate, were provided with a list of prepared questions that our interviewers would draw from. You can see the prepared questions by clicking here. Being mindful of time and individual schedules, we allotted for approximately 30 minutes for each candidate interview. You can view each conversation with participating candidates below. These are being made available to our members and the public.
The Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance would like to thank each candidate that agreed to be interviewed for participating. To our members, thank you for your support. To our member localities and communities, we hope you find these interviews informative ahead of your vote for the 2025 General Election.
Now, get to know our candidates . . .
Thank you to our Government Relations & Legislative Advocacy Program Partners
House District 51 Race
Joy Powers (D)
Candidate House District 51
I am a farmer, small businesswoman, and community leader who helps run my family’s equipment dealership, manage our cattle operation, and serve as Superintendent of the Bedford County Fair. I also serve on the Bedford County Agricultural Economic Development Advisory Board, working to strengthen the local business climate and advocate for policies that promote growth.
I am running for the House of Delegates because I believe our region deserves practical, business-minded leadership that understands what it takes to run a small business, create jobs, and keep families rooted here in Virginia and prioritizes people and profits over partisan rhetoric.Â
Top Priorities if Elected (HOME Plan):
My campaign is built on the HOME Plan—a framework focused on the issues that matter most to families and businesses in our region: Healthcare, Opportunity, Market Affordability, and Education.
- Healthcare
Virginia cannot be a good place to live or work without a strong healthcare system. Right now, we are already at a deficit, and impending cuts will harm not only our most vulnerable but also our workforce. The state must invest to close healthcare gaps so businesses have a healthy, reliable workforce and families can thrive. A competitive economy depends on keeping people healthy and on the job. - Opportunity
The state must be a better partner in connecting local talent to good, high-paying jobs. Too often, young people graduate unprepared for industries right here in our communities—leaving businesses without the skilled workforce they need and families without opportunity. We need to expand career and technical pathways, invest in rural apprenticeships, and cut down Richmond’s inefficiency and red tape. Streamlined permitting, real deadlines, and modern infrastructure—like a universal permitting portal—are essential for business growth and investment. - Market Affordability
Small businesses and manufacturers should not be overburdened by the rising energy costs driven by unchecked data center growth. Our leadership in Richmond must be laser-focused on the cost of living and cost of doing business in Virginia. That means addressing energy affordability, protecting against unfair rate hikes, and pursuing policies that lower everyday costs—from prescription drugs to insurance premiums—so that Virginia remains competitive for business and attractive for workers. - Education
If we want young families to come here, stay here, and grow here, we must invest in strong schools. Virginia currently spends nearly $1,900 less per student than the national average, leaving our graduates at a disadvantage from the start. We need to modernize school infrastructure, increase per-student funding, and expand school-business partnerships so students graduate ready to contribute to local industries. Strong schools mean a stronger workforce pipeline for the businesses that drive our region. - Â
Campaign Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 159
Vinton, VA 24719
Phone: ‪(540) 521-3285
Campaign Email: connect@joyforva.com
Campaign Website: www.joyforva.com
Video Interview
Coming Soon
House District 52 Race
Wendell Walker (R)
Incumbent Candidate House District 52
Delegate Wendell Walker, first elected in 2019, represents Virginia's 52nd District in the House of Delegates, which encompasses the City of Lynchburg and part of Campbell County. He serves on the Finance and Health and Human Services committees, as well as various boards and commissions.
In 1975, Wendell moved to Lynchburg, Virginia to attend Liberty Baptist College, now Liberty University. At the time of his election, Wendell became the first graduate of Liberty University to represent its district in the Virginia House of Delegates. Throughout his career, Wendell operated a landscaping business in Lynchburg and spent 21 years in workforce development.
He has been married to his wife, Patsy, for over 40 years. They have two children, Gregory and Rebecca, and two grandchildren. He is a member of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg.
- Support our law enforcement at all levels and keep our communities safe
- Empower students and parents by expanding educational opportunities
- Defend taxpayers and continue fighting for tax relief
- Unleash our economy by promoting new business opportunities and cutting red tape
- Strengthen Virginia’s workforce and expand career pathways
Campaign Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 3331
Lynchburg, VA 24503
Phone: ‪(434) 515-2264‬
Campaign Email: wendell@wendellwalker.org
Campaign Website: www.wendellwalker.org
Video Interview
Coming Soon
Risë Hayes (D)
Candidate House District 52
Growing up, my family became homeless after my father lost his job, and we lived in a tent for eight months. My parents worked multiple jobs and homeschooled us, as we lived far from schools and even basic services, such as grocery stores. A scholarship to Liberty University gave me a path to higher education, even though I didn’t fully understand the school’s ideology at the time. While at university, I was diagnosed as autistic and began to look into activist work. After moving here eleven years ago, I earned my degree and, six years ago, my husband and I bought a home, something that feels increasingly out of reach for many today. My experience with poverty drives me to fight for stronger workers’ rights, better school funding, and increased tenant protections.
My top priorities are strengthening public schools by changing the funding from a facility-based to student-based funding. I will further strengthen them by making sure the funding stays in public schools. I will also strengthen tenants' rights by holding landlords accountable for properties in unlivable conditions. I will strengthen workers' rights by fighting to repeal at-will firing, requiring employers to provide documentation before firing a worker, and Right-to-Work to protect unions and help them fight for workers' rights.
Campaign Mailing Address:
1460 Tenbury Drive                                  Lynchburg VA 24501
Phone: 707-292-0081
Campaign Email: risehayesfordelegate@gmail.com
Campaign Website: risehayesdelegate.com
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Video Interview
Coming Soon
House District 53 Race
Sam Soghor (D)
Candidate House District 53
Sam Soghor is a PTO dad, a special education instructional assistant, and a volunteer — everything from picking up trash with the sheriff to working in the school cafeteria, so underpaid teachers can get a lunch break.
He's an active participant in school board and board of supervisors meetings, supports the local arts community, and has a weekly radio show, Amherst Town Talk, where he and his co-host, a Republican town council candidate, talk about issues that are important to them and their neighbors.
Sam was educated in public schools and has a bachelor's degree in political science from the State University of New York at Purchase. He moved to Amherst from New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic, or as he puts it, "the universe flung" him there. What started out as a few weeks in the country after work in the theatre district shut down turned into a new home and a new start in a community he loves.
As the parent of a child who attends Amherst County public schools, Sam has a genuine interest in the local public school system and will work to ensure schools in his district, particularly rural schools, have everything they need to provide students a high-quality education.
While Sam lives in the Town of Amherst, he enjoys exploring the natural areas of the 53rd District, including the Blue Ridge Mountains and George Washington National Forest. He will seek commonsense measures to protect these precious resources for future generations.
Recognizing the importance of fresh, local food to community and economic health, Sam will push to make sustainable farming practices accessible and affordable for district farmers, providing them the same resources that industrial agriculture operations have.
He vows to do all of this with more money and resources from Richmond and without raising taxes.
On the other hand, Sam's opponent, Republican Tim Griffin, a hard-right conservative, attacks the public school system, casts doubts on the integrity of our election system, seeks to eradicate the separation of church and state, and seems more interested in fighting "culture wars" than working with the people of the 53rd District to build a better district, state, and country.
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Education
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Healthcare
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Healthy food/ generational farming
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Peace & Love
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Working together for the common good
Campaign Mailing Address:
Sam for VA
PO Box 1051
Amherst, VA 24521
Phone: 434-381-0280
Campaign Email: samforva@gmail.com
Campaign Website: www.sam53.com
Video Interview
Coming Soon
Other Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and House Races
The following candidates either did not respond to our request for information or an interview, or have not scheduled an interview as of today:
- Governor Race
- Lt. Governor Race
- Ghazala Hashmi (D)
- John Reid (R)
- Attorney General Race
- Jay Jones (D)
- Jason Miyares (R)
- House District 51 Race
- Eric Zehr (R)
- House District 53 Race
- Tim Griffin (R)