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Dance, Preston vying for Democratic nomination

There will be a Democratic Party Primary election on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 for the 10th and 16th state Senate districts and the 69th and 74th House of Delegates districts. Most of the East End is part of the 16th state Senate district (see below).

The polls will be be open from 6 AM – 7 PM. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot through the mail is Tuesday, June 2, 2015. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot in person (with limited exceptions) is Saturday, June 6, 2015.

The two Democratic candidates for the 16th state Senate district are Petersburg politicians Rosalyn R. Dance and Joseph E. Preston, in a contest that is getting a bit testy as it closer to election day.

Richmond school board member Derik Jones (son of Mayor Dwight Jones) had announced in March that he would be seeking the nomination but later withdrew from the contest. Joe Morrissey will be running as independent in the November election. There do not appear to be any other candidates at this time.

Before last year, Henry Marsh had served as the representative for State Senate District 16 since 1991. Marsh won a “a fiercely competitive” five-way contest for the Democratic primary nomination for the then-newly-redistricted district that year, before going on to hold the seat for more than two decades.

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Joseph E. Preston

Petersburg attorney Joseph E. Preston just finished serving his first year in the Virginia House of Delegates. Preston won the special election to replace Rosalyn R. Dance in the Virginia House of Delegates this past January. Three months into his term he announced that he would challenge Dance for her new Senate seat. Preston has practiced law in the city of Petersburg since 1985 and is a former Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney. He has been an Adjunct Professor at Virginia State University for over 25 years and was at the Petersburg Police Academy for 12 years.

Joseph E. Preston
josephepreston.com | Facebook
Richmond Sunlight | VPAP

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Rosalyn R. Dance (incumbent)

Dance served in the House of Delegates before winning the Senate seat vacated by Henry L. Marsh III last November. She had previously served as mayor of Petersburg from 1992–2004.

Dance is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, NARAL Pro-Choice VA, EMILY’S List, Governor McAuliffe, Lt.Governor Northam, Attorney General Herring, and State Senator McEachin.

Rosalyn R. Dance
danceforsenate.com | Facebok | Twitter
Richmond Sunlight | VPAP

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Virginia Senate District 16 (detail)