DEAN MIRSHAHI: Delegate-elect Jessica Anderson, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today.

Can you start by telling us about yourself and your district?

JESSICA ANDERSON: I ran for the 71st district, which is all of the city of Williamsburg, which we are sitting in right now, a majority of James City County and then the eastern side of New Kent.

I personally have been a Virginian, lifelong, I grew up next door in Newport News, but I've resided in this district for now 25 years.

[I] started actually in New Kent and then after a divorce kind of migrated my way to Williamsburg and James City County and I've been here ever since.

DEAN MIRSHAHI: Can you talk about your background and how you became a house delegate candidate?

JESSICA ANDERSON: Basically, I mentioned I got divorced in 2014 and I had to, for the first time in in my life navigate social safety nets, namely Medicaid and SNAP, with my three young daughters.

Very eye-opening experience, but it also taught me that the system is not really built to help everybody and I quickly, in a year's time after returning to work, lost my benefits in exchange for $5,000 pay raise of taxable income I lost $7,000 a year in EBT food benefits.

So, you know, I was very fortunate to have a support system nearby, family, but I know that's not the case for a lot of people.

So that was kind of my introduction to, like, policy and how it doesn't work.

Fast forward, I met and married my now husband and then ended up getting a job in the school system in WJCC in the front office.

[I've] been there eight years but another opportunity to kind of see behind the curtain beyond being just a parent.

I was seeing the disparities in the city.

I was seeing just a lack of resources for educators and staff.

The low rate of pay and kind of them battling every year trying to get pay raises and, you know, all of the things.

And so again, like this is all policy driven.

I got very close with our local committee here, Democratic committee, and said, "Hey in 2022," I was like, "I want to run for something."

And they were like, "What are you — what are your passions?"

And I really talked about, you know, education, and reproductive access, and health care and health care costs and they're like, "Oh, it sounds like you should be running for the state house."

So I signed up immediately and ran was in '23, came super close, you know, missing it just by over 600 votes.

And so I knew right away I was ready to do it again in '25 and we did.

And we were successful this year, which is great.

DEAN MIRSHAHI: What did you learn during your campaign about what people in this district want from their delegate?

And how do you plan on delivering it for them?

JESSICA ANDERSON: Top tier issue was always about affordability.

Like, when we actually got down to, like, what are you worried about?

People are worried about cost of living.

People are worried about rising health care costs.

People are worried about just the fact that, you know, am I gonna have to refinance my house to accommodate some of the other costs that are coming down the pipeline that I wasn't ready for or didn't see, you know, down the road?

There's a lot of group of people in this area, particularly that are retirees and they're not quite 65, so they're not quite at that threshold of Medicare.

So they're dependent on things like the ACA that we're seeing, you know, spikes in costs.

They're dependent on Medicaid.

They're dependent on disability.

So, there's a lot of fear right now around unknowns because of, you know, unfortunately, a bill that's been passed at the federal level that's going to have huge implications in Virginia.

DEAN MIRSHAHI: Education also was kind of a core campaign focus as well.

Of course, you talked about advocating for smaller classroom sizes and making sure 3 and 4-year-olds have pre-K access.

I'm wondering why education, and also what specific kind of steps do you think you as a legislator can make to ensure those changes happen?

JESSICA ANDERSON: It's coming down to funding education on so many different levels.

So, not only making sure we're paying, you know, livable salaries and competitive salaries across the — across the nation, not just the commonwealth.

But also the fact that infrastructure needs are very relevant.

I'm very fortunate, I live in a district that is investing in early childhood education.

We actually have two early childhood buildings that are being built that are going to be ready and open for the '27-'28 school year, which is going to free up space in our buildings and give us a smaller classroom size.

opportunity and some redistricting opportunities.

Expanding early childhood and making it part of the K through 12 funding formula is not new to the GA.

This is something that's been in conversation for the last couple of sessions And has been introduced, and they've been making kind of little incremental steps to moving closer to that.

And I think that's going to continue to be a path.

I think people realize if you're having to worry about cost of child care so that your child can be — You know, so you can go back to the workforce and be able to pay your bills is going to keep you from going back into the workforce, we're talking about affecting the workforce collectively and that's an economic concern.

And I think kind of talking about these issues and making it relevant no matter where you land politically, like... Protecting education, funding education, expanding access to education is going to make our communities more robust economically.

And it's going to benefit us all.

We're going to lift all the boats.

And so I think making sure that the messaging around these issues makes it easier for people to be more on board with the cost behind it.

I think a lot of things are going to be expensive.

Again, we talked about the health care side of things, so we're going to have to be really, I don't know, responsible and kind of strategic about these decisions.

But they need to be made because we — if we're not taking care of our youngest residents and making sure they have a really great start, we're doing a disservice to our community at large.

DEAN MIRSHAHI: How are you going to navigate maybe conversations with people in your district about not getting everything that you may want your first go around?

JESSICA ANDERSON: Yeah JESSICA ANDERSON: I mean, and I think I've been very realistic even in the doors.

You know, it's like these are my big goals, but I recognize that I'm only one person of 100 in the delegate side and that, you know, it's going to be introducing it.

It may not be the first session, it may take two or three sessions that's really how government works.

And making people more cognizant of that reality, because I do think sometimes people think we do an election and like overnight all of the things we wanted are going to come true and that's just not the way — that's not the way any government works.

So continuing to message on that reality, but also having the hard conversations with my, you know, the people that I'm working with in the GA and not just on the Democratic side on the Republican side, too.

You know, we need to be making sure that Southwest Virginia, who is heavily represented by Republicans, also has incredible access to health care, incredible access to good education, you know, outcomes with their public education.

That's an issue there.

So, you know, I'm not only benefiting my backyard, but I'm benefiting people that have different ideologies than me and different perspectives than me, but all want the same things for their community.

DEAN MIRSHAHI: In two years, when you look back at your first term, I'm wondering.

What would you consider successful?

What do you hope to accomplish in this first term?

JESSICA ANDERSON: I think getting in there and kind of learning the landscape and understanding the people that I'm going to be working with closely across the political lines, all of the delegates, all 99 other members that are going to be there with me, I think building relationships.

Building relationships leads to good policy, and good policy being passed.

And so I want to make sure that I do that.

And my other top tier thing that I want to come away from this session and next session and the year is constituency services.

I want the people that I'm representing to know that I am always a resource, I am always accessible and that if I don't have the answer, I will find it for you.

And so, I think while yes, the policymaking is kind of the glory of this game, being available and really working hard for constituents directly in district, I think is something that we don't talk about enough, but it's probably one of the most key components of this role.

I am the somebody that you're going to see at the grocery store.

I am the somebody you're going to see and be able to come up to me while I'm running on the trails or having dinner with my family.

And please do that.

But I want that relationship to remain.

You know, I want people to know that, you know, I am someone that you're going to have a seat at the table no matter what the issue is and no matter who you are.

DEAN MIRSHAHI: Delegate-elect Anderson, thank you so much for your time.

We really appreciate it.

JESSICA ANDERSON: Yes JESSICA ANDERSON: Thank you.

Thank you for coming out.