With less than a week before the June 20 Democratic primary, the three candidates vying for the nomination in the House of Delegates 54th District are making a final appeal to voters. While the candidates’ platforms are similar on topics from abortion rights to gun control to healthcare and climate, Bellamy Brown, Katrina Callsen and Dave Norris each highlighted a different issue as a top priority in interviews on Charlottesville Right Now.

Brown, a Charlottesville native, entrepreneur and Marine Corps veteran, said voters have most frequently mentioned gun violence to him as a top concern, including one veteran Brown met at a Moms Demand Action event.

“He was like, ‘Bellamy, forget about the veterans. Take care of the kids. Make sure that they have what they need to work to resolve these gun violence issues and the challenges that they’re having,’”  said Brown, who has raised $18,326 according to vpap.org. “And that just stuck with me because he held my hand pretty firm, and that was his deal.”

Brown, the only Charlottesville native in the race, believes he’s best equipped to address this issue at the state level. He has several proposals aimed at reducing the gun violence: increasing the age to buy handguns to 24 or 25 and holding parents more accountable when their children gain access to weapons.

“If we look at where a lot of these challenges are happening, it is in the Black community. And that’s a long history that goes there with regard to local policies as to how we got there,” he said. “I am the only candidate here that can serve as a Black male role model to some of these kids… I fully intend to capitalize on that and try to help change the paradigm.” 

Callsen, a deputy city attorney in Charlottesville, chair of the Albemarle School Board and the only female candidate among the three, named reproductive rights as her most pressing priority.

“I think we’ve all heard rumors of Governor Youngkin potentially having aspirations beyond our state, and for him to do that, he needs to take action on abortion and he needs to pass something,” Callsen said. “We know that’s what’s going to be debated at the state level. And it’s more important than ever. I think many Democrats feel this way, to have strong legislators in Richmond who will speak for women in their experience.”

Callsen, who has raised nearly $173,000 for her campaign, according to vpap.org, said her top priority if elected would be to codify abortion law into the state constitution. She noted that it takes two legislative cycles, “so the earlier that we can start passing laws protecting abortion rights, the better because it’s going to take a while.”

Norris, a former Charlottesville city councilor and mayor who has also held high-profile roles with numerous local nonprofits, cited affordable housing in Charlottesville as his top issue.

“If you talk to any everyday, Charlottesville, regular kind of working-class citizen, so to speak, the cost of living here is just unbearable for many people, and it’s a real struggle to get by. That’s largely due to the cost of housing,” said Norris, who according to vpap.org has raised $35,636. “That happens to be my number one issue as well.”

On Thursday, June 15, Norris also unveiled a series of economic proposals to help grow the middle class. Among his proposed initiatives: expanding the base of living wage and skilled trade jobs, advocating for collective bargaining and creating a statewide credit repair loan fund to “help Virginians break out of debt…climb the financial ladder and help them improve their credit score so that they can access the mainstream financial resources,” he said.

Charlottesville leads the state in early voting, and many ballots have already been cast. The winner of the June 20 primary in the 54th District will likely run unopposed in November.

Listen to the interview with Bellamy Brown here.

Listen to the interview with Katrina Callsen here.

List to the interview with Dave Norris here.