Debra Rodman

Debra H. Rodman (born 1972) is a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates. She was first elected in 2017, and represented the 73rd district comprising parts of Henrico County. Rodman is a member of the Democratic Party.

Debra Rodman
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 73rd district
In office
January 10, 2018 – January 8, 2020
Preceded byJohn O'Bannon
Succeeded byRodney Willett
Personal details
Born1972 (age 48–49)[1]
Tallahassee, Florida[1]
Political partyDemocratic[1]
Spouse(s)Darryl Lowery [1]
Children2[1]
ResidenceHenrico, Virginia[2]
Alma materUniversity of Miami
University of Florida[1]
ProfessionAnthropologist and professor[2]
CommitteesAgriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources; Education; Health, Welfare and Institutions[1]
Websitewww.debrarodman.com

Personal life and career

Debra Rodman was raised in Coral Gables, Florida.[2] Rodman is an associate professor at Randolph-Macon College, teaching anthropology and women's studies.[2] She travels to Guatemala yearly, where she researches the effects of migration on that country. Rodman also serves as an expert witness for asylum seekers.[2][3]

Political career

In 2017, Rodman ran for the Virginia House of Delegates for the 73rd district, then held by Republican incumbent John O'Bannon. Rodman defeated three other candidates in a caucus on April 29, 2017 to win the Democratic nomination.[4] In the general election, Rodman defeated O'Bannon by a 3% margin.[5] She has raised $373,000 over the course of the campaign, outraised by O'Bannon by nearly $200,000.[6] In 2019, Rodman challenged incumbent Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant for the Senate of Virginia's 12th District seat.[7][8] Rodman narrowly lost the election to Dunnavant on November 5, 2019.[9]

Electoral history
Date Election Candidate Party Votes %
Virginia Senate, 12th district
Nov 5, 2019[10] General Siobhan Dunnavant Republican 39,700 50.76
Debra Rodman Democratic 38,364 49.05
Date Election Candidate Party Votes %
Virginia House of Delegates, 73rd district
Nov 7, 2017[11] General Debra Rodman Democratic 14,697 51.48
John O'Bannon Republican 13,803 48.35

Legislative issues

Rodman ran on and helped pass Medicaid Expansion, which gives health care access to over 400,000 Virginians.[12] She also refuses to take money from Dominion Power or Appalachian Energy.[13]

In the 2019 legislative session, Rodman was the chief sponsor for bills to expand LGBTQ equality, voting rights, and increase the tipped minimum wage.[14]

Rodman was on the Education Committee, Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee, and Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee.[15]

References
  1. "Bio for Debra H. Rodman". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  2. Wilson, Patrick (December 30, 2017). "Randolph-Macon associate professor among wave of Democrats who flipped Republican seats in Va. House". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  3. Kruszewski, Jackie (January 22, 2018). "Settling in: Behind the scenes with two rookie Henrico legislators as they adjust to life in the Virginia General Assembly". Henrico Citizen. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  4. Martz, Michael (April 29, 2017). "Democrats nominate Debra H. Rodman to face Delegate O'Bannon". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  5. Lappas, Tom (November 7, 2017). "Blue crush: Democrats celebrate key Henrico wins". Henrico Citizen. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  6. "House of Delegates District 73, 2017 Election". Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  7. Wilson, Patrick (March 11, 2019). "Del. Debra Rodman joins Democratic primary for Dunnavant's state Senate seat". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  8. Wilson, Patrick (June 11, 2019). "Democrats choose Del. Debra Rodman to take on Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  9. Freeman Jr., Vernon (November 5, 2019). "Republican Siobhan Dunnavant wins tight race for State Senate District 12". WTVR. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  10. "State Senate District 12". www.vpap.org. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  11. "Elections: House of Delegates District 73". www.vpap.org. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  12. Moomaw, Graham (March 30, 2018). "For Va. House Democratic freshmen, Medicaid expansion vote is payoff to 2017 campaigns". Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  13. Zullo, Robert (November 9, 2017). "Thirteen candidates who refuse Dominion money win seats in the General Assembly". Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  14. "2019 Session: Delegate Debra Rodman". Virginia's Legislative Information System. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  15. "2019 Session: Delegate Debra Rodman". Virginia's Legislative Information System. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
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