NORFOLK, Va. — Two familiar faces are seeking the Democratic nomination to be Senator in Virginia's 21st district, which includes most of Norfolk.
Angelia Williams Graves and Andria McClellan served on the city council together for years, but now the two are running against each other.
"I'm running for State Senate because I believe I have the experience, the knowledge, and the relationships in order to do the job and be effective day one," Graves, a current State Delegate, told News 3 this week.
"I'm running for the Virginia State Senate because I want to continue the work I've done on the local level in the General Assembly," McClellan said in an interview.
While candidates in other primary races have exchanged negative rhetoric, Graves and McClellan have both said they're not going to run attack ads or use other negative tactics in this race.
"Women going after women is not how you empower other women," said Graves.
"I think voters want to hear what I'm going to do and not something negative about my opponent," said McClellan.
On policy, the two generally seem aligned. They both say a major priority is to protect reproductive health care and want to see Virginia enshrine the current abortion law into the Constitution.
They do differ on what they identify as their top issues. Graves told The Virginian Pilot she was focused on abortion rights and gun violence.
McClellan said she was focused on fighting flooding and creating more economic opportunity.
News 3 asked both about those issues.
"Gun violence is a huge issue. I didn't just come to that revelation from knocking [on] doors," said Graves. "I know we have an issue with flooding, but it is an issue that is going to be a multi-year, multi-budget fix. It is not an issue we can just solve in one year in one budget cycle."
"The work that I've done on gun violence locally, in terms of Norfolk and our Violence Intervention Programs, and supporting that is something I'll continue to do," said McClellan. "What's going to differentiate me as a Democrat in the General Assembly and a representative of Norfolk and our region is the work I'm going to do on flooding."
McClellan also notes a difference back when they were both on the city council when she was the lone vote against moving forward with Norfolk's casino, which has yet to break ground.
"Time will tell as to whether or not we picked the right developer, but we voted on this in 2019. It's 2023, and we don't have a shovel in the ground," said McClellan.
Graves is leaning in on her experience as a current Delegate. "I have the experience there. I have introduced bills and I have passed bills," she said. "Norfolk needs someone who can go in and get started on day one, and I am that candidate."
Early voting for the June 20 Primary is already happening. No one else has declared to run in the race so far, meaning the winner of the primary will be the next State Senator.
