Del. Ellen H. Campbell of Fairfield is seeking reelection to the House of Delegates, representing the 36th District, which includes portions of Rockbridge, Augusta, and Bath counties as well as the cities of Lexington and Buena Vista.
Campbell said her decision to run again comes from a continued belief that she can make a difference for local residents. “Since the voters sent me to Richmond, I’ve been able to pass some truly meaningful legislation that has been great for our district,” she said. “I believe I am the candidate who can continue that work.”
First elected to the General Assembly in 2023, Campbell said her top priorities remain the same ones she ran on initially: public safety, affordability, and child care access.
“Since day one, my priorities have been public safety, keeping our daily lives affordable, and making sure our children have quality and adequate child care,” she said.
Campbell said Virginia’s financial footing is strong, and she wants to build on that stability.
“Governor Youngkin has put the commonwealth in a great position financially,” she said. “I would certainly like to see an increase in what we spend for early childhood education. It’s certainly a balancing act to create a budget, but I don’t think we would have to make drastic cuts anywhere to make this happen.”
Education, she said, remains one of her most important areas of focus. Campbell pointed to the state’s recent increases in teacher pay and bonuses as a sign of progress.
“Last year we were able to increase teacher pay and even give them a bonus for their hard work,” she said.
She voiced support for Governor Youngkin’s “no cell phone” initiative in schools, calling it “an important step in making sure our children have a distraction-free education.”
On the topic of artificial intelligence in classrooms, Campbell said it will be a major issue in the next legislative session. “We will absolutely have to address the growth of AI, and I suspect we will see several bills on this topic in 2026,” she said.
As a member of the Rural Healthcare Committee, Campbell said she has seen firsthand the challenges faced by small communities in accessing care.
“One of the biggest things we can focus on is access,” she said. “I’m currently working with groups here locally to address this and find ways to secure funding for them to provide transportation to and from doctors’ appointments.”
On economic development, Campbell said she is proud of legislation she’s helped pass to make the region more attractive to employers.
“We need to keep easing restrictions and cutting government red tape to make our area attractive to businesses,” she said. “Economic development is a huge part of this, and I’ve been happy to pass legislation over the past two years that make it easier for businesses to come here to the 36th District.”
Campbell also outlined her views on several high-profile statewide issues. On reproductive rights, she said she opposes the proposed constitutional amendment that would enshrine abortion access in Virginia law. “It’s being painted as a way to bring back Roe, and that’s just not true,” she said. “This would make Virginia an outlier in most of the world. We should focus more on offering resources for women who find themselves in the situation of an unexpected pregnancy.”
She said she supports the Second Amendment rights of lawful gun owners and believes hiring decisions should be based purely on merit.
“The DEI question is simple,” she said. “The best person for the job should be hired, plain and simple. It shouldn’t matter what they look like or what they believe.”
Campbell said bipartisanship is key to her approach in Richmond. “I’ve been successful working across the aisle to get things passed,” she said. “It’s extremely important to create friendships and work together on legislation that benefits all Virginians. At the end of the day, we all want to make lives easier for everyone.”
ELLEN CAMPBELL
