Pat Edmonson, current member of the School Board for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, is launching her campaign for the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor. Edmonson has served as a School Board member since 2006.

According to her profile on the Virginia Beach City Public Schools’ website, Edmonson, “was a two-term director at large for the National Hemophilia Association, emeritus director of the Hemophilia Association of the National Capital Area, and former director of fundraising for the National Hemophilia Association. Ms. Edmondson is a founding director of Adventures in Learning, a non-profit, community partnership, after-school program designed to address needs of at-risk youth. She is a member of The American Friends Service Committee and The American Association of University Women. Mrs. Edmonson holds a bachelor’s degree in history and social science from Elon University and a master’s degree in comparative religion from Princeton University. Ms. Edmonson is married with one son.”

Pat Edmonson has been an active member of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee, currently serving as Vice-Chair. I first met Pat at the 2008 2nd Congressional District Democratic Convention. She was one of the first people to greet attendees as they walked into the auditorium. After she greeted me, and upon my mentioning that I worked for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, she shared how she had unabashedly ran as a progressive Democrat in the non-partisan race for her School Board seat, and won.

That seems to be the point of her running for Lt. Governor. Edmonson believes it’s time for someone to give voters a real progressive choice in November’s election. Having served on the School Board, she feels that local government has their hands tied by Richmond, and she  believes that her election will help Virginia move forward beyond deadlocks that tend to stagnate the progress of localities.

Edmonson also believes that she can connect with voters throughout the state due to her understanding what regular people, like her, go through on a daily bases. As someone who works for a living, pays her bills, and isn’t wealthy; Edmonson feels that people will be able to relate to her. She says that she’ll be able to win the election for Lt. Governor in the same way she won the election for her School Board seat: finding common ground, and building consensus on issues everyone believes in.

The second point, and perhaps foundation of her campaign, is education. Edmonson is adamant that the solution to Virginia’s problems today, and in the future, is the proper education of our students. Edmonson believes that students who attend well funded schools focusing on 21st Century skills, such as collaboration and critical thinking, will go on to expand the economic prosperity of the commonwealth. As a School Board member, Edmonson has fought for the economically disadvantaged, making sure that opportunities for success in education are accessible to those in need.

Pat Edmonson is an energetic, determined, and qualified candidate for Lt. Governor. She may very well be the kind of candidate that can stand out and win against incumbent Bill Bolling. She faces Democrats Jody Wagner, Mike Signer, John Bowerbank, and Rich Savage in the upcoming Democratic primary.

Photo Source: Kristen Singleton

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