RE-ELECT DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST: Lee Carter - Virginia - House of Delegates

LEE CARTER - VIRGINIA

House of Delegates - District 50

Lee joined the Marine Corps during the beginning of the 'Global War on Terror', and worked in technological repair in a Special Operations-capable support unit, completing tours in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. His unit was also one of the first to respond to Haiti, following the devastating earthquake in 2010.

Throughout Lee's career and civic engagement his focus has been on helping others — whether that was in his service in the Marine Corps, helping provide cancer patients with consistent care by maintaining biomedical radiation therapy equipment, or assisting small local businesses with IT support.

Lee Carter Schools MSNBC On How Democrats Can Win

Lee’s vote to expand Medicaid was one of the proudest moments of his life, and people are signing up faster than expected for the program. But there are still over half a million Virginians with no health insurance whatsoever, and over a million more who have insurance but can't afford to use it. Lee won't stop fighting until we achieve universal coverage in Virginia.

Lee knows that reproductive rights are human rights. He is an unapologetic supporter of a woman’s right to choose and will never support legislation that limits women’s access to healthcare. He will also continue the fight for pay equity, workplace rights, and increased protection from domestic violence and sexual assault.

In 2019, Lee co-sponsored HJ 579 to ratify the ERA, and he won't stop fighting until women have constitutionally protected equality.

Lee supports raising teacher pay, and in 2019 he introduced HB 1764 which would allow teachers to stand up and demand better working conditions without fear of reprisal. Lee supports massive investment in school capital improvements, the elimination of as many SOLs as possible, and he opposes all attempts to privatize education (e.g. charter schools).

Lee believes we need to stop criminalizing poverty, end cash bail, abolish private prisons, and end the application of the death penalty. In 2019, Lee introduced HB 2373 to legalize cannabis in Virginia. He also introduced HB 1761 prohibiting government purchase of goods and services produced by prison labor.

Lee believes we need to build a world-class mass transit system capable of providing for Northern Virginia’s ever-growing population and reducing commuting times. Lee supports increased funding for public transportation and has consistently opposed new tolls. He supports upgrading existing intersections to alleviate bottlenecks and safety issues and will push for night and weekend service for the VRE.

Lee refuses to accept campaign contributions from all for-profit entities, including all corporate donors. He supports banning corporate contributions and establishing a system of publicly financed elections.

His Personal, Gift and Campaign Finance Disclosures Can Be Found HERE!

We have a crisis of housing affordability - housing costs are the single largest squeeze on residents of Manassas and Prince William County. Lee supports a wide variety of policies to lower the cost of housing, including cooperative ownership and a public option for housing.

Lee refuses contributions from the fossil-fuel industry and opposes the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and fracking. In 2019, he co-sponsored HB 1635 to stop new fossil-fuel infrastructure construction. Lee supports massive investments in green energy and believes consumers should be able to purchase or produce their own renewable energy.

Voting is foundational to democracy, and Lee supports efforts to make it easier for people to vote. Lee supports repealing Virginia’s voter ID law and instituting no excuse early voting and same-day voter registration. He also supports ranked-choice voting.

Lee was partially inspired to run for office after a horrific experience with the Commonwealth’s worker compensation program. He will continue to fight for paid family leave and sick days, a minimum wage of at least $15/hr. indexed to inflation, and workers compensation reform. In 2019, Lee introduced HB 1806 to repeal the anti-union freeloader law (aka, “right to work”), and he’ll continue to fight for repeal until it gets done.

Lee supports immediately passing legislation to prohibit discrimination in employment, public accommodation, public contracting, apprenticeship programs, housing, banking, and insurance on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. He also supports repeal of the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, and he’ll work to remove provisions in the Code of Virginia that prohibit same-sex marriage.

Lee believes elected officials should protect consumers from predatory behavior. In Virginia, loan sharks have been able to prey on vulnerable people in their times of need, and that’s why Lee was a co-patron on HB 47, the Payday Lending Prohibition Act. Lee also introduced HB 1755 to establish net neutrality in Virginia

A Progressive Candidates Campaign