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Jennifer Wexton

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Jennifer Wexton
Official portrait, 2019
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byBarbara Comstock
Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 33rd district
In office
January 24, 2014 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byMark Herring
Succeeded byJennifer Boysko
Personal details
Born
Jennifer Lynn Tosini

(1968-05-27) May 27, 1968 (age 56)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Andrew Wexton
​
(m. 2001)​
Children2
EducationUniversity of Maryland, College Park (BA)
College of William & Mary (JD)
WebsiteHouse website

Jennifer Lynn Wexton (née Tosini, May 27, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the United States representative for Virginia's 10th congressional district since 2019.[1] The district is anchored in the outer portion of Northern Virginia, and includes all of Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Rappahannock County, parts of Fairfax County and Prince William County, and the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.[citation needed]

A Democrat, Wexton was a member of the Virginia Senate from 2014 to 2019; she represented the 33rd district, which includes parts of Fairfax and Loudoun Counties.

In 2018, Wexton was elected to Congress, defeating Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock with 56% of the vote. She was re-elected in 2020 and 2022. Some commentators have described Wexton as a moderate Democrat. In September 2023, after being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, Wexton announced that she would not seek re-election in 2024.

Early life and education

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Wexton is from Leesburg, Virginia. Her father and mother were senior economists at the United States Department of the Treasury and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, respectively.[2]

In 1992, Wexton graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. She then enrolled at the College of William & Mary's Law School and received a Juris Doctor in 1995.[2][3] At William & Mary, she was a member of Phi Delta Phi, a legal honor society.[4]

Early career

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Wexton was a partner in the Laurel Brigade Law Group.[5] She served as a substitute judge in Loudoun County, Virginia, and from 2001 to 2005 as an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney.[6][7]

Wexton successfully prosecuted Clara Jane Schwartz for the murder of her father, Robert Schwartz.[8] She ran for Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney in 2011, narrowly losing to Republican incumbent Jim Plowman.[9][10] She was elected to the Virginia Senate in 2014.[5][7]

Virginia Senate

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After Mark Herring, who represented the 33rd district in the Virginia Senate, won the 2013 election for attorney general of Virginia, Wexton declared her candidacy in the special election to fill the seat. The district includes northeastern Loudoun County and northwestern Fairfax County.[9] In the Democratic primary, Wexton defeated Herndon Town Councilor Sheila Olem.[11] In a campaign ad Wexton spoke of her experience defending victims of rape and assault and said she would "fight just as hard against tea party Republicans who would take away a woman's health care and her right to choose, even in cases of rape and incest." The Republican Party of Virginia criticized the ad, saying it compared Tea Party activists to rapists; Wexton's campaign denied the comparison.[12] She faced Republican John Whitbeck and Republican-turned-Independent Joe T. May in the January 2014 special election, and won 53%–38%–10%.[13] She took office on January 24, 2014,[14] and was reelected in the November 2015 general election. After being elected to the United States House of Representatives, Wexton resigned her Virginia Senate seat on January 3, 2019.

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2018

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Main article: 2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election

In April 2017, Wexton announced that she would run in the Democratic primary for the 10th district.[6] Her state senate district included much of the eastern portion of the congressional district, wrapping around Leesburg and Sterling. In June 2018 she won a six-way primary to become the Democratic nominee.[15] She defeated Alison Friedman, Lindsey Davis Stover, Deep Sran, Dan Helmer, Paul Pelletier, and Julia Biggins in the Democratic primary. In the November general election she defeated Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock[16] with 56% of the vote to Comstock's 44%.[17]

Wexton's victory meant that a Democrat would represent the 10th district for the first time since 1981.[18] The district had been represented by a Republican in Congress for 60 of the previous 66 years.[19] Wexton's victory also meant that until the next voting cycle, no Republicans would represent a congressional district in the immediate Washington, D.C. region.[20]

2020

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See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia § District 10

Wexton was reelected to a second term in 2020, defeating the Republican nominee, former U.S. Marine Aliscia Andrews.[21]

2022

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See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia § District 10

Wexton was reelected to a third term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee and U.S. Navy veteran Hung Cao, 53.2% to 46.7%.[22]

Tenure

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Shortly after defeating Comstock, Wexton declared her support for D.C. statehood.[23]

Wexton opposed Nancy Pelosi for speaker when running for Congress in 2018,[24] but voted for Pelosi for speaker in 2019.[25]

In May 2019, Wexton called for HUD Secretary Ben Carson's resignation after his House testimony that month.[26]

In July 2019, Wexton visited two mosques in Northern Virginia to hear from Muslim residents after President Donald Trump vilified Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar at a campaign rally.[27][28] Later that month, she announced her support for voting to impeach Trump over his request that Ukraine announce an investigation into his political rival Joe Biden.[29][30][31][32] On August 23, 2019, Wexton formed a new congressional caucus to examine and promote agritourism, which she believes could bring economic and social benefits to areas like the Loudoun Valley.[33][34]

In September 2020, Wexton authored the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act of 2020, a bill to require all publicly traded US companies to disclose whether any of their goods or part of their supply chain can be traced to the use of forced labor by ethnic minorities in Chinese internment camps or factories. The act was a companion bill to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which seeks to keep goods made with forced labor of detained ethnic minorities in China out of the US.[35]

During Donald Trump's presidency, Wexton voted in line with the president's stated position 6.5% of the time.[36] During the 117th Congress, she voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[37]

After being diagnosed with progressive supra-nuclear palsy in September 2023, Wexton announced that she would not seek reelection in 2024.[38][39]

On July 25, 2024, Wexton became the first member of the House of Representatives to have a model of her voice generated by artificial intelligence speak for her on the House floor. This also made her the first member of the House of Representatives to use any augmentative and alternative communication device on the House floor. The model said in part, "My battle with progressive Supranuclear palsy, or PSP, has robbed me of my ability to use my full voice and move around in the ways that I used to."[40]

Committee assignments

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Caucus memberships

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Political positions

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Some commentators have called Wexton a moderate Democrat.[42][27] She has emphasized her willingness to compromise and work with both Republicans and Democrats.[43]

Crime

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On February 9, 2023, Wexton voted to allow the District of Columbia's Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 to take effect. This act was a rewrite and modernization of the criminal code and included reductions in the maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking, and robbery.[44][45]

Economy

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In a 2019 town hall event, Wexton described herself as a capitalist.[46] In 2020, she supported increasing federal spending on infrastructure improvements and subsidies for the US airline industry, which was hit by decreased travel demand during the coronavirus pandemic. She also supports expanding broadband access, particularly in rural areas.[47]

Guns

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Wexton supports a bill to study the utility of credit card transactions as a warning tool for mass shootings. She suggested that "the Second Amendment and gun-violence prevention laws can coexist."[46]

Health care

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Wexton supports a public option for health care, suggesting that it would provide increased competition in areas with fewer private insurance options. She does not support "Medicare for All", a proposal to create a single-payer healthcare system and eliminate private insurance. She supports granting the federal government the ability to negotiate prescription drug prices.[46]

Wexton supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act and opposes the Trump administration's efforts to convince the US Supreme Court to invalidate the law. In a 2020 debate, she argued that striking down the ACA would once again allow insurance companies to impose lifetime health care spending limits.[47]

Immigration

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Wexton supports expanding the federal seasonal agricultural worker visa program and the H-1B visa program.[47]

Labor rights

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Wexton supports making it easier for workers to unionize. She criticized the Trump administration for not enforcing federally mandated workplace protections during the coronavirus pandemic.[47]

LGBT rights

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In January 2019, Wexton hung a transgender pride flag outside her office to show her support for the transgender community.[48][49] In February 2021, Wexton tweeted in support of Marie Newman, who has a transgender daughter, after Newman received criticism from Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for hanging a transgender flag outside her office as the House passed the Equality Act.[50]

Electoral history

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Date Election Candidate Party Votes %
Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney
November 8, 2011[51] General James E. "Jim" Plowman Republican 26,050 51.83
Jennifer T. Wexton Democratic 24,104 47.96
Write-ins 101 0.20
Republican incumbent reelected
Virginia Senate, 33rd District
January 21, 2014[52] General Special Jennifer T. Wexton Democratic 11,431 52.72
John C. L. Whitbeck, Jr. Republican 8,133 37.51
Joe T. May Independent 2,117 9.76
Write-ins 3 0.01
Mark Herring resigned; seat remained Democratic
November 3, 2015[53] General Jennifer T. Wexton Democratic 18,577 56.60
Stephen B. Hollingshead Republican 14,190 43.23
Write-ins 54 0.16


Virginia's 10th congressional district Democratic primary results, 2018[54]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jennifer Wexton 22,405 41.89
Democratic Alison Friedman 12,283 22.96
Democratic Lindsey Davis Stover 8,567 16.02
Democratic Dan Helmer 6,712 12.55
Democratic Paul Pelletier 2,010 3.76
Democratic Julia Biggins 1,513 2.83
Total votes 53,490 100.0
Virginia's 10th congressional district general election results, 2018[55]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jennifer Wexton 206,356 56.1
Republican Barbara Comstock (incumbent) 160,841 43.7
n/a Write-ins 598 0.2
Total votes 367,795 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
Virginia's 10th congressional district general election results, 2020[56]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jennifer Wexton 268,734 56.5 +0.4
Republican Aliscia Andrews 206,253 43.4 −0.3
Write-in 559 0.1 −0.1
Total votes 475,546 100.0
Democratic hold
2022 Virginia's 10th Congressional District election[57]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jennifer Wexton (incumbent) 157,405 53.15% −3.35%
Republican Hung Cao 138,163 46.65% +3.25%
Write-in 577 0.19% +.09%
Total votes 296,145
Democratic hold

Personal life

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Wexton married Andrew Wexton in 2001.[2] They have two sons.[11] Wexton is an aunt of a transgender child.[49]

In April 2023, Wexton announced that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In September of that year, she announced that her diagnosis had been changed to progressive supranuclear palsy, which is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease at early stages.[38][58] The condition has affected Wexton's mobility, her hearing, and her ability to speak. As of 2023, there is no treatment and no cure for progressive supranuclear palsy.[59] In May 2024, Wexton started using a text to speech app for delivering her speeches on the floor of the House.[60]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Congresswoman displays transgender pride flag outside office - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. January 5, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "WEDDINGS; Jennifer Tosini, Andrew Wexton". The New York Times. May 27, 2001. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  3. ^ "Report of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law 1997-1998". William & Mary Law School. 1998. p. 72. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2014.
  4. ^ "Jennifer L. Tosini". Phi Delta Phi. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Marcia Coyle (November 8, 2018). "How Many Women Lawyers Were Elected in the Midterms? Quite a Few". The National Law Journal. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Portnoy, Jenna (April 20, 2017). "Democrat Jennifer Wexton says she will challenge Rep. Barbara Comstock". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Virginia New Members 2019". The Hill. November 15, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  8. ^ Echtenkamp, Jon (October 15, 2002). "Fantasy, reality collide at murder trial". Fairfax Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Gibson, Caitlin (November 13, 2013). "Leesburg attorney Jennifer Wexton announces bid for Herring's Senate seat". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  10. ^ Gibson, Caitlin (November 9, 2011). "Incumbents fare well in many Northern Va. races, but Loudoun is an exception". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Baratko, Trevor (November 24, 2013). "Wexton wins Democratic primary to replace Herring in Virginia Senate". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  12. ^ Gibson, Caitlin (January 9, 2014). "Va. GOP takes offense at Wexton's state Senate campaign ad". The Washington Post.
  13. ^ Baratko, Trevor (January 21, 2014). "Jennifer Wexton wins Virginia Senate special election to succeed Mark Herring". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  14. ^ "Democrat Wexton joins Senate – Richmond Times-Dispatch: Local Government & Politics". Timesdispatch.com. May 15, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  15. ^ Portnoy, Jenna (June 12, 2018). "State Sen. Jennifer Wexton wins the Democratic race to run against Rep. Comstock". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  16. ^ Portnoy, Jenna (November 6, 2018). "Democrat Jennifer T. Wexton defeats Rep. Barbara Comstock, turning a GOP stronghold district in Virginia blue". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  17. ^ "Virginia - Full House results". cnn.com. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  18. ^ "Wexton unseats Comstock in Virginia's 10th District". WTOP News. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  19. ^ Wilkie, Christina (November 7, 2018). "Good early sign for Democrats: Jennifer Wexton unseats GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock in Virginia: NBC News". CNBC. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  20. ^ "Wexton Wins House Seat In Virginia As D.C. 'Burbs Go Blue". WAMU. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  21. ^ "Rep. Jennifer Wexton holds off Andrews to win second term". Insidenova. November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  22. ^ "Democrat Jennifer Wexton wins Virginia's 10th Congressional District race". WRIC.com. November 9, 2022. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  23. ^ Delgadillo, Natalie (November 8, 2018). "Virginia's Jennifer Wexton Comes Out In Support Of D.C. Statehood". WAMU. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  24. ^ Perticone, Joe (October 29, 2019). "Opposition to Trump is making the DC suburbs finally turn blue". Business Insider. Insider Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  25. ^ Laslo, Matt (November 20, 2018). "New Virginia Democrats Deciding on House Speaker". WVTF. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  26. ^ Golgowski, Nina (May 23, 2019). "Lawmaker Urges Ben Carson To Resign After Disastrous House Testimony". HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  27. ^ a b Gambino, Lauren (July 20, 2019). "The moderate squad: swing-state Democrats wary of leftward path". The Guardian. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  28. ^ "Following Trump's racist tweets, Rep. Jennifer Wexton visits Northern Va. mosques". WDVM 25. July 19, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  29. ^ Portnoy, Jenna (July 30, 2019). "Rep. Wexton, Del. Holmes Norton call for an impeachment inquiry against Trump". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  30. ^ "A new flood of Democrats call for impeachment proceedings, but does it matter?". CBS News. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  31. ^ McPherson, Lindsey (August 1, 2019). "Support for Impeachment Inquiry Grows in the House". Roll Call. FiscalNote. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  32. ^ Fandos, Nicholas (August 13, 2019). "Impeachment tracker: How many Democrats are calling for an impeachment inquiry into Trump?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  33. ^ Ouellette, Nathan (August 23, 2019). "Congress' new caucus: Wexton gives agritourism a voice". Roll Call. FiscalNote. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  34. ^ Cline, Nathaniel (August 26, 2019). "Rep. Wexton launches Congressional Agritourism Caucus, tours rural businesses". Loudoun Times. Virginia News Group. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  35. ^ "Congress seeks to block goods from China over forced labor". Associated Press. September 22, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  36. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Silver, Nate. "Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump – Jennifer Wexton". FiveThirtyEight. ABC News. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  37. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  38. ^ a b Portnoy, Jenna (September 18, 2023). "Rep. Jennifer Wexton will not seek reelection as diagnosis changes". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  39. ^ Zanona, Melanie (September 18, 2023). "Jennifer Wexton will not seek reelection, citing health concerns". CNN.
  40. ^ Gainor, Danya (July 25, 2024). "Wexton makes history as first member to use AI voice on House floor | CNN Politics". CNN.
  41. ^ "Leadership | New Democrat Coalition". New Democrat Coalition. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  42. ^ Pope, Michael (June 13, 2018). "Democrats Didn't Always Pick The Most Progressive Candidate And That Might Help Them In November". WVTF. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  43. ^ Barakat, Matthew (June 1, 2018). "Race to take on Comstock focuses on resume, not ideology". Associated Press. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  44. ^ Minock, Nick (March 6, 2023). "Va. AG slams Spanberger, Wexton, Beyer and Connolly for approving DC criminal code bill". WJLA.
  45. ^ "House votes to overturn DC criminal code and voting laws". AP News. February 9, 2023.
  46. ^ a b c Palermo, Jill (February 11, 2020). "A town hall divided: Speakers reflect political chasm splitting Virginia voters". Prince William Times. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  47. ^ a b c d Olivo, Antonio. "Jennifer Wexton, Aliscia Andrews spar over immigration, health care during debate in blue-leaning Virginia congressional district". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  48. ^ Martinez, Gina (January 5, 2019). "Rep. Jennifer Wexton Hangs Transgender Pride Flag Outside Her Capitol Hill Office". Time. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  49. ^ a b "Transgender pride flag hung in Congress by Rep. Jennifer Wexton". NBC News. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  50. ^ "Marjorie Taylor Greene's Twitter attack on congresswoman's transgender daughter draws outrage". Los Angeles Times. February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  51. ^ "Election Results – Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney – Nov11 General Election". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  52. ^ "Special General Election – January 28, 2014". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  53. ^ "General Election – November 3, 2015". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  54. ^ "2018 June Democratic Primary". Results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  55. ^ "Official Results, 2018 November General". Virginia Department of Elections. November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  56. ^ "2020 November General". Results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  57. ^ "2022 November General". Results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  58. ^ Wong, Scott (September 18, 2023). "Rep. Jennifer Wexton won't seek reelection after new diagnosis: 'I'm heartbroken'". NBC News. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  59. ^ "Coping with "Parkinson's on steroids," Virginia Rep. Jennifer Wexton navigates exhausting and gridlocked Congress - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. November 18, 2023.
  60. ^ "Rep. Jennifer Wexton uses voice app to address House after degenerative condition diagnosis". May 7, 2024.
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Senate of Virginia
Preceded by Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 33rd district
2014–2019 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 10th congressional district
2019–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
283rd 		Succeeded by
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