Mike Mullin is a law and order liberal -- a politically effective position. He is running against the candidate he beat in the special election to win this seat. He continues to serve as a Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Suffolk. He stresses his commitment to opposing gang violence and has been certified by the Virginia Gang Investigator's Association as a Gang Investigator.

Originally from New York, Schuyler VanValkenburg went to the University of Richmond. He married and stayed in Virginia. He has been teaching school. National Board Certified, he is good at it. Much as he may love to teach, but is now a politician -- running for an open House of Delegates seat. His first few issues include infrastructure spending, fixing the tax code, and adopting the medicaid expansion that is part of the ACA. He concludes with education spending.

Dawn Adams is a six foot tall athlete. She joined the US Coast Guard when she was 17 and left as a Captain. She served as a search and rescue pilot. An extremely hard worker, she made her way through college and graduate school. She became an RN, a nurse practitioner, and earned a doctorate. Now she is Head of the Office of Integrated Health for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. She is no bureaucrat. She is an inspiration.

Karrie Delaney is the Democratic candidate for Virginia's House of Delegates District 67. She is originally from Florida and was originally a Republican. Having moved to Virginia, she became involved in the nonprofit world there. She chaired the County Citizen Corps Council and was appointed to the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees. She chaired that board, too. Governor McAuliffe appointed her to the to the Virginia Commission on Youth. One of her projects has been work with Voices for Vaccines, which provides parents with scientific information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable disease.

Jennifer Caroll Foy is a graduate of VMI. That alone is news. She is one of the first African-American women to graduate from the Virginia Military Institute. Graduating from VMI is a demonstration of her courage and persistence, qualities she continues to demonstrate in her work. A public defender in Arlington, she has started a Foundation to support children in foster care. No small challenge for her, VA 02 is a 95% white district. She does have one surprise advantage. Although the recount forced her to have a late start in the general election, her Republican opponent had a later start. He is a substitute, required because the original Republican candidate falsified his educational credentials.