Laura Jane Cohen

Laura Jane started her career working for the Democratic Lt. Governor and Secretary of State of Georgia, her native state. In 2001, she moved to Fairfax County and became an advocate on Capitol Hill for several disease prevention and treatment organizations, eventually becoming director of outreach for a national Parkinson’s nonprofit.

After having two kids, Laura Jane taught preschool for several years before becoming a long-term substitute teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools. Later, as her children entered school, Laura Jane served on her PTA board for nine years.

Following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, Laura Jane began volunteering with Moms Demand Action, proudly wearing her red shirt to lobby lawmakers in Richmond and D.C. to reform weak gun laws. She remains an active volunteer with the group to this day.

When Laura Jane’s local school board member openly opposed adding LGBTQ students to her school district’s anti-discrimination policy and began spreading hatred of transgender students, Laura Jane knew she had to run against her.

Claiming a nearly ten-point victory, Laura Jane went to work for Springfield District families in 2020. On the School Board, she fought to address COVID learning loss, teach accurate and inclusive history, increase teacher and staff pay, protect school libraries from censorship, prevent gun violence, defend LGBTQIA+ students and staff, and give teachers and school staff a seat at the decision-making table with collective bargaining rights.

In the General Assembly, Laura Jane is standing up to Governor Youngkin’s far-right agenda and stopping Richmond Republicans from undermining Virginian’s values. She is fighting to protect our world-class public schools, defend abortion access, prevent gun violence, and protect our democracy.