In the two days since her historic primary victory, transgender Virginia delegate candidate Danica Roem has attracted an avalanche of national attention.
NBC News, the Washington Post and Salon are among the dozens of news organizations that have covered Danica’s historic primary win and general election matchup against Delegate “Bigot Bob” Marshall, the most anti-LGBTQ legislator in Virginia.
Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center for Public Policy, called the contrast between Roem and Marshall “stark” and said Roem’s candidacy “might be just what the Democrats need to knock Bob Marshall off.”
Despite the national attention, Danica has remained focused on quality-of-life issues that matter in the 13th District, issues she spent years as a journalist covering: traffic congestion, teacher pay and new jobs.
Analyst Logan Casey told NBC News that on election day in November, “voters are going to be thinking about what they always think about — their economic situation [and] experiences living where they live.”
National observers believe Danica has a better shot than the most recent challengers to Marshall, as the district has trended “increasingly purple.”
If she unseats Marshall in the fall, Danica will be the first openly transgender candidate to serve in a U.S. state legislature.
