As filing deadlines approach, there’s been a flurry of activity the past few days in the race for the 62nd District House of Delegates seat.
First, Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, announced Thursday night he would not seek reelection in November to a sixth term in the Virginia General Assembly representing the district that spans Madison and Greene counties as well as part of Orange and Culpeper.
Then, Freitas on Thursday endorsed Orange homeschool mother Karen Hamilton, who is married to a Trump administration official. She set up a campaign website and social media presence over the weekend and secured signatures to get on the Republican primary ballot by this week’s deadline.
Finally, on Sunday, Madison County Board of Supervisors Chairman Clay Jackson announced his intent to run in the June 17 Republican primary for the 62nd District seat.
Jackson, 40, is a beef farmer whose grandparents retired to Madison in the 1970s and started the farm where he spent summers growing up. He planned to be on Main Street collecting signatures for his bid for state office on Monday.
Freitas made the announcement he was retiring from his elected seat during a town hall meeting at Madison at the Mill in Orange.
“I have been serving in the House of Delegates for 10 years,” he said in a video posted to social media afterward. “I am someone that believes serving in an elected office is not necessarily supposed to be a lifelong profession.”
Freitas introduced and announced his support for Hamilton, an apparent first-time political candidate. She is married to Trump administration official Cameron Hamilton, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a U.S. Navy Seal who ran last year for Congress in the 7th District. Hamilton is listed as treasurer of the Orange County Republican Committee on the group’s website.
“You may be a surprised to see me up here — I’m a little bit surprised being here myself … wasn’t really planning on doing this,” she said in remarks posted in a video by the Piedmont Journal Recorder. “They continued to approach me with the idea. … I was a little bit intimidated at first, but ultimately, I came to the conclusion that this is not a time to be timid. My name is Karen Hamilton. … My husband ran for Congress this past year.”
She lauded Freitas for “courage, conviction and consistency” in the statehouse.
“We’re really going to miss him come November, and of course, it’s up to the voters to decide who they want, and if it happens to be me … I am going to do my very best to represent the strength of this district,” Hamilton said.
Cameron Hamilton posted on social media Thursday, “We had an amazing night in Orange County! #VA07 is ready to elect a representative who fights for #WeThePeople and has the scars to prove it. I am grateful for the confidence of @NickJFreitas & my wife Karen’s support for the campaign. Thank you to the amazing Patriots who joined us!”
Sunday night, Jackson announced on social media that he too was running for the Republican nomination.
“To the citizens of Central Virginia and specifically the 62nd district, I’d like announce I’ll be out gathering signatures to run as your representative in the upcoming Republican House of Delegates primary. I hope to bring some fiscal responsibility, common sense legislating and increased representation to our communities at the state level,” he stated in the post.
Reached Monday morning by phone on the job, the owner-operator at Senterfitt & VA Cattle said he would bring “some common sense” to Richmond. Jackson, a member of the Madison Extension Council who is also involved in other community groups, has been on the Board of Supervisors for 12 years, 10 years as chairman. Jackson was the youngest person to ever run for the Madison board, and he also sat on the county Planning Commission.
“What sets me apart, being in local politics, I run with experience. I think I have a good sense of what’s good for Virginia and the 62nd,” he said.
“Stop by the stockyard by noon or 5 p.m. this afternoon Main Street Madison, really would appreciate some more signatures on these petitions, Thank you everyone for all the support!!” Jackson posted Monday morning.
He will run in the primary for the GOP nomination against Hamilton, whose campaign website went live over the weekend: hamiltonforvirgina.com.
The main page says, “Virginia is for Patriots,” noting she grew up in a military town. “Her early life was shaped by the patriotism of her community, her parents’ strong Christian values, and keeping up with her two older brothers. [Hamilton’s) parents served as missionaries for many years, modeling a life of faith, hard work and sacrifice,” according to the site.
Karen Hamilton holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and worked as a structural engineer. In 2008, she married her husband. They moved to the Virginia Beach area where he served as a Navy SEAL and combat medic, and then to the northern piedmont in 2016.
“Karen is a Christian, wife, homeschool mom and small business owner in Orange, Virginia. She is committed to ensuring her three children inherit a strong and prosperous Commonwealth and America that always protects our God given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” the site says.
She listed as her legislative priorities: the right to life, education, law and order, right to self defense, agricultural freedom, economic freedom, individual liberty, and property rights.
Freitas in announcing his retirement from the statehouse expressed gratitude to constituents, staff and family.
“I’m going to be continuing to fight for all the things I believe in, in different ways. I really hope that you will support Karen Hamilton who I am fully and enthusiastically endorsing to replace me,” Freitas said. “You’ve never had to ask Karen to fight for what she believes, she’s always done it, along with her and her family. I think she will be an incredible representative in a time where we need people that are not going to just show up and vote the right way but actually advocate for things we believe.”
A conservative who advocates for individual freedoms and less government, Freitas is an Iraq War veteran born in California. He moved with his family to Culpeper in 2010 following his Army service.
Freitas quickly got involved in local politics as head of the local Republican committee and has sought to rise through the ranks. He won his first term in office in Richmond in 2015, ousting longtime Republican incumbent Ed Scott. Freitas won against local Democrat Ben Hixon in 2017 and in 2019 won in a write-in campaign after failing to meet state filing deadlines.
In 2018, Freitas first set his sights on federal office, announcing he would run against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine. Freitas lost in the Republican primary that year to Corey Stewart, a Prince William County supervisor, who also lost to Kaine.
In 2020, Freitas ran against Democrat Abigail Spanberger for the 7th District U.S. House seat, losing in a relatively tight race that garnered more than 450,000 votes. President Donald Trump at the time endorsed Freitas on Twitter in his bid to unseat Spanberger.
“A Green Beret Combat Veteran, he is Strong on the Military & Vets, the Economy, Healthcare, and the Second Amendment. Nick has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” Trump posted.
Freitas retained his seat in the statehouse after losing his congressional bid when running again in 2021, winning more than 65% of ballots over Democrat Annette Hyde of Madison County.
When Freitas ran again in 2023, his residence in northern Culpeper had officially been drawn out of former District 30. Freitas lived in a house owned by his mother in southern Culpeper to meet the residency requirement. He announced his 2023 campaign at Madison at the Mill, where he returned Thursday night to announce his retirement from the statehouse.
Freitas won in the last election over Democrat Sara Ratcliffe of Greene County. In posts over the weekend, Freitas stated he would continue to keep fighting for what he believes in, in some other capacity, to be announced.
Also on Thursday, Ratcliffe turned in the required signatures to run again as a Democrat for the 62nd statehouse seat.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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