This story was reported and written by our media partner the Virginia Mercury.
In Virginia’s House of Delegates District 86, which includes Hampton, York County and all of Poquoson, incumbent Del. A.C. Cordoza, R-Hampton, faces a challenge from Democratic nominee Virgil G. Thornton Sr. in a competitive district that has increasingly been targeted by Democrats and shifted from red to purple in recent years.
With control of the House of Delegates hanging in the balance, both campaigns have emphasized fundraising, voter outreach and key issues including workforce development, education, public safety and reproductive rights.
Virginia’s 86th House District encompasses a diverse demographic. The median household income is approximately $86,000, the median age is roughly 38 years old, and around 37% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. The district reflects a blend of working-class and middle-income voters whose priorities often center on affordability, workforce opportunity and commuting time.
In 2024, Kamala Harris narrowly carried the district over Donald Trump by just 1.1 percentage points, while U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine won it by less than 3 points against Republican Hung Cao. As of Oct. 23, Thornton had outraised Cordoza $2.47 million to $634,543, signaling that Democrats view House District 86 as a potential pickup opportunity in a narrowly divided chamber.
The race intensified in the final stretch leading up to Election Day, after Thornton released an advertisement calling Cordoza a “dangerous predator,” a claim the Republican has denied repeatedly and denounced in a sit-down TV interview.
A.C. Cordoza
Cordoza was first elected in 2021 and has served two terms in the House of Delegates. He ran unsuccessfully for Hampton City Council in 2020. Before entering elected office, Cordoza served in the U.S. Air Force from 2013 to 2016 and later worked in cybersecurity at Newport News Shipbuilding. Cordoza declined to be interviewed for this story.
His committee assignments in the 2025 General Assembly include the House Public Safety Committee, the House Courts of Justice Committee (Criminal Subcommittee), and the Communications, Technology and Innovation Committee.
According to his website, Cordoza’s stated platform emphasizes support for working-class families, technical education, small business growth and keeping Virginia’s cost of living low. He opposes tax increases and supports returning state budget surpluses to taxpayers. He also highlights career and technical education as central to workforce development, noting alternative pathways for students who struggle in traditional public school settings.
Cordoza backs higher pay for law enforcement officers and continued funding to combat human trafficking. On Second Amendment issues, he is a strong proponent of gun rights, arguing law-abiding citizens should retain access to firearms while promoting voluntary safety and education initiatives.
His environmental platform includes pushes for clean air, oyster restoration efforts and support for offshore wind. He has also emphasized veterans’ issues, drawing on his military experience to advocate for mental health support and affordable housing for veterans and military families.
Cordoza’s record includes a 2023 re-election victory in District 86, when he won with 56.3% of the vote to Democrat Jarris Louis Taylor Jr.’s 43.5%. On policy positions, he voted against allowing voters to decide by referendum on a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights, and against requiring safe storage of firearms in households with minors.
According to campaign finance reports, Cordoza has raised over $634,000. Since Sept. 22, Pro-Cordoza or Anti-Thornton political ad spending has reached about $253,771.
Virgil G. Thornton Sr.
Virgil G. Thornton Sr., the Democratic challenger in District 86, brings a background rooted in workforce development and small-business leadership. He served as a technician in the U.S. Navy’s submarine program after entering shipyard apprenticeship training. He describes himself as an executive coach and community advocate who works with at-risk youth and small-business mentorship programs. Thornton declined to be interviewed for this story.
His latest campaign finance reports show Thornton has raised nearly $2.5 million and is entering the final days of the race with over $170,000 in cash on hand. Anti-Cordoza political ad spending tops $1.4 million.
As someone who did not attend college, Thornton’s campaign emphasizes that college should not be the only path to success. He advocates for strengthened apprenticeship and technical training programs that link schools with local employers in trades such as shipbuilding, firefighting and criminal justice. He strongly opposes diverting public funds to private or religious schools and contends that public dollars should stay in public schools.
Thornton supports increasing teacher pay and state per-student funding in divisions that fall below national averages.
On gun safety, he supports mandatory training and licensing requirements for firearm ownership, comparing the process to obtaining a driver’s license.
On reproductive rights, Thornton backs the state’s in-progress constitutional amendment to protect access to abortion and contraception, stating on his website that decisions about pregnancy and contraception are part of health care and “should be left to women, families, and their doctors.” He also supports automatic restoration of voting rights for people who have completed their sentences and argues against efforts to restrict access to Medicaid or other health programs.
Thornton’s campaign positions emphasize economic opportunity and stability. In an interview with the Virginia Independent, he said it is “time out for the chaos and time to get back to community,” focusing on affordability, jobs and local opportunity. He argues small businesses are a major employer in Virginia and supports targeted grants, tax credits and mentorship for small firms. He also voiced concern about health care costs and economic uncertainty driven by federal policy changes and tariffs.
Thornton’s campaign has also attracted attention for a controversial advertisement released Sept. 17, which cited several past police reports and incidents involving Cordoza, saying he has a “long history of predatory behavior.”
A fact-check by WAVY-TV 10’s 10 On Your Side reviewed the ad’s claims and confirmed that Cordoza was charged in 2017 with misdemeanor brandishing of a firearm during a traffic dispute with a retired state trooper. However, court records show he was later found not guilty. The same review found that other incidents cited in the ad were based on police reports in which Cordoza was listed as the victim, but no charges were ever filed against him.
Cordoza has since denied any wrongdoing, calling the advertisement “false” and saying the materials were taken out of context from his teenage years and early adulthood. On Oct. 6, he posted a video on social media featuring Nichole Melvin, a woman described as a “victim of Virgil Thornton’s false ad,” who said she regretted what she had previously said about Cordoza.
The exchange has fueled tensions in an already competitive race, with both campaigns accusing the other of negative or misleading tactics. Despite the controversy, both candidates have continued to focus on policy: Thornton on economic opportunity and apprenticeships, and Cordoza on parental rights, small-business growth, and tax relief.
Voters will decide which man will represent the district in the House of Delegates on Election Day, Nov. 4.