"Here in Virginia, we're going to do what's necessary to level the playing field."
This story was reported and written by VPM News.
Last November, 53% of voters in Virginia's House District 86, which includes Poquoson and parts of York County and the City of Hampton, chose Virgil Thornton Sr. in November as their next representative in the House of Delegates. Thornton defeated two-term Republican incumbent A.C. Cordoza to flip the seat.
Thornton is not a career politician. He's worked in shipbuilding, run car dealerships and started an executive leadership firm — a background he says will make him better prepared to serve his community from Richmond.
VPM News Reporter Keyris Manzanares recently spoke with Thornton at his home in Hampton, as part of a series of interviews conducted with the newest members of Virginia's House of Delegates, elected in November of 2025. (Links to interviews with the other delegates can be found at the bottom of this story.)
In the interview, Thornton talked about long-standing concerns in his district, his priorities and what voters should expect from him as he prepares to represent constituents in Richmond.
This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.
Keyris Manzanares: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the district that you will serve?
Virgil Thornton: I grew up in Newport News and moved over to Hampton when I got an apprenticeship at Newport News Shipbuilding. I worked as an electrical nuclear test technician after graduating from the apprentice school, and then moved into the automotive industry. I started selling cars, and then worked my way up to be a general manager and operate dealerships.
Now, my wife and I own our own executive coaching and leadership firm. That got me into the business realm, because I have a heart for small businesses — which, of course, is the backbone of our economy.
We also do a lot of community service. I'm a foster parent for special needs children. I also do mentorship for at-risk young boys to keep them out of trouble, because if we can get to them when they're young, hopefully we can direct them into a more positive path. We also do training for women who have experienced homelessness with children, during that transition phase of getting them back into society.
I ran because of all of that experience over 35 years of leadership, mentorship and community service. I want to take that background from my community service and my professional experience to Richmond and advocate for education funding, expanding our health care access by bringing costs down and helping our economy. I call it my triangle.
When you were campaigning, what were some of the top issues that you heard about from residents?
What I've heard while knocking on doors and through conversations is mainly affordability when it comes to health care and housing. Voters in Poquoson, York and Hampton, they're all concerned about education as far as funding the schools. Research shows that teachers in the schools in this district are paid less than the national average. If we're going to retain our teachers we have and attract other educators, then we have to pay them.
When you're in Richmond, what are your top priorities?
The top priority for me are the three constitutional amendments; reproductive rights, voting rights and marriage rights. With Democrats having the majority in the General Assembly, we can all work as a team to try to get that across the finish line, as far as those amendments to the constitution. So, that's a huge priority of mine.
Another priority of mine is increasing the minimum wage up to $15 over time.
In line with your priorities for the amendments, where do you stand on redistricting?
That is a big concern. I'd stand in line with the speaker. It's no secret that those are things that were happening around the country, basically spearheaded by our president. Here in Virginia, we're going to do what's necessary to level the playing field. So, I'm definitely in support.
What do you think has prepared you for the role of delegate?
It actually brings me to scripture — Romans 8:28. It says that all things work together for good. So, all of the things in our background — working in the automotive industry, working at the shipyard, working with at-risk children — all of those have prepared me to address the needs of the community, because they're in the community.
For instance, one door I knocked on — I just love knocking doors, because you talk to the constituents, eyeball to eyeball, about the issues that are going on — it was affordable health care, because I told her that was part of my triangle. She started crying, and I didn't understand why.
She got herself together and said, "We're selling our personal heirlooms, because the medication that I have to get for my husband, who we recently found out has Stage 4 cancer, we can't afford it. Even with this insurance we have." She's selling these things for his medication, and that hits hard. I want to go to Richmond to help out families like that.
And then, of course, I get to see firsthand what it's like to have an underserved community where you have to go outside your community to get health care. Part of my platform is to bring clinics into neighborhoods that are marginalized — that don't have access to health care and other things that help bring the cost of health care down.
What will be your guiding principles when deciding on funding and what should be taken into account?
I think about my triangle: health care affordability, growing our economy and education. I've been asked before: Of the three, what is the most important? For me, the most important of those things is health care, because if you're not healthy, it doesn't matter about education. If you're not healthy, it doesn't matter about the economy, because you're not going to go to work.
My goal is to go to Richmond and advocate for those things, but it's going to be difficult. As far as some of the programs, we just don't have enough money to fill all the gaps because of the federal cuts.
It's going to be a matter of getting with my colleagues and figuring out, with the task force that the Speaker of the House put together, which programs need the most funding and what's most important. Unfortunately, some things will be cut. Some programs will get some funding. Some programs may not get any funding.
What do you want people to know about you?
I'm a fighter for them. I'm going to Richmond to get the resources that they need in my communities, so that they can be a more thriving community. Affordability is huge right now, and there's a lot of chaos coming out of Richmond.
I feel that this election is important, and what I do there is important, because we want to get back to the community over the chaos and send out a message to the rest of the country: that all citizens want affordability, and they want to get back to community.
VPM News' interviews with new and returning delegates:
Del. Jessica Anderson (HD-71)
Del. Kacey Carnegie (HD-89)
Del. Stacey Carroll (HD-64)
Del. Mitchell Cornett (HD-46)
Del. Lindsey Dougherty (HD-75)
Del. Mark Downey (HD-69)
Del. Elizabeth Guzman (HD-22)
Del. John McAuliff (HD-30)
Del. Leslie Mehta (HD-73)
Del. May Nivar (HD-57)
Del. Virgil Thornton Sr. (HD-86)
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