Virginia Government

Del. Mark Downey: Elected doctor seeks healthier futures for Virginians

VPM | By Keyris Manzanares

Published January 16, 2026 at 9:00 AM EST

House District 69's incoming rep ran on campaign promises to protect health care access.

Once he is sworn in, Delegate Mark Downey will be the only doctor in Virginia's General Assembly.

Downey, a practicing pediatrician, ran on campaign promises like lowering the cost of living, protecting Medicaid coverage and securing adequate funding for schools.

He's run for election three times: once before the COVID-19 pandemic, once during and then his most recent campaign. In November, he ousted Republican incumbent Chad Green in the 69th House District, which includes parts of York, James City and Gloucester counties as well as the City of Newport News.

VPM News reporter Keyris Manzanares recently spoke to Downey via video chat as part of a series of interviews conducted with the newest members of Virginia's House of Delegates, elected in November 2025. (Links to interviews with the other delegates can be found at the bottom of this story.)

In the interview, Del. Downey spoke about leaning into his health care background to pass legislation that keeps Virginians healthy in all aspects of their lives.

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 represent?

Mark Downey: I've been a pediatrician for the last 25 years in the Williamsburg area. I live in York County, which is part of the 69th House District, which also includes parts of James City and Gloucester counties and Newport News, so it kind of spreads out across the Peninsula.

I actually live in the house I grew up in. I've been in the area since I was 2. I'm married and have four kids, and they've all gone through local schools and graduated from Bruton High School like myself.

It was an honor to be able to run and represent the area where I grew up and have had such fond memories of my childhood and raising my own kids.

You campaigned twice before winning in the November election. What does that represent to you? And what do you think it signals for the people in your district?

I ran because I feel like we need more people in medicine in the General Assembly. People that understand all of the changes that are happening in health care and education.

As a pediatrician working with families — how they're accessing early childhood education, how they're progressing from kindergarten through high school, and even getting people ready for college and trade schools — I felt like it was a natural extension of my job as a pediatrician to be the voice for those that typically don't have a voice and giving them the best opportunity to succeed.

courtesy / Downey For Virginia

Downey For Virginia

Mark Downey

After years of campaigning, have you noticed shifts in people's concerns?

The first time I ran was before the pandemic, second time was during the pandemic, and I think since then more people are concerned about health care access and costs.

I think being the only physician in the General Assembly I was able to lean into that, to reassure them, "Yes, we're going to have someone in the General Assembly that's really going to advocate for quality health care access and vaccines."

When I spoke to younger families with kids, that was top of mind for them, but also some of the older population that grew up in a time when measles and polio were around.

The fact that I could say, "I want to make sure we protect our childhood vaccine program," resonated across all age groups, all party lines. So I think I was able to reach out to a whole other bloc of voters that I couldn't reach the first few times.

What are your priorities as you get ready for the General Assembly?

I'm hoping to get on the Health and Human Services Committee, so we can continue to work to make sure that people have access to high-quality, affordable health care. We need to prepare Virginia for the changes that are coming our way from the federal government.

We need to make sure that people don't lose their insurance coverage, but also that Virginia is still following the evidence on childhood vaccines and making sure our kids are safe in public school — and staying healthy.

I hope to get on the Education Committee to really focus on early childhood education. My wife of 28 years is a K–5 special education teacher. We need to do more to make sure we have access to quality early childhood education as well.

After growing up along the York River and the Chesapeake Bay, I would love to serve on the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee.

I really want to make sure that we have the best opportunity for the foundational things that people need: good health care, good education, affordable living and a clean environment.

My ultimate goal is make sure that every Virginian has a health care policy.

You will be the only doctor in Virginia's House. How do you plan to lean into that expertise when it comes to health care?

What's the main issue that you're going to be advocating for?

I want to lend my expertise on how potential legislation will impact patients and providers, communities and the health system.

I think, as we navigate health care in the 21st century with the advent of AI, we need to make sure we're making policy that works for everyone and makes it more efficient and accessible. We need to focus on the evidence and facts to make good decisions — not decisions based on what's happening on social media.

And how will you measure success as a delegate?

I'd love to see that every child in Virginia has health care. We've made great strides, but there are still children out there that don't have health care. And I know plenty of adults that don't have health care as well.

If we can get all the kids covered, we have our 65 and older population covered with Medicare. And we can work our way into the middle to make sure that everyone has access to the health care system.

So my ultimate goal is make sure that every Virginian has a health care policy and doesn't have to rely on emergency room care for their basic needs. It's better for the patients, better for the health system and better for the commonwealth if people are getting preventive health services and not waiting until there's a crisis.

I know it's a big lift, but I think each day that we can work to get more people covered it's going to — not only in the short term, but in the long term — benefit the commonwealth.