VA-10: Jennifer Wexton (D)
About Jennifer:
From 2001 to 2005, Jennifer served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Loudoun County, prosecuting felony and misdemeanor criminal and traffic cases in all of the Loudoun Courts. She successfully prosecuted hundreds of trials, including the prosecution of criminals who committed domestic violence or sexual offenses. Among them were a number of high-profile cases, including the 2002 murder trial Commonwealth v. Clara Jane Schwartz.
Jennifer went into private practice after her second son was born, but remained committed to public service. She did a significant amount of court-appointed guardian ad litem work, representing the interests of children who have been abused or neglected. In 2007, she received the Harry L. Carrico Award for her pro bono legal work. She also was the President of the Loudoun County Bar Association for the 2010-2011 term.
Jennifer gained a strong interest in mental health issues as a result of her legal work. She served as a court-appointed attorney, and a special justice, in mental health commitment hearings. This work led her to serve for two years as a member of the Loudoun Community Services Board, an advisory policy board that oversees the Loudoun County Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services.
In 2010, Jennifer was selected by the Chief Judge of the Loudoun Circuit Court to serve as a Substitute Judge in the District Court. This appointment confirmed her professional standing in Loudoun and served as a strong endorsement of Jennifer’s intelligence, temperament and good judgment.
Jennifer was elected to the Virginia Senate in January 2014, in a special election to take the 33rd district seat of the newly-elected Attorney General, Mark Herring. Jennifer earned over 53 percent of the vote in a three-way race, winning 44 of 47 precincts. She was sworn in as a Senator on January 24th, 2014. Jennifer was re-elected in 2015 with more than 56 percent of the vote and a 13-point margin of victory.
The biographical information above was sourced from the campaign website; see link above for more information.
