Lily Franklin will challenge Del. Chris Obenshain to a rematch in 2025.
Franklin, a Democrat, announced her bid on Monday to challenge Obenshain, the Republican incumbent, in the race to represent Virginia’ 41st District in the House of Delegates in the coming election.
“I’m running because Southwest Virginians deserve the resources to thrive in all stages of life — from a world-class education for our children to well-paying jobs for working families to dignity and security for our seniors. I’m here to fight for our neighbors and make sure that the needs of Southwest Virginia are not overlooked in Richmond,” Franklin said in a statement.
Obenshain beat Franklin by 183 votes in 2023. That race saw more than $1.5 million in spending with at least $250,000 spent on political ads between the two candidates, according to data compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project. The 41st District includes part of Roanoke and Montgomery counties.
“I’m proud of the work I’ve done this past year to protect victims of sexual abuse, make historic investments in childcare and I-81, and fight against Democratic tax increases that would have devastated working families. As I always have, I’ll continue using my voice to stand up for Southwest Virginia,” Obenshain said in a statement Monday.
His office pointed specifically to a bill, HB 499, that he wrote that protects child victims of sexual assault. The bill was incorporated into another piece of legislation, introduced by a Democratic member, that was ultimately passed and signed into law. Obenshain worked on other pieces of legislation during the 2024 session regarding firearms, fentanyl and other topics, though those bills were not passed by the General Assembly.
Obenshain is an assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Montgomery County.
Franklin’s platform in the upcoming election
Franklin, a consultant who previously has worked as a teacher and chief of staff to Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, said Monday that her campaign is focused on affordable homeownership, providing meaningful tax relief, modernizing Virginia’s mental health system, making child care accessible, protecting reproductive freedom, and securing high-quality education.
She plans to prioritize workforce housing — affordable options for middle- and working-class professionals like nurses, teachers and police officers — through incentives and public-private partnerships to increase housing supply. She said she would also like to improve access to first-time homebuyer programs through down payment assistance and low-interest loan options.
Regarding meaningful tax relief, she said she would like to examine how Virginia’s tax structure affects working families, small businesses and communities across the commonwealth.
On mental health modernization, she said she would like to expand centralized care coordination systems so that people in crisis can find help quickly without getting lost in bureaucracy. She said she would also work to reallocate resources to focus on preventive care and early intervention, particularly for children and adolescents.
And, to secure high-quality education, Franklin said she plans to address funding shortfalls outlined in a recent study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission study, increase teacher pay and work to secure funding to rebuild school infrastructure.