The Southwest and Southside regions will see three new lawmakers sworn into office at the start of the 2026 General Assembly session: a Democratic educator, a Republican cattle farmer and a Republican real estate businessman.
All three have worked or served in public office prior to their run for the House of Delegates. Democrat Lily Franklin is an educator who worked as chief of staff to Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke; Republican Mitchell Cornett is a cattle farmer who served on the Grayson County Board of Supervisors; and Republican Madison Whittle is a real estate businessman who served on the Danville City Council.
Franklin, of Montgomery County, beat the incumbent Del. Chris Obenshain, R-Montgomery County, to represent the 41st House District in a rematch after Franklin lost to Obenshain in 2023 by roughly 183 votes. Franklin beat Obenshain in November by more than 2,000 votes in a district that includes Virginia Tech.
Cornett won the primary election in the 46th District — long considered a Republican stronghold — in June after Del. Jed Arnold, R-Smyth County, announced he would not seek reelection in March. Arnold cited his wife’s ongoing battle with long COVID as the reason for leaving his seat. Cornett, of Grayson County, won his November election handily with 77% of the vote.
Whittle won the 49th District seat by a 6% point margin in November over his fellow Danville City Council member and Democratic challenger Gary Miller. Whittle won his primary in June in a district that leans Republican after Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, announced he would not seek reelection in February. Marshall cited health concerns surrounding an impending lung transplant as the reason he chose to leave his seat.
Cardinal News interviewed the three freshman lawmakers to find out what their legislative priorities are for their first upcoming session.
Lily Franklin, D-Montgomery County
Franklin is an educator and worked as chief of staff for Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, prior to running for office.
“Even though I’ve kind of done the process before, there’s still lots to learn,” she said regarding the ramp up to the 2026 session. Her prior experience working as a staffer in the General Assembly has helped her to understand the process behind drafting and submitting legislation, she said.
“I feel like I got started a little bit ahead of some of my freshman colleagues,” she added.
She grew up in Southwest Virginia in a working class family and held two or three jobs at a time throughout most of her career to make ends meet. Right now, she works as a substitute teacher, a swim instructor and owns a small consulting business as well as her new role as a member of the House of Delegates.
“When I talk about affordability, I’m talking about it from a personal perspective, too. I understand what it’s like to live from paycheck to paycheck,” she said.
Franklin flipped the 41st District from Republican control in the November election. She has joined different legislative groups since her victory to gauge the needs of constituents and said people across the district, regardless of who they voted for, are concerned about the same thing: the cost of living.
“That’s what we’re focused on, it’s one of the key things I campaigned on and is something I’m prioritizing,” she said.
Among the key affordability issues facing the 41st District are utility costs, the car tax and access to affordable housing, she said, and added that she wants to make sure that the General Assembly invests in Southwest Virginia.
She hopes to introduce a feasibility study to explore repealing the car tax in a way that won’t leave localities financially strapped. And she plans to look into the formation of an emergency disaster relief fund to support localities and individuals in response and recovery should the Federal Emergency Management Agency fail to do so following a disaster. Her goal is to make “sure that we are ready to hit the ground running when a disaster comes, so that people aren’t waiting eight months before they get assistance.”
She is also looking into a “right to repair” bill to allow farmers to repair their own equipment, as well as exploring how to turn the student advisory role into a full voting role on public college and university boards of visitors.
Franklin said she has met with her Republican colleagues who represent the districts surrounding hers, to pick their brains and to see what some of the major issues are for their constituency and where the issues in their districts overlap with the 41st District.
Mitchell Cornett, R-Grayson County
A lifelong Grayson County resident, Cornett is a 5th generation cattle farmer and works as a real estate broker. He served as a member on the Grayson County Board of Supervisors for two years and has worked as a volunteer paramedic and firefighter.
“I enjoyed my time on the Board of Supervisors, and just recently resigned to join the House,” he said, and added that he felt like he could do more for his community as a member of the General Assembly than he could as a county supervisor.
He has talked to constituents in the lead up to taking office who have expressed concerns about economic opportunities in the region, the cost of living, high energy costs and less taxes, he said.
“People want tax cuts and less government in my view,” he added.
He plans to advocate for legislation that would lower the cost of living for all Virginians but “particularly” for people who live in the Southwest part of the state, he said, and plans to support tax cuts, utility rate reform and more reliable energy. His goal is to achieve those efforts while maintaining the rural character of the district, supporting agriculture and bringing economic opportunity to the region.
He pointed to two recent line-of-duty deaths: Smyth County Sheriff’s Deputy Hunter Reedy, who was shot and killed assisting with a traffic stop in 2024, and Master Corrections Officer Jeremy Hall, who was killed in an attack at the River North Corrections Center in November (an inmate has been charged). Cornett said he plans to introduce legislation to support access to health insurance for family members of first responders who die in the line of duty in the months between their death and when benefits for their family take effect, and another bill to increase penalties for inmates who assault or kill a corrections officer.
Cornett said his ideal committee assignments would be the House agriculture committee and the County, Cities and Towns Committee, but that he is open to others.
“Really, any committee, I’m excited to be on. And excited to have the honor to serve the people of the 46th District in the General Assembly,” he said.
Madison Whittle, R-Danville
Born and raised in Danville, Whittle has been a business owner for roughly 40 years and member of the Danville City Council for about 10 years.
“I’m unwinding half of my life and winding the other half back up,” he said, as he prepared to enter the legislature.
He plans to resign from the city council during the first meeting in the new year, he said, and added that he stayed on the council after winning his election in November because there were some economic development initiatives that he wanted to see through.
“I work in the [Industrial Development Authority] most of the time and work with [the Regional Industrial Facility Authority] and I wanted to make sure everything was finalized,” he said.
“Winding up” the half of his life that will be devoted to his position as a member of the House of Delegates will be figuring out how to split his time between Richmond and the real estate and property management business that he runs, he said.
“Making that physical transition is where I’m at right now,” he added.
He has reached out to constituents in Danville, he said, to gauge how to best represent the district, and added that he plans to focus his legislative efforts on education and economic development.
“I don’t really see Democrat or Republican,” he said, when considering legislative issues, and pointed to projects that he’s worked on through the Danville Industrial Development Authority that have brought more than $1 billion into the region.
“That’s private and local partnerships that didn’t have a D or an R behind it,” he said.
“I just want to make sure that I do the best I can for Southside. That takes every bit of determination, dedication, discipline and the correct attitude that I have to make it happen,” he added.