With the largest number of candidates for Delegate in many years Virginia Republicans are set to build on our majority in the House of Delegates.

See all of our candidates for the House of Delegates here.

Our friends at Bearing Drift have been doing an excellent job keeping track of all the advances Republican candidates have been making.  They are also featuring House of Delegate candidates they have interviewed over the last several months.  Be sure to jump there and check them out.

Meet Ernesto Sampson – Candidate for the 69th District

August 11, 8:26 AM · Karyn McDermott – Richmond Republican Examiner

More jobs. Better schools. Public safety – Ernesto Sampson

Who could disagree with that?

All politicians want to create employment, improve education and ensure that we are safe in our homes, workplaces and streets. The real question is, when we go to the polls, who do we vote for to ensure that these promises are delivered at a federal, state and local level?

Ernesto Sampson, a Richmond financial adviser and mentor to area youth in the Richmond community is running for public office in the 69^th District for the Virginia House of Delegates this November 3^rd and espouses the above policies.

I followed Mr. Sampson on the campaign trail Saturday knocking on doors and speaking to local area residents about the issues that concern them. No surprise that jobs, health care, law and order and education were the top of most people’s lists. Nary a word about Iraq or global warming. People are hungering for someone who is looking out for them on a local level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS4b-f-nOlI

There is much chatter around water coolers and web sites about the rejuvenation of interest in politics in recent months.

Out on the streets of the Fan District this weekend with Ernesto it was palpable.

Running for election as Delegate for the 69^th District is hardly comparable to running for the Oval Office and leader of the free world, but it’s running for elective office all the same. And it’s infectious; just ask his team of over 30 enthusiastic supporters who turned out in force to knock on well over 2000 doors and introduce the candidate to the community when they could have been doing something else on a sunny Saturday. But they were there and happy to be supporting Sampson.

Ernesto Sampson will be on the ballot in November 3^rd as a candidate for a district that straddles both sides of the James River from Floyd Ave in Cary Town down Hull Street Road into the heart of Chesterfield.

On a political, personality, policy and historical level the result of the 69^th District will be under the psehological microscope.

If voters turn out in areas of Richmond and Chesterfield Counties in a certain way; is this sending a message to the current Administration or are they voting for a candidate who has their best interests at heart? I say both.

Given his career as a financial adviser who graduated from the Virginia Military Institute with a B.A. in economics and finance, Sampson sees daily the ramifications of the current economic climate and is disturbed with the trend in unemployment and high-school drop outs, which correlates directly with an increase in crime.

Ernesto Sampson is passionate about creating and saving jobs. In his own personal career he is qualified to understand both the intricacies and the basic current economic climate and how it affects the average ‘Joe’ and his 401K and other investments. He also advises small business owners in the community on how to navigate the economic cycle by giving them the tools they need to grow their business, maintain revenues in fluctuating economic markets and increase staff as their company expands.

As former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill famously said “All politics is local.”

We worry about the potholes in our streets, our children’s schools, our garbage collection and more importantly, our safety. We also worry about whether we will wake up tomorrow to our job or, if we have been laid off recently, whether we can find some semblance of employment to provide for ourselves and our families.

Ernesto Sampson says “The needs of our community are many. But through my upbringing, my work, and my involvement in my home community, I have learned that waiting for politicians to solve our problems just doesn’t work.”

As a resident, mentor of youth, and a proponent of small business interests in the 69^th District Community, Ernesto is eager to support, represent and be the Voice his Community. According to campaign staff, Ernesto and his ‘Street Team’ have visited over 8,000 residences within his district since the beginning of June, with plans to visit every residence before the election.

This will be an interesting contest to watch; not just for those voters in the 69^th District but those in the Commonwealth and the rest of the country.

Link to Examiner.com