‘Outsider’ versus experience in Senate District 17 GOP primary; 2 primaries in House District 84

Suffolk and the surrounding areas are in store for two very different primaries June 20.

The Republican primary for Senate District 17 pits an experienced state lawmaker, Del. Emily Brewer, against political newcomer Hermie Sadler, an entrepreneur and former NASCAR driver. Meanwhile, House of Delegates District 84 will see contested Democratic and Republican primaries as voters select the pair they want to face off in November.

Brewer, 39, has represented the 64th House District since 2018. Last year, she decided to run for newly drawn Senate District 17, which overlaps much of her current House district.

She touts that experience as a benefit and advantage over her opponent, calling her run for Senate the “natural progression of continuing to represent my community.”

“I’ve had the opportunity to show my community what I can accomplish and what I can do, and I’ve been successful at that,” she said.

But Sadler, who owns a business that manages truck stops and convenience stores across Southside, Virginia, embraces his “outsider” status and says that gives him an edge. He said Richmond and Washington are more concerned with protecting “the establishment” over the people and that there is “too much of the good ol’ boy system.”

“Unfortunately, over the years, in my opinion, she’s kind of become one of them,” Sadler said of Brewer. “And by that, I mean she’s become part of the establishment.”

District 17 includes areas in Hampton Roads and Southside, including Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, Franklin, Emporia, Southampton County, Brunswick County, Greensville County, and parts of Portsmouth and Dinwiddie County.

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In the House, Brewer worked to secure funding for broadband expansion in rural areas, which she described as “a huge step in the right direction.” Adopted when she was only 10 days old, Brewer said one of her top priorities is foster care and adoption reform. She previously pushed to create a kinship guardianship assistance program to make it easier for relatives to become foster parents for a child in need by offering financial and other support. She also wants to pass legislation providing a tax credit for people who adopt.

She strongly supports anti-abortion policies and opposes taxpayer-funded abortions. She said she would have supported a proposal to limit abortion in the state to 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape and incest, saying she supports anything “that moves back those weeks.” The 15-week legislation ultimately died in the Senate before the House voted on it.

She said the issue is very personal and that “I’m lucky to be here because somebody chose life.” However, she said it’s essential the state support mothers and provide resources for pregnant women.

In regards to reducing gun violence in schools, she introduced a bill — which passed the House but died in the Senate — that permits any school board to employ or hire a full-time or part-time K-9 detection team that could be used to detect firearms, drugs, or tobacco products. She plans to reintroduce the bill next year.

Brewer, who lives in Isle of Wight County with her husband and two children, also hopes to reduce the burden of inflation and increased living costs on residents. She supported reducing the grocery tax and said she would continue to fight for further tax reductions.

Sadler, 54, is a political newcomer born and raised in Emporia. He made his NASCAR debut in 1992, winning the Busch Series Rookie of the Year award, and went on to found his own team.

He and his sister, Missi, own Sadler Brothers Oil Company, a third-generation business that manages truck stops and convenience stores. He and wife Angie also own several restaurants in the Emporia area, including FO SHO Bar and Grille, Victory Lane Restaurant, and Quiznos.

He said one of his top legislative priorities would be reducing government mandates and regulations on businesses. He opposes proposals to raise the minimum wage to $15.

“In a lot of ways, it’s creating unemployment because if the government is going to tell me that I have to pay $15 an hour to somebody who doesn’t deserve it necessarily, then that’s preventing me from paying higher wages to somebody that did deserve it,” he said.

The state’s minimum wage is $12 an hour, with planned increases to $15 an hour in 2026 if the legislature signs off.

Sadler describes himself as a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights.

“I wouldn’t be in favor of any gun restrictions,” Sadler said. “There’s not a law that anybody’s going to pass that’s going to prevent bad people from committing bad acts. And so my focus is totally going to be on punishing the people that commit crimes and protecting the constitutional rights of people that obey the law.”

Sadler has raised $679,534 as of June 8, while Brewer has raised $423,580, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

The method for selecting the Republican nominee for the seat was the subject of a lawsuit earlier this year. A Richmond Circuit judge ultimately ruled a primary would be held rather than a GOP-run convention. The district leans Republican, according to VPAP and whoever wins will face Del. Clint Jenkins, Suffolk Democrat, in the general election.

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House of Delegates 84th District

Two Democrats and two Republicans are competing for their party’s nomination in House of Delegates District 84, which VPAP considers competitive.

The Democratic primary has activist, politician and mental health counselor Nadarius Clark competing with computer scientist Michele Joyce.

Clark, 28, previously represented House District 79, which included parts of Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Norfolk. He resigned from the seat to move to the 84th District — a point of contention between the two.

The district includes parts of Suffolk, Franklin, Chesapeake and Isle of Wight County. Joyce said she’s lived in the district for 15 years and is more in touch with the needs and desires of the community.

“Not being from here is an issue and will be an issue in the general election,” she said. “It’s not invalidating, but it does make the job a lot harder.”

Clark said he grew up nearby and has connections to the area, including family in Suffolk.

If elected, some of Clark’s top priorities would be addressing disparities in education funding, raising teacher pay to the national average, reducing gun violence by supporting “common sense” measures such as safety training. He also wants to pass legislation he previously introduced that would set the medical debt statute of limitations at three years.

Comparing himself with Joyce, he said, “experience does matter.”

“That’s the major difference is just the experience working across the aisle, getting legislation in, and being able to connect with the community locally and at the state level,” he said.

So far, Clark has far outraised Joyce, collecting $337,643 as of June 8 to her $39,756, according to VPAP.

Joyce, 51, lives in Isle of Wight County and said her top priority is providing affordable health care, calling it “a human right.” She wants to reduce prescription costs and offer a public option in the health care marketplace. Regarding rural areas, she wants to expand broadband access, eliminate food deserts and support family farms. Regarding gun safety, she supports “red-flag” laws, banning assault-style weapons and requiring gun dealers to obtain a state license and instituting mandatory waiting periods before completing gun purchases.

The Republicans in the District 84 primary are former financial planner Michael Dillender and defense contractor and children’s book author Rod Thompson. Both are Navy veterans, but neither had held political office. Dillender previously ran for District 76 in 2021 but lost to Democrat Clint Jenkins.

Dillender, 51, said his top priorities are “kitchen table issues” everyone can relate to — the economy, education, and health care.

“We can work together in the legislature to produce the best outcome by cutting our taxes and letting Virginians keep more of their hard-earned money, protecting our children from politicized curriculum, and expanding access to affordable health care,” he said.

He also says he supports “school choice” through Educational Savings Accounts, where the dollar follows the student, not the school system. In this scenario, he said it is possible that money would be taken away from public schools if the parent decides to enroll their child in a private, charter or homeschool.

Thompson, 43, said he decided to run because he was tired of seeing division and “continuous bickering” among state politicians. He also supports “school choice” programs and having dollars follow the students instead of the school system. He has accused some schools of indoctrinating children with what he described as “radical woke ideologies” and supports the governor’s executive order banning the teaching of critical race theory and “divisive concepts.”

He also wants to manage growth in the state better so farmlands and rural areas aren’t entirely lost to new development. He opposes gun control, saying, “gun laws only affect law-abiding citizens” and that he would prefer to reduce gun violence by providing more support for law enforcement and mental health resources.

“What you see is what you get with me,” Thompson said. “If you have a question, I’m going to give you an honest answer on it. If you want transparency, I’m always going to provide it.”

According to VPAP, Dillender raised $80,132 as of June 8, while Thompson raised $22,225.

Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com.