A Virginia Beach sheriff’s deputy who spent 10 months legislating in Richmond before losing his seat by a few hundred votes is back on the ballot, facing a different Democratic challenger than the first two times he ran.
Republican Norman Dewey “Rocky” Holcomb III faced Democrat Cheryl Turpin twice: he defeated her once in a January 2017 special election for the 85th House District and lost to her in November 2017.
Saying he “left some stuff at the table in Richmond,” he’s waging his third campaign for the seat in three years, now running against Democrat Alex Askew as Turpin seeks a spot in the state Senate.
The 85th District comprises western Virginia Beach and shifted slightly to Democrats in the latest redistricting, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.
Holcomb, 52, lost by 389 votes in the last election, and a GOP win could help the party maintain its majority. Republicans currently hold a 51-48 advantage in the House and a 20-19 lead in the Senate, with one vacancy in each chamber.
Askew, 34, has characterized himself as a hometown boy — raised in the district, graduated from Tallwood High School, returned to Virginia Beach after graduating from Hampton University.
“I want to give back to the community that’s given so much to me,” he said in a phone interview.
Askew began his political career working as a Virginia Beach field organizer for Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign. He also worked on Congressional and gubernatorial campaigns in South Carolina and for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2016.
He ran for the 90th House District in Norfolk in 2014, losing in a caucus primary to its current delegate, Democrat Joe Lindsey.
His most recent job was as Norfolk Del. Jay Jones’ chief of staff, which he quit this year to campaign full time.
Holcomb, the chief deputy in the sheriff’s office and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said he’s “the perfect guy to have at the table when we’re talking about criminal justice reforms.”
He said he wants to expand Virginia Beach’s inmate re-entry program — which prepares inmates to reenter society and has an 85% success rate, according to the sheriff’s office — to other localities. He also wants to provide more resources to inmates who are mentally ill, both before and after their release.
Holcomb, Askew is quick to point out in attack mailers, opposed Medicaid expansion while in office. That 2018 vote made 400,000 more low-income Virginians eligible for the federal health insurance.
Holcomb had a collapsed lung at birth — he got the nickname “Rocky” because doctors and family called him a fighter — and said he wonders why anyone would think he’d be against health insurance companies covering people with pre-existing conditions, as Askew’s attack mailers have claimed.
“I would never vote for anything that absurd,” he said. But in 2017 he voted to repeal some Affordable Care Act provisions in Virginia, a move that would have gone into effect had Congress repealed that law, widely known as Obamacare. That would have meant people with pre-existing conditions either couldn’t get coverage or would have to pay more for it. Then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed the bill.
Askew said he supports changes to gun laws, including “comprehensive” background checks for purchasers and red flag laws, or extreme risk protection orders.
He said he hasn’t looked fully into the information released so far by the Virginia Beach City Council about the May 31 mass shooting and wouldn’t say whether he supported a state-mandated independent investigation, as some legislators have proposed, until after he reviewed the city’s investigation.
“It’s really a local issue,” he said.
Holcomb, citing his law enforcement background, said he wouldn’t comment on an ongoing investigation but said he would support “any type of investigation that will bring out the facts.”
Asked his views on gun control, he said in an email he supports policies that “make our communities safer while protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens,” adding he was open to hearing all legislation related to firearms.
Askew had about $72,000 more cash on hand to last him until Election Day, according to campaign finance reports that were due Monday.
https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js
Question
What would your first bill or budget amendment be if elected to the General Assembly?
Alex Askew
Alex Askew: One of the biggest issues facing the residents of the district are the rising costs of healthcare and prescription drugs. I will address this by standing up to drug and insurance companies and work to lower prescription prices for our community. Specifically, I will work with other members of the General Assembly to work on legislation that caps the cost of emergency and life-saving drugs. Residents of the 85th House District should not have to choose between paying for their prescriptions or their rent and Virginians should be able to see a doctor when they’re sick.
Rocky Holcomb
Rocky Holcomb: Did not respond
Question
How should the General Assembly have responded to the Virginia Beach mass shooting that occurred on May 31?
Alex Askew
Alex Askew: The mass shooting that occurred on May 31 is something that will be remembered in the Virginia Beach community forever. On June 4, immediately after the tragedy, Gov. Ralph Northam called for a special session of the General Assembly to take up a package of gun-control bills and have constructive conversations on how to deal with the epidemic of gun violence in Virginia. Instead of hearing the nearly 30 bills presented, Speaker of the House Kirk Cox and House Republicans refused to hold a discussion by adjourning the special session after just 90 minutes. We will never make progress in addressing gun violence if we continue to ignore this issue that is plaguing our community. The Virginia General Assembly needs to pass comprehensive background checks and red flag laws which help us keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and violent criminals.
Rocky Holcomb
Rocky Holcomb: Did not respond
Marie Albiges, 757-247-4962, malbiges@dailypress.com
