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Ken Mitchell, a U.S. military veteran with 24 years of service, is a Rockingham County farmer who has worked for a large telecommunications corporation and as a licensed contractor. He helped oversee infrastructure renovations at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and has helped upgrade local water systems in rural Virginia.
As the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s Sixth District congressional seat, Mitchell is running for elective office for the very first time. Noting that the district is largely rural and has four of the state’s five top agricultural-producing counties, Mitchell says he “will work to enact policies that enable small and privately owned farms and agricultural businesses to be financially sustainable and ensure that their interests are prioritized over those of large agricultural conglomerates.”
He’ll seek to expand broadband “to help students in rural areas access a quality education; provide farmers access to modern farming technologies to allow them to grow their businesses and support their families through farming; facilitate the use of telemedicine in areas without quality, comprehensive health care; and enable faster response to emergencies by first responders.”
He emphasizes the importance of protecting civil and individual rights of all Americans. “I believe all women, regardless of where they live or their socio-economic status should have equal access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, birth control, and IVF treatments. In Congress, I will support federal legislation enshrining women’s right to choose when and if to become mothers.”
He said he supports “the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to combat state efforts to restrict voting rights.” He vows to “support all federal legislation that protects the rights of LGBTQ+ persons to be treated as equal citizens, treated with dignity and respect.”
He favors “adopting common sense gun laws. … I believe that the vast majority of gun owners are responsible and safety conscious, including the many rural Virginians who own legal firearms to hunt and to protect their livestock from predators. But we must do something to stop the preventable and tragic violence in our schools and communities. I support a total federal ban on assault weapons, requiring background checks for all firearms purchases, funding public research on the causes and impacts of gun violence, and continuing the work of the bi-partisan Safer Communities Act.”
He wants to expand rural health care. “Access to health care in rural communities is a serious issue in Virginia,” he notes. “Nearly 70 percent of rural hospitals – 20 of 29 facilities – no longer offer maternal health care, meaning women in rural communities must travel further to obtain basic health care services. In addition, the cost of health care services is causing a real financial burden on rural Americans who struggle to find affordable health care in their own communities.”
One option to solve some of these access issues, he said, “is to expand broadband access in rural areas to facilitate telemedicine in cases where possible. I also support working with health care providers and insurance companies to set transparent and equal pricing for equal services, regardless of where the service is provided and finding ways to incentivize health care providers to practice in rural areas.”
Combating climate change is a major objective of his. “I believe climate change is real and the need for action is urgent. I support green energy initiatives, and we must find real and innovative solutions that address the causes and impacts of climate change. In Congress, I also will fight to ensure the United States keeps our obligations under the Paris Climate Agreement.” He said he’ll be a vocal advocate for “Investing in renewable energy sources like solar and wind to create jobs and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, regulating carbon emissions from industries and power plants and implementing a carbon tax to incentivize businesses to reduce their carbon footprint, encouraging sustainable farming practices to help improve food security while reducing the agricultural sector’s environmental impact and upgrading our infrastructure to more energy-efficient transportation and power generation systems that are more resilient to the impacts of climate change.”
On the issue of immigration, Mitchell said, “We are a nation of immigrants, and we should honor this legacy by treating those fleeing violence with humanity. The comprehensive immigration reform we need must protect our economy and quality of life, much of which is based on immigrant labor, secure our borders, and streamline the immigration system. In Congress, I will support immigration reform legislation that would provide an earned pathway to citizenship with clear, enforceable criteria for hard working, immigrant families. Many of these workers pay into Social Security and Medicare but are not eligible to receive those benefits due to their undocumented status. I also support facilitating visas for immigrant spouses and immediate family members of U.S. citizens without requiring them to leave the country and codifying legislation to protect DACA recipients permanently.”
He has ideas for how the federal government can improve public education. He would like to “Increase federal funding for Title I public schools that serve low-income students and invest in facilities, technology and educational materials.” He is supportive of taking steps to ensure competitive salaries for teachers providing ongoing professional development. He wants to expand access to early childhood education and provide universal access to pre-K programs and to make sure marginalized communities receive the support they need to have quality education programs.
