Candidates Form Prince William Progressive Coalition for 2017

Ken Boddye, Elizabeth Guzman, Lee Carter and Marismran Kahlon share a panel.

While some may be suffering from election fatigue, four local progressives from the Democratic party have been emboldened to fight for a place in Virginia's House of Delegates.

With state delegate elections scheduled for November 2017, Lee Carter, Ken Boddye, Elizabeth Guzman and Mansimran Kahlon have already begun their campaigns by reaching out to neighbors and talking to them about the changes they would like to see in the General Assembly.

Should they receive the nominations of their district in the Democratic Primary, Lee Carter will run for the 50th District, which includes Bristow and the City of Manassas. Ken Boddye will run for the 51st, which includes areas of Nokesville, Brentsville, Manassas and Lake Ridge. Guzman will run for the 31st, which includes areas of Fauquier County, Forrest Park, Dale City and Montclair. Manismran Kahlon will run for the 13th district, which covers the Buckland Mills area of Greater Haymarket and the Bull Run, Catharpin and Sudley areas of Gainesville and Manassas.

Lee Carter is running for the General Assembly to represent Bristow and Manassas.

The four candidates have decided to lean on one another and campaign together to bolster each other’s causes. They call themselves the Prince William Progressive Coalition.

“We talked to each other, and on the vast majority of issues, we agree wholly,” said Carter, explaining they have decided to act as each others' surrogates. “Together we can be more effective than four candidates individually.”

Carter, Boddye, Guzman and Kahlon share their progressive values. They were all excited about Bernie Sander’s primary run, but nonetheless supported and actively campaigned for Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton.

Like many Democrats, they are dissatisfied with the Republican majority in the General Assembly, and would like to see Prince William’s diversity of citizens and viewpoints represented.

Lee Carter is looking to win the seat currently held by Republican Jackson Miller.

They are a diverse group. Carter is an IT professional who served as a Marine during the Global War on Terror. Lee Carter is also a husband and father, who lives in Manassas, and he is a Millennial, an under-represented group in the county.

Ken Boddye is also a Millennial. He is a African American insurance underwriter who residents in Westridge. He is a member of the NAACP and works to advocate for first responders and the impoverished.

Elizabeth Guzman is a public administrator and social worker. She resides in Dale City with her husband and four children. Guzman has worked as a Court Appointed Service Advocate for CASA CIS, a PTO mom and Girl Scout “Cookie Mom." Should she be elected, she would be Virginia's first Hispanic woman to serve in the General Assembly.

Elizabeth Guzman could be the first Latino woman to serve on the Virginia General Assembly.

Mansimran Kahlon is a small business owner in the trucking industry and chair of the Brentsville district within the Prince William County Democratic Committee. He has spent time working on Capitol Hill and is the first Sikh-American running on the Eastern Seaboard.

All four believe diversity is a strength, believing President-Elect Trump has sought to divide people. “We think otherwise," Boddye said.

The Prince William Progressive Coalition has decided to do something else unusual: they have agreed to accept no campaign donations from corporations.

Boddye believes politicians who accept corporate donations “only cater to a chosen few,” because it's a pay to play scenario. If they can eliminate the influence of corporate money in politics, they believe they can better serve the citizenry, regardless of their political affiliation.

They also hope to be more inclusive.

Ken Boddye is advocating for affordable housing in Prince William County.

“The idea is instead of just running on the Democratic liberal-leaning perspective, we are running on actual issues that working class people care about,” Boddye said.

Economic issues are the centerpiece of the campaigns for the Coalition members as well as helping those who struggle to gain a foothold in the middle class, or to sustain that foothold.

Carter is focused on having Virginia provide Medicaid access to the uninsured. The Federal government currently provides funding to states, which Virginia does not utilize at the discretion of the General Assembly.

Since Carter has worked in the biomedical field, he realizes many people are facing serious health problems without means to treat them. He believes the current Republican ideology, which is prevalent in Virginia, hurts those who are most vulnerable.

All four candidates want to find solutions for commuter traffic in Northern Virginia especially in the outburbs they would represent.

“Every minute that Virginians are stuck on our roadways is a minute that they are away from their families and their communities," Carter said. "Funding and honest conversations about infrastructure and the future of our transportation system in Prince William and Manassas are crucial."

Mansimran Kahlon, Elizabeth Guzman, Ken Boddye and Lee Carter celebrate the holidays at a meet and greet.

Carter wants to expand light rail and look for other ways to improve the overall transportation system leading from western Prince William into D.C., Arlington and Fairfax.

Boddye champions reform of the criminal justice system to focuses on rehabilitation. He believes the current system encourages recidivism by limiting career opportunities for those who serve time, which hurts everyone.

“A lot of their rights don’t get restored,” said Boddye, “and society essentially view them as second class citizens.”

Boddye also promotes affordable housing especially for Prince William’s homeless population, so that they can get on their feet and improve their lives. Carter agrees and believes Virginia could learn from states such as Utah that have gotten the homeless off the streets and into housing, which has yielded beneficial results for that state.

Guzman’s platform is focused on helping the working class. She wants to strengthen disability insurance, which she believes will help workers and the insurance companies. She believes those kinds of safety nets improve the lives of individuals and help society.

Mansimran Kahlon at the Coalition's first meet and greet.

Manismran Kahlon, the newest member of the Coalition. He wants to assist small business, increase educational funding and promote fairness and equality through state policies.

The Prince William Coalition believes they offer a vastly different approach to many of Prince William’s current state delegates. They are not only looking to pitch their ideas, but to listen to community members.

The Coalition is holding their second "Candidates and Coffee" meet and greet, Jan. 28 at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the 15775 Edgewater Drive in Montclair. This is a free event. Light refreshments will be served.

Readers can find out more about the Prince William Progressive Coalition on their Blue Virginia web page.