Candidate Profile: Kimberly Pope Adams (Va. District 82)

Kimberly Pope Adams is the Democratic candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates District 82. Her name will appear on the ballot on November 7, 2023.

She is running against Republican incumbent Kim A. Taylor.

10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race with specific questions. The responses below came directly from the candidate and are unedited. If you do not see the candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one.

Name: Kimberly Pope Adams

Age: 40

Race: Virginia House of Delegates District 82

Party: Democratic

Website: https://kimadamsforva.com/

Biography: I’m a working mom born and raised in Hopewell. My daddy was a union worker at Hercules and my mom was my school crossing guard. They taught me what hard work looks like and about the importance of supporting your community. As an accountant and an auditor, I’ve dedicated my career to cutting wasteful spending and fighting against fraud and abuse

Why are you running for this office?

I was born and raised in this Community. Being homegrown, I see people who look like me all the time – but I’ve never seen anyone who looked like me in Richmond. I’m running for the House of Delegates to change that and to bring opportunities and good-paying jobs to our district.  

What is the most important issue facing Virginia, and what is your position on it?

I’m a proud product of public schools, and my son is also a public school student right here in Dinwiddie. One of my first priorities will be to fully fund our schools to get repairs done in our buildings and make sure our teachers are being paid what they’re worth. I have talked with so many parents and school faculty that have shared with me the sacrifices and the amount of repairs that need to be done in our school. We need to fully fund our public schools and properly invest in our children.

What it the top challenge facing your district, and how would you address it?

I was out in Dinwiddie the other day knocking doors, and I came across a house that had a quarter mile long dirt driveway. And I went all the way down that road and knocked on that woman’s door, and she was so shocked. She told me I was the first person who had made the trek just to come and talk to her. And unfortunately, that’s not the only time I’ve been told that I’m the first candidate or politician people are meeting in the community. How can we trust our leaders to fight for us in the House of Delegates if they aren’t taking the time to meet us where we are? The 82nd district is full of hardworking, honest people who deserve to have a real advocate fighting for them in Richmond – and I’m determined to be that advocate.

What is your view on Governor Glen Youngkin’s proposal for a 15-week abortion ban with restrictions?

I’m the only candidate in this race who will protect a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body. Unfortunately, my opponent is an extreme anti-choice candidate who doesn’t represent our district. Everywhere I go across the community, voters are in agreement: it’s not a politician’s place to decide whether or not a woman can make decisions about her own body. It’s already difficult enough to get access to quality and affordable health care in rural communities. In the House of Delegates, I’ll be a brick wall against any new restrictive abortion bans.

How do you feel about the politicization of public education?

As the mother of a son who goes to Dinwiddie public schools, I’m very disappointed to see politicians who are playing political games with our children’s education instead of focusing on how we can improve our schools. In the House of Delegates, I’ll fight to fully fund our public schools to improve school infrastructure and ensure that our teachers are being paid what they’re worth. I’m committed to addressing teacher shortages and reducing class sizes so that every kid in Virginia has access to a world class public education.

What legislation would you plan to sponsor in your first year?

On day one I will work to pass legislation that ensure that everyone has access to paid sick time, paid family and medical leave, regardless of their zip code or their tax bracket.

What is your view on unlimited campaign contributions? Should that change?

I’m a working single mom. I don’t come from a wealthy, politically-connected family. I come from a working class family, and I’m proud of that. Politicians in Richmond have left working families like mine behind, and in order for us to change that, we need to send working class people to the state House. I’ve been blown away by the grassroots movement we’ve built in my district that is powered by people in my community generously opening their wallets to donate their hard-earned money. They did that because they believe in the campaign we’re building to bring opportunity to the 82nd District, and I know that together we can get the job done and send a homegrown working class representative to Richmond.

How will you still value constituents with whom you disagree with?

I was born and raised in Hopewell and I have lived in this area my entire life. This is my community and while we sometimes differ on how to accomplish it, we all want the same thing: to make HD-82 a place where everyone has enough resources to live and thrive. While the issues I am running on are extremely important to me, I am running on them because I listen to my community on what we need. I am always more than happy to talk to constituents with differing opinions from my own and ensure that, together, we create that HD82 of the future.