As the battle for Virginia’s House of Delegates heats up ahead of the 2025 election, Del. Mark Earley Jr. (R-Midlothian) finds himself at the center of a race Democrats are aggressively targeting.
Earley, who won the newly drawn 73rd District in 2023, is gearing up for a high-stakes rematch in a seat that has become increasingly competitive and one that Democrats see as pivotal to maintaining or expanding their narrow 51-49 House majority.
Despite performing well two years ago, the district’s political ground has shifted. Former Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly outpaced Donald Trump in the 73rd District during the 2024 presidential election, winning 49.57% to Trump’s 48.5%.
That result has made the district a top-tier Democratic pickup opportunity.
Still, Earley is undeterred. The first-term delegate made clear that his campaign will rely less on partisan air wars and more on personal engagement.
“As a Delegate, truly representing the people that elected me is incredibly important,” Earley told the Gateway Reporter.
“To that end, I believe in directly connecting with as many constituents as possible, as often as possible. I’m seeking to knock on the most doors, make the most phone calls, and join the most community events I possibly can—because that’s the way to hear directly from the people of Chesterfield and the 73rd District. My approach is to listen to their concerns and share my vision for how we can continue to make Virginia, and Chesterfield, the best place to live, work, & raise a family. Hard work and direct connection will always beat big money.”
Early voting begins Sept. 20, with the general election scheduled for Nov. 4.
Alongside legislative races, the ballot will include statewide contests. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is seeking to succeed Glenn Youngkin as governor. In addition, Del. John Reid is running for lieutenant governor and Attorney General Jason Miyares is seeking reelection.
In a volatile year for Virginia politics, Earley’s race is shaping up as a referendum not only on his record but on the broader direction of the Republican Party in suburban battlegrounds.
Earley’s campaign has embraced a deeply conservative platform, focusing on lowering taxes, increasing support for law enforcement and resisting what he characterizes as cultural overreach in schools and public institutions.
“My priorities are simple,” he said. “Low taxes, safe communities, safe schools, ensure local control of development decisions, empower parents, protect girls’ sports & spaces, improve our foster care system.”
In recent months, he’s leaned into messaging about cost of living and inflation, promising to cut taxes — including personal property taxes — and reduce regulatory burdens.
“I want to lower taxes so people keep more of their own money, to ease the financial burdens we’re all facing,” Earley said.
His positions have earned him endorsements from Americans for Prosperity–Virginia, the Virginia Police Benevolent Association and the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters.
Earley is set to face Democrat Leslie Mehta, a Richmond-area attorney, in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched legislative races in the state.
“Our visions for Virginia are very different,” Earley said. “I believe we should reduce taxes; my opponent believes in raising taxes. I believe we should expand and fund school resource officers; my opponent believes in removing school resource officers.”
Drawing sharp contrasts with Mehta, Earley framed the race as a choice between fundamentally different visions for Chesterfield and the Commonwealth.
“My opponent believes resources should be diverted away from law enforcement,” he said. “I believe we should protect girls’ sports and private spaces; my opponent does not. I believe basic voter ID laws are common sense, my opponent disagrees. I believe zoning decisions should be made by localities; my opponent believes in removing local control of zoning to further pack our area with high-density development that will overwhelm our roads and schools.”
Earley touts a range of accomplishments from his first term, highlighting both his legislative work and constituent services.
“At a legislative level, I’m proud to have helped lead the effort to get cell phones out of our school classrooms,” he said. “I’ve worked at a bi-partisan level on legislation and with the Governor’s Office to continue battling the fentanyl epidemic—we have made significant progress as we’ve experienced a 40% drop in fentanyl overdoses — that’s a big deal.”
He also emphasized his work on foster care and criminal justice reform.
“As a foster parent myself, it was gratifying to be a part of the effort that expanded kinship care and improved our foster care system—there’s still more work to do,” he said. “I also helped lead the effort to compensate a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than 40 years.”
On the public safety front, he’s been a vocal backer of Miyares and supported initiatives like Operation Ceasefire and One Pill Can Kill.
He has also pushed back against Virginia’s Enhanced Earned Sentence Credits law, aligning himself with Miyares’ recent call to reform the early-release program after data showed high recidivism rates among beneficiaries.
“We will be tough on crime, because everyone deserves safe neighborhoods,” Earley said on Facebook. “But by the same token, we must do everything we can to help prepare folks to re-enter society. From a moral, financial, and public safety standpoint—the more we prepare people to successfully recenter society and become productive citizens, workers, and parents, the better off we’ll all be.”
Earley has not backed away from hot-button cultural issues.
He has repeatedly spoken out against what he calls “radical gender ideology” in schools and has supported policies that restrict transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports or using female-designated facilities.
“It is sad & shocking that some of these school boards are so invested in radical gender ideology that they refuse to comply with Title IX and protect the safety, privacy, & dignity of girls. Completely unacceptable,” Earley said on Facebook.
He praised VCU Health’s decision to end gender-affirming care for minors and has called for greater parental involvement in school curricula.
In addition, Earley has criticized the Virginia Clean Economy Act, calling it overly burdensome and harmful to ratepayers. He supports an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that includes natural gas and nuclear energy to ensure affordability and reliability.
If reelected, Earley says he wants to continue advancing his conservative agenda with a renewed focus on affordability and safety.
“My top goals are all in the category of doing what we can to directly improve the lives of Virginians and to make Virginia and Chesterfield the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” he said. “The most important areas that need addressing are the cost of living, public safety, and improving education.”
A Chesterfield native and product of the county’s public schools, Earley says his deep community roots shape his political approach.
“As a father, foster & adoptive parent, attorney, and small business guy, I understand the challenges and needs of our families here in Chesterfield,” he said.
“I’m Virginia born & bred. I’m a product of Chesterfield County public schools. I’ve spent time working on prisoner & juvenile re-entry issues, to make sure returning offenders are prepared to be law-abiding, upstanding citizens when they re-enter society. From fighting inflation and cutting taxes, to supporting our law enforcement and advocating for the SROs in our schools, to empowering parents, my work has been about helping our community and standing up for you.
“It’s an honor to be your voice in the House of Delegates and I’d ask for your support in November.”
