“If you have it, you have to give it.”

That’s the earliest lesson my grandmother taught me. It’s guided me my entire life.

I was raised by my grandparents in Petersburg, a poor city falling prey to the opioid epidemic and gun violence. We didn’t have much. 

But we had food and shelter, so we gave it. I can’t remember a time when there wasn’t someone experiencing hardship from our community sleeping in our home. 

I was told to my face that women were biologically, mentally, and emotionally inferior, and could never succeed at a male-dominated school like the Virginia Military Institute. I didn’t have support beyond my family.

But I had strength and tenacity, so I gave it. Soon after the Supreme Court struck down VMI's male-only admission policy, I applied, worked hard, and blazed a trail as one of the first women to graduate from VMI.

I was told not to run for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017. They told me that the Democratic Party had already chosen their candidate, that I couldn’t flip this seat. You can imagine what they told me when they found out I was pregnant with twins.

But I had vision and experience, so I gave it. I spoke with voters of all political parties, waking up to morning sickness and then walking miles on swollen ankles to knock doors. That November, I flipped the district red-to-blue, and was later sworn in as a Delegate with my twin sons in my arms. 

Since then, I haven’t stopped giving my all. I championed the Equal Rights Amendment, expanded healthcare, and fought for the rights of workers, families, and our environment. 

But the truth is, I have more to give.

That’s why I need you -- will you support me in bringing true representation and service to Richmond?

I’ve served as Delegate long enough to know that politics as usual is not serving the people. No more corporate agendas: we need affordable healthcare, stronger unions, and better gun violence prevention. We need a governor who knows the struggles of having nothing -- yet still gives everything.
 
When I was in high school, my grandmother suffered a stroke and became paraplegic. We had to decide whether to pay the bills or buy her life-saving medication. All the while, my grandmother carried the spirit of her lesson, giving what she had. 

I carry that spirit with me every day. With your help, I’ll carry it to the highest office in the Commonwealth. Will you give what you can today and help me lead Virginia with compassion?

I’m with you,
Jennifer Carroll Foy