Jillian Dayton

Jillian Dayton
Official Portrait as Governor of Virginia, 2016
United States Senator from Virginia
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Tim Kaine
72nd Governor of Virginia
In office January 11, 2014 – January 13, 2018
Preceded by	Bob McDonnell
Succeeded by	73rd Governor of Virginia
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 3rd district
In office January 3, 2007 – November 20, 2013
Preceded by	Bobby Scott
Succeeded by	NPC-Democrat
Personal details
Born	Jillian Gillard Dayton January 12, 1971 Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Citizenship	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Liam Stanfrod (m. 1998)
Children	3 (Elysse, William & Victoria)
Parents	Robert Dayton (father) Angela Buruntz (mother)
Residence	Norfolk
Education	Harvard College (BA) Harvard University (JD)

Jillian Gillard Dayton (Born January 12, 1971) is the junior United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Jillian attained her BA from Harvard College having gained admission as a National Merit Student. Shortly thereafter attaining her J.D. from Harvard University, she returned to Virginia working as a Junior Prosecutor in Norfolk.

In 2013 she sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Virginia, winning a plurality of votes. When her term as Governor ended in 2018, she announced her candidacy for United States Senator and won election to the Senate in November of 2018 with a remarkable 53% of votes cast. She left office as Governor with an approval rating of 55%.

She is a candidate for the Democratic Nomination for President in 2020.

Early Career

At 26, she sought election as Commonwealth Attorney and was unsuccessful, despite this she successfully ran for State Senate in 2001. In the 2006 Midterms, she won the primary for Virginia's Third Congressional District, successfully winning the open seat of Bobby Scott. Her margin grew markedly in 2008 and she survived the 2010 Republican landslide.

Serving as first a junior prosecutor before successfully being elected to State Senate in 2001, Jillian Dayton was mentioned a prospective candidate for Virginia's Third Congressional District in the 2006 midterms. She successfully won that election, during the drafting of the Affordable Care Act, she voiced support for a public option.

She stringently supported the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2011. In early 2013 she was mentioned as a possible candidate for the Virginia Senate race in 2014. In February of 2013 she quelled all such rumors and announced that she would be a candidate in the 2013 Virginia Gubernatorial Election.

Governor of Virginia

Campaign

Then-Congresswoman Jillian Dayton announced her candidacy for Governor of Virginia, and won from a broad primary field in the June Primary. She went on to be elected Governor with a majority of votes cast.

Tenure

As Governor of Virginia, she successfully lobbied for legislation introducing 'VUSE', the Virginia Universal System of Education through which the State Government would subsidize drastically, the fee for Tertiary Education for its own residents. The scheme made it possible for low-income families to send their children through the Virginia College Network at no immediate cost. For Virginia Residents, positions labeled 'Commonwealth Supported Places' were introduced, these were capped at varying Universities relative to the capacity of the institution to handle students, students would incur approximately $6,500, $8,500 or $12,500 of 'Student Contribution Debt' per year dependent on how much they were likely to earn after graduation, and would be required to repay this debt upon graduating. VUSE steered prospective graduates towards STEM subjects, earning her criticism as ‘ending the arts’. The system was highly successful and its provisions that required students to remain in Virginia until their entire debt was repaid ensured it provided education-based economic stimulus to the state. The legislation is rumored to be at the top of the Senator's legislative agenda in D.C.

Further, as Governor in the wake of the GFC and 2008 Recession she restructured the state tax system raising taxes on all income earned over $100,000. Her term as Governor was among the most productive in State History, passing a large number of legislative items that revitalized the State, the VPT Act, bolstered public transport access across the state, however one of her most iconic acts was 'VAHCA', which expanded Medicaid under the ACA, increased targeted Veterans Healthcare and increased funding for public hospitals and clinics through a Tobacco and Alcohol Excise. The Virginia Healthcare Act also expanded Abortion Access, permitting women to seek an Abortion on demand in the first 23 weeks, requiring that women attain the advice an referral of two doctors between the 23rd and 27th week and wholly prohibited abortions in the last 12 weeks 'unless extraneous circumstances lead to recommendation from six different doctors', this was described as the compromise that permitted her to deliver VUSE, public transport and the expansion of medicaid.

Upon leaving office she stated, "if I had a second term? I'd push for Paid Parental Leave, Ranked Choice Voting, subsidized Medication, a carbon control scheme and the legalization of Marijuana." Despite her productive and well liked term in office, she increased the state’s debt, while she has argued this is insignificant as ‘the State’s economy grew too’. Her departure from office was marked by a reduced deficit and thanks to strong national economic growth the debt-GDP ratio has reduced despite not having had a surplus. Her successor, has made fiscal balance his priority in the next biennial budget.

U.S. Senator

In 2018 she was successful in winning the US Senate Election in Virginia, she herself has resisted efforts to label her as a moderate or progressive, instead calling herself a pragmatist. While a Senator, she has pushed for electoral reform at a nationwide level, drafting the Voter Choice Act and the FAIR Act.

Committee Assignments

• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
  • Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security
• Committee on Environment and Public Works
  • Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife
  • Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight
• Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism
  • Subcommittee on State Department and USAID Management, International Operations and Bilateral International Development
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Committee on the Judiciary

2020 Presidential Campaign

On February 15, 2019, in Norfolk, Virginia; she announced her candidacy for President of the United States. She has pledged to pass affordable college legislation modeled on her success in Virginia, public health expansion labeled 'medicare for all who want it' and electoral reform.

Her campaign has been characterized by rapid growth and a commitment to taking no Super PAC money. 'A Fairer America' Super PAC operates independently of her campaign in support of her FairnessFirst agenda.