Henrico Times

Mark Earley, one of seven candidates who were endorsed by the American Federation for Children (AFC) in the Virginia primaries held on June 20, will be on the ballot in the November general election for the state House District 73 seat.

"THANK YOU!" the candidate tweeted this week. "After a long, hard-fought primary campaign, the people of Chesterfield returned a resounding victory. We have an incredible opportunity to unite folks around our shared vision & values. On to November!"

School choice activist Corey DeAngelis applauded the June 20 election results.

“It’s happening,” he said in a tweet.

DeAngelis joined the American Federation for Children in celebrating the seven of eight total candidates endorsed by the AFC who won in the state’s primary election and will be on the November 2023 general election ballot for positions in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate, Old Dominion News reported this week. The seven candidates are Emily Brewer (SD17), Tara Durant (SD27), John Stirrup (HD21), Wren Williams (HD47), Lee Peters (HD65), Mark Earley (HD73) and Mike Dillender (HD84).

Earley, a Republican, is running for his first position in office, according to Ballotpedia. He will run against Democrat Herb Walke in the November election for House District 73.

Earley worked in former governor Bob McDonnell’s administration before going back to school to earn his law degree, according to his campaign website. He eventually started a family firm with his fahter and brother in the Richmond area. He and his wife have two sons and enjoy being able to foster children in their family as well.

An AFC press release celebrated the news, congratulating the winners and the growing focus of the state and residents on the issue of school choice for families and students.

“The VFC PAC invested more than $300,000 in state races to support school choice proponents during the 2023 primary,” the release said.

The American Federation for Children is an organization that fights for school choice rights for all families at the state and federal level.

“When funding for education follows students to the school of their choice, families win,” the organization’s website said. “We believe all parents should have a wide range of high-quality educational options to choose from, regardless of income.”

Virginia has varying types of school choice for K-12 students, according to EdChoice.org. It has intradistrict school choice, which allows families to transfer within their district, but it also has a private school tax credits scholarship program. The scholarship is open to families earning less than 300% of the federal poverty line, or students of special needs. The program only grants $25 million in tax credits annually, which works out to an average of $2,918 per participating student, or approximately 23% of the normal per-pupil state spending amount.

“The education establishment in Virginia has fought the ability for parents to select the best education options for their children, but parents made their wishes clear again at the ballot box this week,” Ryan Cantrell, AFC national director of Government Affairs, said in the press release. “The Virginia General Assembly must listen to parents across the Commonwealth who are asking for greater access to education freedom. The victories tonight are just the first step in bringing true school choice to Virginia, and parents are well-positioned to elect a school choice majority in both chambers in November’s general election.”