The battle for Virginia House District 57 is emerging as the state’s hottest race, with Republican incumbent David Owen squaring off against Democrat Susanna Nivar in a purple district that could tip the balance in Richmond.
Owen, a small-town engineer turned conservative lawmaker, has built his campaign around protecting parental rights and tackling rising energy costs. Nivar, a former Altria executive who moved from Philadelphia, is leaning into progressive themes like abortion rights and clean energy. With the district split down the middle, voters are watching closely as the clash between Owen and Nivar takes center stage.
In 2023, Republican Delegate David Owen squeezed out a narrow 1,000 vote victory against Democrat Susanna Gibson despite Gibson outspending Owen by more than $500,000. The Richmond area district flipped to Harris in the 2024 Presidential election.
Altria Executive May Nivar is challenging Owen and running hard to the left. (RELATED: Report: Fairfax School Staff Arranged and Funded Students’ Abortions)
Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Nivar has not shied away from strong stances supporting abortion, eliminating school choice, restricting gun rights, or enforcing Biden-era climate goals
“I’m running to protect our hard-fought rights and ensure all women have access to abortion care,” Nivar said in her announcement. Nivar has been endorsed by multiple gun control lobbyists and says that she wants to preserve the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Even Democrat leadership expressed concern that the Virginia Clean Economy Act was not feasible and too damaging to the Commonwealth economy after the Thomas Jefferson Institute estimated it would cost consumers more than $609 million annually.
District 57 is a swing district that national Democrat leadership has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into flipping this cycle. (RELATED: $609M Shock: Virginians Pay Price for ‘Clean’ Energy Push)
Like Nivar, Republican David Owen, a construction engineer and small business owner lists education as a major issue for his campaign. While Nivar has focused her attention on teacher pay and school funding, Owen has highlighted technical education, school lunches and his own success in funding teacher pay.
“I helped pass a bipartisan budget that included record investments in education, increased teacher pay, and strengthened school safety,” Owen said in an interview. “Additionally, I co-patroned two education bills, including one that will ban harmful dyes in school lunches such as Red No. 40, and another that requires school leadership to notify all parents of any school-connected overdoses.”
Owen personally went door to door throughout his district hand delivering 1,200 honor roll certificates to high achieving students. (RELATED: Spanberger Blasted for “Anti-Woman” Record in New Ad Campaign)
Owen has spoken publicly about his support for the second amendment and the rights of the unborn, but neither issue has been a major focus of his campaign. Owen’s latest TV Commercial does mention the work he has done protecting girls bathrooms and sports.
Instead, Owen has talked about efforts to lower the cost of living including repealing the car tax.
“This tax hits working families, commuters, and small businesses, especially in District 57, where reliable transportation is essential for daily life,” he said.