My name is Jake Denton. I met my wife Katie in third grade at our bus stop under the big magnolia tree at the end of my driveway. We grew up together in Virginia Beach on York Lane, and we now live with our three children about a mile up the road. Back then, in the 1980s and 90s, when Owen Pickett was our Blue Dog Democrat Congressman, I remember how at dinner table conversations, people would often say they were fiscally conservative but socially liberal.
I believe in finding common ground to solve big problems. I also believe all Americans have a duty to fight for the truth and against the extremism threatening our Constitutional Democracy. If you believe in this too, I am asking for your support for my campaign for Congress. Will you make a contribution of any amount to our campaign today?
My six siblings and I were raised with both strong-minded Republicans and Democrats in our family. I remember watching the 2004 Convention speeches and agreeing when Barack Obama said, “There is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.”
Those times seem like just yesterday but also long ago. Since then, I have changed careers from journalism to law. I loved both jobs because they provided awesome and countless opportunities to learn about what is important to the people of our community. Katie and I are grateful for our many blessings, especially for raising our devoted family in our hometown. We are proud of our heritage and our values, and we love our country.
I’m entering public service because extremists are attacking the truth, our legal system, and our Democratic way of life. Trump‐appointed Supreme Court Justices — including the shamefully corrupt Clarence Thomas — will soon decide whether Donald Trump is above the law. An affirmative decision would destroy our Constitution because the presidency, as Trump speaks about openly, would become a de facto dictatorship. Even if the Supreme Court rules as most expect and forces Trump to face his numerous trials (all of which involve Trump’s criminal and self‐serving lies), then Trump will nonetheless have the right to stand for election. Even if convicted, Trump could win from prison.
In my work as a constitutional law and civil rights attorney, I fight for the truth and against discrimination every day. In my defamation cases, I represent clients whose reputations have been damaged by malicious lies. In my civil rights practice, I represent clients who must overcome race, gender, LGBTQ, disability, and age discrimination, as well as worker’s rights and Fourth Amendment police misconduct cases.
Before I attended law school, I worked for 10‐plus years as a journalist covering the Port of Virginia; reporting on social issues such as homelessness, education, and immigration; and writing about fun stuff like surfing, travel, and sports. I also worked as a state employee at the Virginia Port Authority, where I published a magazine called The Virginia Maritimer.
More importantly, I was raised in Virginia Beach by a big loving family — my mother is one of eight, and my father is one of seven siblings — and benefitted from a tremendous education in Virginia’s private and public schools — Norfolk Academy, the University of Virginia, and the William & Mary School of Law. Truth and honor have always been held sacrosanct in my family and my education.
For this reason, what concerns me the most about Trump is how he successfully attacks the truth itself — seemingly, without any repercussion. Donald Trump faces each of his trials because he is a liar. In response, he and his extremist followers are now attacking the legal system. The other day I heard Republican Florida Congressman Byron Donalds on the radio saying that the legal system is the greatest threat to America in the history of our country.
In fact, the legal system, which currently is withstanding tremendous stress, is our nation’s bulwark against extremism. I am grateful and hopeful that our courts will continue to protect our democracy, as they did when they rejected Trump’s many “Big Lie” cases. Trump deserves to face his reckoning in the courts because he has lied about his taxes, has lied about payoffs to porn stars, has lied about the value of his business, has lied about the possession of classified documents, has lied about the election of 2020, and, most importantly, because he attempted to block the transfer of power fraudulently and violently in order to unconstitutionally remain president. Mitch McConnell bears blame for failing to convict Trump after his 2nd impeachment and bar him from running for office. Attorney General Merrick Garland and other prosecutors should not have waited so long to press charges. But thankfully, Jack Smith and other heroic prosecutors finally appear poised to present the story of Trump’s criminal lies to juries and the American people.
And yet — Trump is winning in the polls. And the Supreme Court — the same Court that has overturned Roe v Wade and gutted the Voting Rights Act — will remain conservative for years and perhaps decades to come.
All of this obviously makes defeating Trump Republicans in Congress imperative. The Second District of Virginia is a critically important swing district. Jen Kiggans votes as Trump demands and appears afraid to cross Trump. A Trump Congress would be unspeakably dangerous if Trump wins the Presidency. Kiggans must be defeated.
So, yes, I am running to do my part in defeating Trumpism. But that is just the beginning. Because, after we stop the madness and restore normalcy, there will, of course, be much work to do.
I grew up in our district, and Katie and I love raising our children here. Americans must find common ground to solve big problems. We must protect the rule of law; stand up for basic freedoms like reproductive rights and the right to vote (overturn Citizens United!); and work together to build the economy by incentivizing a thriving workforce, lowering the costs of living, and cutting taxes.
We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in history. That is why I ask for your help and support, and for the honor of representing you in Congress. Please help me fight extremism and win this seat by donating what you are able to today.
Thank you for being on this journey with me.
— Jake Denton