Name: Mike Mullin
Race: House of Delegates, 93rd District
Party: Democrat
Biography: Del. Mullin serves the 93rd District which includes the City of Williamsburg and parts of Newport News, James City County, and York County. He has been a prosecutor for more than a decade and handled cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
He lives in Newport News with his three boys, who attend public school there. During his time in the Legislature, Del. Mullin passed “Heaven’s Law” to protect children from child abuse. He is a certified gang investigator.
Website: Mullinforvirginia.com
Why should residents re-elect you to the Virginia House of Delegates?
I decided to run for delegate because I thought I could help Williamsburg, James City County, Newport News, and York County face the problems we confront as a community.
I passed more bills in my first 3 years than any freshman legislator in the House. As a father of three young boys, I get how critical health care is to stability and quality of life. That’s why I voted to expand Medicaid.
As a son of a public school teacher with three boys in Newport News schools, I see the difference that access to education can make. That’s why I passed the first teacher pay raise in over a decade.
I’m a criminal prosecutor in Hampton in my day job. I have a unique view of the challenges we face in our criminal justice. I passed a school-to-prison pipeline bill because we have to address historic injustices and ensure we’re sending children with minor infractions to a guidance counselor, not my courtroom.
What is the biggest issue facing your district, and how do you plan to address it?
I ran for delegate for the same reason I decided to become a prosecutor – I wanted to help keep our community safe. In the last few months the Hampton Roads community – and Newport News in the last few weeks – have had to face the crisis of gun violence.
There’s no easy fix to this. But just because we can’t fix everything doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do something. I sponsored a universal background checks bill this year that would help keep weapons out of the hands of the wrong people.
The majority of Virginians support universal background checks. Additionally, I’ve seen first hand in my courtroom how a background check keeps a firearm out of the hands of individuals that shouldn’t have one.
What was the most important vote taken in the Virginia General Assembly in 2019, and why?
Quality of and access to education has always been one of the great differentiators in the United States, so, it benefits everyone when we pay our teachers a fair wage. The 5% teacher pay raise I helped pass in 2019 is a start, but it isn’t nearly enough. Continuing to support our children in school and teachers responsible for their education has been and will continue to be one of my top priorities.
