For the first time in recent memory, Virginia Democrats have candidates running in all 100 House of Delegates districts — a milestone party leaders and grassroots organizers say reflects rising momentum as President Donald Trump’s second term continues to galvanize opposition.

Rocco DeBellis, a 57-year-old chef, Bronx native, and Cape Charles resident, filed this week to run in House District 100, making it the final district to be contested and completing the Democrats’ full slate. DeBellis, who runs a catering business and serves as the private chef to TV personality Judith Sheindlin — better known as Judge Judy — is challenging Del. Rob Bloxom, R-Accomack, in a district that spans the Eastern Shore and parts of Virginia Beach.

“Nobody else had put their hat in the ring, so I said, it can’t go uncontested,” DeBellis said. “This guy has to have at least somebody playing a little defense against him. If nobody else is going to step up and do it, I will gladly.”

The decision by DeBellis — who calls himself a Bernie Sanders-style Democrat and critiques what he sees as the outsized influence of corporate power in politics — is emblematic of a broader push by Democrats to compete statewide, even in ruby-red territory. 

Trump carried District 100 with 52% of the vote in 2024, and Bloxom defeated Democrat Charlena Jones 60-40% in 2023. The last time a Democrat won the district — three years before the Virginia Supreme Court redrew the maps — was in 2018, when U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine defeated Republican Corey Stewart with 53-47% of the vote. 

And this year, some Democratic organizers say they’re refusing to cede any ground.

The full-court press is led in part by Dr. Fergie Reid Jr., a retired physician and longtime political activist who has made it his mission to recruit candidates in every district, especially those overlooked by traditional party infrastructure. 

The son of Dr. William Ferguson Reid, the first Black Virginian elected to the General Assembly since Reconstruction, Reid said this milestone holds special meaning in a year when his father, founder of the 90 for 90 Voter Registration Project , celebrated a milestone birthday.

“Dad turned 100 a few weeks ago. There are 100 districts in the state house,” Reid said. “My goal is not to let what happened in 2021 happen again, especially on Dad’s 100th year when he’s watching. He’s been calling me every night to make sure that we get in 100 districts.”

“A unique moment in the future of America”

Four years ago, Democrats had initially recruited candidates in all districts but only ended up fielding nominees in 93 after some dropped out. Reid blames the party for failing to retain them.

“This year, we got 100 districts. And the real reason to have this happen … is that Virginia is the first opportunity for really any state in the United States to answer back to what’s going on in Washington right now,” he said. “It’s going to send a big loud message to the rest of the country and to the world that, yeah, not everybody in America is with Trump.”

Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, who chairs the House Democrats’ campaign efforts, praised the recruitment effort and called it a reflection of the stakes facing the country in 2025.

“This is a unique moment in the future of America in which those who want to preserve our systems of government, our economy, and our freedoms, know they need to step forward,” Helmer said in a phone interview Wednesday. 

“We are going to win seats this year. We’re going to hold a majority. We’re going to protect Virginians. We’re going to make sure that we are the bulwark in the storm that is the Trump-Musk administration.”

The historic sweep could also pay off strategically, said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington.

“This is a big development from the perspective of turnout,” Farnsworth said. “Even in districts where you’re not going to win, you’re going to help pump up the vote for your party, and that can help statewide candidates.”

After news of DeBellis’ candidacy surfaced online, Loudoun County GOP Chairman Scott Pio voiced his frustration on social media — not at Democrats, but at his own party.

“Oh Look! Democrats competing in every single seat in Virginia. Yet, the Republicans are missing 30 seats,” Pio wrote on X , referencing data from the Virginia Public Access Project showing Republicans fielding candidates in only 70 House races.

Taking aim at GOP leadership, including Republican Party of Virginia Chair Mark Peake, Pio added: “We are headed for disaster in November. It was a campaign promise of mine to contest every single seat in the House. We would have filled every single one of them!!! The RPV does not have their eyes on the prize. Rather just to become famous.”

Party leaders remain at odds with Reid

Despite his effort in putting Democrats ahead of Republicans, Reid’s role hasn’t been without controversy. This cycle alone, he claims credit for recruiting Democratic candidates in 23 Republican-leaning districts and hasn’t hesitated to call out the Democratic Party of Virginia for what he sees as strategic failures. That has sometimes strained relations with party brass.

In a Feb. 8 email obtained by The Mercury, Tina Winkler, a top DPVA official, warned local party leaders to be cautious when dealing with Reid, accusing him of being “harassing and intrusive” and urging that they were “not obligated to take his calls.” She also expressed concerns that he was encouraging some candidates to skip the required petition process.

Reid, in response, refuted the latter as a “flat-out lie,” and defended his efforts. “They like to call it being pushy. I don’t call it that,” he said. “I might be a thorn in the side of folk, but that’s because this exposes the fact that they’re not doing their homework.”

UMW’s Farnsworth, however, said Democrats should recognize Reid’s value. 

“Fergie Reid is doing a huge favor for the Democratic Party of Virginia, even if they don’t want to recognize it as such,” he said. “Persuading someone to run in a district that is overwhelmingly supportive of the other party takes some serious energy.”

Asked about Reid’s contributions, Helmer was careful with his words but acknowledged the broader team effort.

“I’m grateful for all of the amazing partners we have, and thankful for all the people who have stepped forward to run,” he said. “We, as a House Democratic caucus, have provided support to more candidates than ever in history, and will continue to do that in order to make sure that we deliver for the people.”

As for DeBellis, the chef-turned-candidate said he’s not running with illusions of flipping the seat easily — but with the conviction that every voter deserves a choice. Raised by a single mother with disabilities, he said he saw firsthand how government aid could make the difference between dependency and independence.

“She got government assistance to get a van so she could go to work and not stay home on welfare,” he said of his mom, who is deceased. “She was my idol, she was a fighter — and she was a Trump supporter for one issue — abortion.”

DeBellis said he doesn’t know much about his opponent Bloxom personally but believes it’s fair to ask what he’s delivered for the district.

“He’s been there for over a decade, and I’m curious as to what have the people gotten from it?” he said. “I’m sure he’s a wonderful man, but I’m just curious — what has he been doing?”

Bloxom notched several bipartisan legislative wins this year. 

He sponsored bills to streamline permitting for marine construction projects, shift dredging grant oversight to the Marine Resources Commission, and eliminate redundant state licensing for produce dealers already covered by federal law.

Bloxom also broke with most Republicans in 2024 to support legislation safeguarding same-sex marriage in Virginia. 

In a phone interview Wednesday, Bloxom said having a Democratic challenger this year means he’ll need to kick his campaign into gear and begin fundraising.

While redistricting has altered the boundaries of House District 100, Bloxom said the core character of the district remains unchanged, particularly on the Eastern Shore, where local issues often outweigh party politics.

“My experience has been that some of the people who’ve moved here from off the Shore came to learn that we were always more concerned with the Eastern Shore, and it didn’t really matter if you were a Republican or Democrat,” Bloxom said. 

“(Former delegate) Lynwood Lewis carried the area for 10 years before me, and he was a Democrat, and my father had it before Lyn, and he was Republican. But some of the people that have moved here in recent years are just so die hard. I mean, you can’t even talk to them.”

DeBellis and his wife Lenore now live full-time in Cape Charles, where she owns a café and he sometimes teaches boxing at the local YMCA. As campaign season heats up, DeBellis said he’s ready to lace up the gloves — politically speaking.

“I think corporate America is greedy,” he said. “They have put us in a position now that we’re in with all these oligarchs running around, and Trump is a disaster for any sense of this. He’s a disaster just as a human being, forget the presidency.”