Laufer,one of eight children,grew up on a dairy farm in rural Wisconsin. She became the first in her family to attend college,and she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,earning a bachelor's degree in geology. She then joined the Peace Corps,teaching elementary school in a rural town in Jamaica. Following the Peace Corps,she attended Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City,graduating with a master's degree in secondary science education.[4]
Career
Laufer is a former school teacher,having taught at Louisa County Middle School and Tandem Friends School in Charlottesville.[citation needed] In 2011,she was elected to the Charlottesville School Board,and was re-elected in 2015.[5][6] Laufer served as Board Chair from 2015-2016.[7][8] In January 2019,Laufer resigned from the school board due to purchasing a home outside of Charlottesville City.[9][10] Laufer ran for the Charlottesville City Council in 2017,but was defeated in the general election.[11][12] During 2022,Laufer briefly served as the Chair of the Albemarle County Democrats until June.[4]
In 2014,she founded Virginia's List,a political group supporting Democratic women running for office.
In July 2022, Laufer announced her candidacy for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in the newly formed 55th District.[16] The 55th was created in the 2021 redistricting process and has no incumbent.[17] Her opponent in the Democratic race is Kellen Squire, an ER nurse at the University of Virginia Hospital. The winner of the primary will face Republican Reid Wernig.[18] On June 21, Laufer won her primary against Squire by a nearly 70-30% margin.[19]
Abortion statements against Squire
Laufer criticized her opponent in the Democratic primary, Kellen Squire, for his past statements on abortion when he ran against Rob Bell in 2017.[20] In late May 2023, Laufer sent out campaign mailers quoting Squire as being "fervently and unabashedly pro-life". Squire responded that his statements were taken out of context, and that Laufer's use of his statements did not reflect the full intent.[21] Laufer's campaign stood by their usage of Squire's statement.[22]
Personal and family
Laufer lives in Albemarle County with her husband Aaron and their three children, Hannah, Adam, and Henry.[8] One of Laufer's children attended Clark Elementary School in Charlottesville.[23]
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