Jessica Anderson | |
|---|---|
| Member-elect of the VirginiaHouseofDelegates from the 71st district | |
| Assuming office January 14, 2026 | |
| Succeeding | Amanda Batten |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Virginia Peninsula Community College |
| Website | jess4va |
Jessica Anderson is an American politician and the Delegate-elect for the 71st district of the Virginia House of Delegates. A member of the Democratic Party,she was elected to the seat in the 2025 Virginia House of Delegates election with 53% of the vote, [1] defeating incumbent Republican Amanda Batten. [2] The district includes the city of Williamsburg and parts of James City County and New Kent County. [3]
Anderson was born in Newport News in 1981. [4] She earned an Associate of Science degree in business administration from Thomas Nelson Community College in 2007. [4]
Anderson has worked in public schools in the Williamsburg area,including as a front office receptionist at a public elementary school. [4] [5] She has participated in the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership's Political Leaders Program in 2024,and has been affiliated with the Williamsburg-James City Education Association and Colonial Road Runners. [4]
Anderson ran for the 71st district seat in 2023 and lost to Republican incumbent Amanda Batten by 667 votes. [1] During the campaign,Anderson supported maintaining abortion access under Virginia law and opposed book bans in public school libraries. [6]
Anderson ran again in 2025 in a rematch against Batten and won the general election,flipping the seat for Democrats. [7] Anderson had raised about $1.4 million in the 2025 cycle as of October 2025,compared with about $874,000 for Batten. [8]
In 2023,Anderson said she preferred shortening Virginia's early-voting window from 45 days to roughly 30 days,while retaining required weekend voting opportunities. [9]