Tim Anderson is undertaking a high-profile campaign to unseat incumbent Del. Michael Feggans (D-Virginia Beach) by flipping District 97, a race considered one of the most competitive legislative races in Virginia this election cycle.
Anderson says the contest carries added weight given the state’s broader political landscape, emphasizing that far more than a single seat hangs in the balance.
“Whatever party wins my seat is going to get the House,” Anderson, a Republican, told the South Tidewater News.
Democrats took control of the House of Delegates in 2020 for the first time since 1998, lost it in 2022, and regained it in 2023. Now holding a slim 51-49 majority, every seat is in play, with both parties pouring resources into key races.
Democrats also maintain a narrow 21-19 majority in the Senate, though those seats are not up for election this year. Republicans currently hold the governor’s mansion under Glenn Youngkin, but that could shift if Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeats GOP candidate Winsome Earle-Sears on Nov. 4.
“As long as [Democrats] have a one-vote majority and they have one vote in both chambers, they can pass anything they want,” he said. “If they have the House, the Senate, and the governor, they can pass anything they want, and that’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
Anderson, who views the 97th District as a true battleground—split roughly 35 percent Republican, 35 percent Democrat and 30 percent swing voters—is staking his candidacy on a fiscal conservative message aimed squarely at overhauling state spending and delivering tax relief.
“Virginia has a multi-billion-dollar surplus and now [Democrats are] trying to raise another eight to $10 billion by taxing your dry cleaning, your barber and haircuts, basically any kind of service, something they’ve really wanted to do,” he said.
Anderson, a criminal defense attorney and former delegate, believes that economic issues like tax relief will sway the independent voters who hold the balance in this closely divided district.
“We’ve been campaigning since the beginning of the year on eliminating the car tax and making sure that we get rid of the entire tax on veterans’ retirement,” he said. “In a district like this, where the median income is $60,000 a year, that means a lot.”
He argues that his economic message cuts through partisan noise and connects with voters on practical concerns, contrasting sharply with the Democrats’ focus on opposition to President Donald Trump.
“Getting rid of the car tax means a lot to people who are having trouble paying for their groceries,” Anderson said. “I think we have a better message, and I think it’s resonating better than just ‘we hate Donald Trump.’ That message works really well for Democrats because they hate Donald Trump, that’s great. But for the independents, who are who we’re chasing, I think this economic message gives me a stronger platform.”
Anderson supports zero-based budgeting to cut government waste, citing audits that show Virginia’s $92.6 billion budget is 20% bloated with fraud and abuse.
Reducing government size could lower taxes by 20%.
“I think the DOGE idea is one that people can agree on, not how Donald Trump did it, but I think that the concept that the government is wasteful, it’s big, it’s bloated, it could run more efficiently,” he said. “I think that resonates in a place like this because smaller government means you pay less taxes. I think people are very concerned with what they’re paying in taxes right now.”
Anderson previously served in the House of Delegates representing the 83rd District, which includes part of the 97th District, after being elected in 2021.
When the 83rd was eliminated due to population loss, he faced sharing a district with fellow GOP incumbent Karen Greenhalgh and instead chose to run for Virginia State Senate, losing the 2023 Republican primary for Senate District 19 to Christie Craig.
Meanwhile, Greenhalgh lost to Feggans in the 97th District. Democrats took control of the House in 2020, the first time since 1998, before losing it in 2022 and regaining control in 2024.
On social media, Anderson has criticized Democrat incumbent Feggans, accusing him of avoiding public debates, dodging accountability, prioritizing out-of-state fundraising and demonstrating a broader disconnect from constituent interests.
He opposed Democrat’s COVID-19 mandates imposed on Virginians, emphasizing how the GOP pushed back after Republicans took control of the governor’s office and House in 2022.
“They were telling people they had to get vaccinated to keep their jobs,” he said. “We were able to get that repealed. Ultimately, people feel normal right now because we took control in 2021 and pulled a lot of it back. Fundamentally, as soon as we rolled back those measures, other states followed. The masks, the vaccine mandates, all of it ended shortly after Virginia took action.”
Anderson also pointed to Democratic policing policies as a major contributor to rising crime in several Virginia cities.
“In 2020, Democrats were calling for defunding the police and stripping away qualified immunity,” Anderson said. “They still want to do that. What it did was devastate the police departments. You see that in places like Norfolk, where police departments are still 50% vacant, and Portsmouth is even worse. Crime is running rampant in those cities.”
Anderson warns that if Feggans retains his seat, and Democrats maintain control, Virginia could see a repeat.
“I don’t think anybody wants the Democrats to actually win the House because of the danger of the dangerous runaway train thing that we saw happen in 2020,” he said. “But from our side, I think that whatever party wins my seat is going to get the House. I think that’s going to be the bellwether.”
He also took aim at recent Democratic efforts to restrict Second Amendment rights.
“Embedded in the AR-15 ban is a magazine ban that would make it a crime to own regular standard pistols if your pistol holds more than 10 rounds,” he said.
Anderson is an advocate for the automatic restoration of gun rights for nonviolent felons, calling the current process “wrong.”
“Just like your voting rights: when the criminal justice system says we’re done with you, you should get your Second Amendment rights back,” he said. “But that’s not how it is, so we have to go to court and fight. I’ve gotten thousands of people’s Second Amendment rights back who are convicted felons.”
An advocate for gun rights restoration, Anderson has personally served as an attorney in hundreds of cases where those rights have been restored.
“Until then, we’ll just keep fighting and doing it in court, but it shouldn’t have to be this way,” he said.
Beyond fiscal and safety issues, Anderson champions a regulated legal market for therapeutic psilocybin mushrooms, highlighting their potential to treat PTSD and depression, especially among veterans.
“There’s a real scientific basis that psilocybin mushrooms not only treat but can cure severe PTSD and treat depression in a very naturalistic way,” he said. “These mushrooms grow out of the ground, but it is a felony even to touch them.”
He stressed the importance of controlled, doctor-administered use, pointing to successful programs in Oregon and Colorado.
“Virginia has many warfighters, and pharmaceutical companies prescribe SSRIs and SNRIs to mask their symptoms,” he said. “However, these mushrooms can be therapeutically administered by a doctor in a clinic to promote healing.”
