By Taylor Boyd
Ridgeway Council Member Maeve McCulloch recently announced she plans to seek the Virginia State Senate District 7 seat in the 2027 election.
District 7 includes Franklin, Henry, Carroll, Patrick, Floyd, and Grayson counties, part of Wythe County, the cities of Martinsville and Galax, and part of the city of Danville.
State Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Moneta, currently represents the district. He plans to seek reelection.
McCulloch has served on the Ridgeway Town Council since 2022. She plans to seek reelection for the town council in the 2026 election.
McCulloch said she decided to run after seeing how polarizing politics are in the media.
“We’re constantly seeing one party blaming the other for everything and just getting further and further divided, and I have just always felt that is not the way we should run things. This is just exhausting for me, exhausting for everyone to see, I’m sure,” she said.
While she is running as a Democrat, McCulloch emphasized she’s doing so as a moderate, small-town, homegrown Democrat.
“I want to recognize the partisan problems that we have, but also realize that we have more non-partisan issues that are more detrimental than our partisan politics,” she said.
Since she’s currently the only Democratic candidate, McCulloch will not have to win a primary election to secure the nomination. However, if someone else runs, she will.
If elected, McCulloch plans to focus on affordability for everyone for healthcare, childcare, housing, and mental health resources.
“Especially in my community, I’ve seen that’s a problem. People are sick, they can’t afford to go to the doctor, or people have mental illness problems that are leading to other problems, such as bullying or drug abuse in extreme cases, but they can’t afford mental health resources,” she said.
Environmental preservation is also on her list of priorities.
“So that’s clean air and clean water, funding for our state and local parks, and preserving our farmland,” she said.
Funding for public services is also part of McCulloch’s campaign platform.
“I’m big on the government should be working for you, the system should be benefiting you, the individual. To do that, we need to fund our public resources, so that’s police, EMS, animal shelters, schools, and libraries,” she said.
To accomplish these priorities, McCulloch believes the best and most effective way is writing and proposing policy.
“The way our system is set up, we can really make a good change. If we find something we don’t like or we find something we think, ‘Oh, that’s a good idea,’ we can write it into law and then advocate for its passing and then send it through the House or the Senate, and we can get it passed. That’s what I want to do,” she said.
To pay for her goals, McCulloch wants to ensure tax dollars are going towards what matters by being involved in the budget meetings each fiscal year.
“I do that now on the town council, I’m big with our money now. Mayor Craig O’Der jokes that I’m stingy with our money just because I like to know where it’s going and I want to make sure it’s going to the things that make our town, our town, which are our events, and our funding to make sure that we have our police patrolling our area. I think that’s one of the best things our town does, really,” she said.
Noting that every dollar matters, McCulloch said, “I don’t want to waste the money that we have, and I don’t want to put an additional burden” of a tax increase “on the everyday working person because I feel like our working budget is sizable and we can do some great things with that. We just need to look at where we’re putting our money.”
While she doesn’t spend time in Richmond, McCulloch said she watches the livestreams of the General Assembly sessions to stay up to date on what’s happening at the state level.
“It’s really bare bones, the same as any local meeting. I grew up watching my mom, she was the city planner for Martinsville, so I grew up watching her at city council meetings. I know how local meetings go. So, watching Richmond is something I’m really prioritizing. So, if I’m lucky enough to get my foot in the door, I don’t misstep,” she said.
Because of this and her time on Ridgeway’s town council, McCulloch feels equipped to argue about what she hopes to accomplish on the General Assembly floor.
“I’ve always been a public speaker, I’ve never really shied away from that, and especially arguing for what I know is right and what I believe will best benefit this area, that’s something that’s such a privilege to get to do, that’s not something I feel I would struggle with doing,” she said.
Since announcing her campaign earlier this month, McCulloch said she’s not spoken with Stanley.
“I don’t have anything but respect for him. He’s been serving our district for over a decade now, and I think that’s just a humbling and honorable thing to do. He’s also an attorney, which is another humbling and honorable thing to do. I don’t have anything but respect for him – we just happen to disagree on politics,” she said.
McCulloch said she also decided to enter the race as she believes every election needs to be contested so people have a choice, “because that’s a hallmark of our democracy, is people getting to choose.”
Having been born in Rocky Mount and lived in Henry County her entire life, McCulloch’s unofficial campaign slogan is “From Here, For Here.”
“I’ve lived in District 7. I’ve grown up here. I’ve grown as the person I am today in this area, so I do want to do what I can to keep it great and make it better,” she said.
Despite living in a predominantly Republican area, McCulloch said she’s received strong support from her community.
“I think people are also upset with the way things are being run — regardless of their party. I’ve been surprised about that too, but also learned that people care about who you are as a person more than they care about what party you’re in,” she said.
Noting her campaign is entirely grassroots, McCulloch said she wants to work for her constituents.
“I don’t want big donor money because I want to work for the constituents and not for a donor or even a party, for that matter,” she said, adding that her campaign is funded only through the money she puts into it and any donations she receives from private citizens.
McCulloch also hasn’t received any suggestions of policies she should propose if elected by residents.
Since announcing her campaign, McCulloch said she’s learned that people are good-hearted, especially in District 7.
“I’ve not been given any direct, ‘Hey Maeve, here’s a policy you should propose,’ but I have seen the kind hearts of all these people. If I’m running for office and I’m asking people to vote for me, it’s really my job to find out and say, ‘Hey, can you talk with me? Hey, can I understand who you are and where you’re coming from and what you think would make things better?’
“I have my own perception of the world, and like anyone, you think, ‘Oh, I know my life and I know what I need,’ but when you’re in a position like a state representative, you need to know everyone down the corner of the road to across the county to over in Carroll County, up Floyd mountain, and what they need,” she said.
To help learn this, McCulloch said she and her team want to go to every corner of the district and meet as many people as possible, to talk about the issues, what they want to accomplish, and hear what people need.
While she doesn’t have any events currently planned, McCulloch said any scheduled events will be posted on her social media accounts.
McCulloch currently attends Ferrum College, where she is a liberal studies major with concentrations in English, Psychology, and Political Science. McCulloch is set to graduate in December.
For more information, go to Facebook.com/McCullochforVirginia.
