Shelly Simonds holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and affairs from Bucknell University and a master’s degree in communication and media studies from Stanford University. She is married to her husband, Paul, with whom she has 2 daughters. She previously served on the chair of the board of directors of New Horizons Regional Education Centers.  

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Shelly Simonds, Ballotpedia

Shelly previously worked as a Spanish teacher at Newport News Public Schools. She also worked as a family property manager. 

Shelly currently serves as a State Delegate representing District 70. She was first elected in 2017 and is currently serving her third term. She previously served on the Newport News School Board from 2012 to 2016. 

Supports making public transit affordable and accessible, reducing traffic, improving pedestrian and bike access, and ensuring efficient transportation spending.

Supports making public transit more affordable and accessible, reducing traffic, improving pedestrian and bike access, and ensuring efficient transportation spending.

- Supports making public transit more affordable and accessible, reducing traffic, improving pedestrian and bike access, and ensuring efficient transportation spending.

Economy

Supports solar and offshore wind energy generation.

Supports environmental justice legislation to guarantee clean air and water for all residents.

- Supports solar and offshore wind energy generation.
- Opposes fracking and uranium mining.
- Supports environmental justice legislation to guarantee clean air and water for all residents.

Energy & the Environment

Supports gun control and plans to implement better safe storage laws, increased liability for adults, more communication about firearms rules, and more school staff to enhance safety.

Plans to implement better safe storage laws, increased liability for adults, more communication about firearms rules, and more school staff to enhance safety.

- Supports gun ownership. 
- Plans to implement better safe storage laws, increased liability for adults, more communication about firearms rules, and more school staff to enhance safety.

Public Safety

Secured funding for a new drone program at Denbigh Aviation Academy, a STEM initiative in Newport News Public Schools.

Supports enhancing STEM and career technical education and introduced a bill to provide career coaches in high schools.

Supports making higher education more affordable and ensuring fair pay for professors and adjuncts.

Supports raising teacher pay and improving work conditions to address K-12 teacher shortages.

- Secured funding for a new drone program at Denbigh Aviation Academy, a STEM initiative in Newport News Public Schools.
- Supports enhancing STEM and career technical education and introduced a bill to provide career coaches in high schools.
- Supports making higher education more affordable and ensuring fair pay for professors and adjuncts.
- Supports raising teacher pay and improving work conditions to address K-12 teacher shortages.
- Plans to update school infrastructure.

Education

Supports access to abortion and contraception.

Supports expanding telehealth and eliminating out-of-pocket costs for necessary breast cancer imaging.

Supports establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to review price increases and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for price gouging.

Opposes "prescription drug price gouging."

- Supports access to abortion and contraception.
- Supports expanding telehealth and eliminating out-of-pocket costs for necessary breast cancer imaging.
- Supports establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to review price increases and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for price gouging.
- Opposes "prescription drug price gouging."

Healthcare

Supports banning contributions from public service corporations like Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power.

Supports fair elections and accessible voting.

Supports allowing localities to create voluntary public financing systems for local elections to reduce big money influence and support grassroots candidates.

Supports allowing localities to create voluntary public financing systems for local elections to reduce "big money" influence and support grassroots candidates.

- Supports banning contributions from public service corporations like Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power.
- Supports fair elections and accessible voting.
- Supports allowing localities to create voluntary public financing systems for local elections to reduce "big money" influence and support grassroots candidates.

Voting & Elections

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Shelly A. Simonds

Supports raising teacher pay and providing professional development to address K-12 teacher shortages in Virginia.

Shelly Simonds earned a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University and a master’s degree from Stanford University. She lives with her husband, Paul, in the Denbigh area of Newport News and has two daughters attending university.

Shelly is currently a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 70. She was first elected in 2017 and is currently serving her third term. She previously served on the Newport News School Board from 2012 to 2016. 

James Auchincloss

Buket Urgen

Cynthia Scaturico - Ballotpedia

Cynthia Scaturico was born in Decatur, Illinois, and currently lives in Virginia. She attended Lincoln Community High School. She holds a bachelor's degree from Robert Morris University. She is married to her husband, with whom she has 3 daughters and 6 grandchildren. She has been affiliated with Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. She also served as vice president of the Hampton Roads Republican Women’s Club. 

Cynthia is a food manufacturing supervisor at Smithfield Foods. She previously worked at Hormel Foods and Highliner Foods. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Robert Morris College.

Hailey Dollar and Cynthia Scaturico: District 70 Republican Primary

Cynthia currently serves as a State Delegate representing District 70. She was elected in 2025 and is serving her first term. She previously served on the Board of Supervisors for Carroll County from 2023 to 2024. 

Supports investing in infrastructure to attract businesses and create jobs.

Supports cutting red tape and lowering taxes on small businesses.

Supports fewer government regulations and less taxes on small businesses.

- Opposes union membership requirements.
- Opposes tax increases.
- Supports investing in infrastructure to attract businesses and create jobs.
- Supports fewer government regulations and less taxes on small businesses.

As of September 17, 2025, Cynthia M. Scaturico’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Supports increased funding for local police and task forces to combat human trafficking.

Supports tougher penalties for sex offenders.

- Opposes gun control.
- Supports increased funding for local police and task forces to combat human trafficking.
- Supports tougher penalties for sex offenders.

Opposes government involvement in homeschooling.

Believes parents should have the final say in their children’s education and upbringing.

Supports parental access to school curricula and the ability to opt out of "objectionable content."

- Opposes government involvement in homeschooling.
- Believes parents should have the final say in their children’s education and upbringing.
- Supports parental access to school curricula and the ability to opt out of "objectionable content."

Supports policies that aim to expand access to medical services for all Virginians.

- Supports policies that aim to expand access to medical services for all Virginians.

Opposes new campaign finance limits, focusing instead on enforcing transparency laws to keep contributions clear and accountable.

- Opposes new campaign finance limits, focusing instead on enforcing transparency laws to keep contributions clear and accountable.

Cynthia M. Scaturico

Cynthia Scaturico was born in Decatur, Illinois. She graduated from Lincoln Community High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Robert Morris University in 2007. She now lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, and six grandchildren. She has been affiliated with the Hampton Roads Republican Women's Club, Newport News Republican Committee, Volunteer Anchor Project, and Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Cynthia is currently a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 70. She was elected in 2025 and is serving her first term. She previously served on the Board of Supervisors for Carroll County, Iowa from 2023 to 2024.

As of September 17, 2025, Cynthia M. Scaturico did not have a website or any information online.

Supports cutting regulations and lowering taxes on small businesses.

John Bloom (Virginia) - Ballotpedia

John Bloom lives in Newport News, Virginia. He holds a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a master's degree in environmental technology from the New York Institute of Technology. He has a son. He is a Christian. 

Newport News School Board election guide: Meet the candidates

John is a substitute teacher at Newport News Public Schools. He previously worked as a health physicist Norfolk Naval Shipyard and a senior technical at Brookhaven National Laboratory. 

John ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2013 and for Newport News City Council in 2024, but did not win either race. He also ran for New York State Assembly, but did not win. 

House District 70: Del. Shelly Simonds challenged for seat by John Bloom, Cynthia Scaturico, The Virginian-Pilot

Proposed tax rebates for Virginia residents on gasoline purchases, an annual tax based on miles driven and vehicle weight, and tax credits for companies that provide public transit passes to employees.

Supports evaluating and eliminating unnecessary programs, reducing government size, using technology to cut costs, and decreasing state employees through attrition and buy-outs.

Supports unlimited contributions from billionaires like Elon Musk and George Soros to Virginia candidates, and believes that fair and equal media reporting on all candidates would eliminate gerrymandering and promote competition.

- Proposed tax rebates for Virginia residents on gasoline purchases, an annual tax based on miles driven and vehicle weight, and tax credits for companies that provide public transit passes to employees.
- Supports evaluating and eliminating unnecessary programs, reducing government size, using technology to cut costs, and decreasing state employees through attrition and buy-outs.
- Supports unlimited contributions from billionaires like Elon Musk and George Soros to Virginia candidates, and believes that fair and equal media reporting on all candidates would eliminate gerrymandering and promote competition.

As of September 17, 2025, John B. Bloom did not have a website or any information online.

Supports implementing CDC guidelines for student mental health, including educating students, training teachers to spot warning signs, and equipping high school administrators and counselors to help students address mental health issues before crises occur.

- Supports implementing CDC guidelines for student mental health, including educating students, training teachers to spot warning signs, and equipping high school administrators and counselors to help students address mental health issues before crises occur.

Supports bipartisan cooperation to achieve goals, and plans to engage in constructive debate like President Reagan, ensuring legislation benefits all Virginians.

- Supports bipartisan cooperation to achieve goals, and plans to engage in constructive debate like President Reagan, ensuring legislation benefits all Virginians.

John B. Bloom

John Bloom earned a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a master's degree in environmental technology from the New York Institute of Technology. He lives with his son in Newport News, Virginia. He is a Christian.

John previously lived in New York and ran for the New York State Assembly as a Conservative Party candidate and a Right To Life Party candidate in the 1990s. He also ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2013 and for Newport News City Council in 2024 but did not win. 

Walter Ley

- The Virginia General Assembly, made up of the House of Delegates and the State Senate, is responsible for creating state laws.  
- Your state delegate serves your local district in the Virginia House of Delegates, advocating for your community's needs and interests.  
- Delegates have the power to write, sponsor, and vote on proposed legislation, including all bills related to the state budget, which begin in the House of Delegates.  
- The House of Delegates consists of 100 members, each elected to represent one district.  
- Delegates serve two-year terms and receive an annual salary of $17,640.