NOKESVILLE, Va. – The race for Virginia’s 22nd House District turned combative this week as Delegate Ian Lovejoy and former Delegate Elizabeth Guzman exchanged sharp words over public safety, fentanyl penalties, and mandatory reporting laws in schools.
The back-and-forth began after Lovejoy’s campaign released a television ad, “Guilty as Charged,” featuring Prince William County Sheriff Glendell Hill. In the ad, Hill criticizes Guzman’s record, claiming she voted against stronger penalties for fentanyl dealers and supported legislation that ended mandatory reporting of sexual abuse in schools. Guzman’s campaign quickly fired back, calling the ad misleading and dishonest.
“As a social worker and public servant, protecting children and keeping our families safe has always been Elizabeth Guzman’s top priority,” said campaign manager Tyler Phillips. He argued that the bills cited by Lovejoy’s campaign were mischaracterized, saying Guzman has consistently supported measures to address the fentanyl crisis and strengthen protections for children.
Lovejoy’s campaign defended its claims, pointing to Guzman’s 2023 vote against House Bill 1455, which allowed prosecutors to pursue harsher penalties if fentanyl sold by a dealer contained lethal amounts. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support. “We cannot let my opponent hide from her terrible record of making our communities less safe,” Lovejoy said.
The Lovejoy campaign also cited Guzman’s co-patronage of House Bill 257 in 2020, which redefined how schools must report certain offenses. According to critics, the law removed mandatory reporting requirements for a range of crimes, including sexual assault and stalking, instead leaving discretion to school officials. Guzman’s campaign maintains that the law was intended to keep minor student infractions from escalating unnecessarily into criminal charges, not to shield serious crimes.
Both campaigns sought to frame the other as extreme. Guzman’s team said Lovejoy was engaging in “fear-based campaigning designed to distract voters from his own extreme record,” while Lovejoy’s release called Guzman’s counterattack a “last-ditch effort of desperation.”
Guzman, a Democrat and co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign in Virginia, was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2017, representing parts of Prince William and Fauquier counties. She became one of the first Latina immigrants elected to the General Assembly and served until early 2024, focusing on labor rights, child welfare, and public sector collective bargaining. A social worker by profession, she immigrated to the U.S. from Peru.
Lovejoy, a Republican, was elected in 2023 to represent the newly redrawn 22nd District and began serving in January 2024. A small business owner and former member of the Manassas City Council, he has emphasized public safety, education, and cost-of-living issues during his first term. He has generally aligned with his party on key votes, including opposing gun safety measures and efforts to establish a prescription drug affordability board.
The 22nd District race in Prince William County is shaping up as a high-profile contest between a progressive Democrat with prior legislative experience and a first-term Republican incumbent. Voters head to the polls on November 4, while early voting begins Sept. 19, 2025.
