“The devil is going to be in the details.”
Del.-elect Leslie Mehta (D–Chesterfield) says she will do her best to represent all of the constituents in the 73rd House of Delegates District. The Democrat thinks this is why she was elected in a district that traditionally leans Republican.
Mehta is an attorney who was formerly the legal director of the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union during President Donald Trump’s first administration. She currently serves on the state’s Rare Disease Council after being appointed by outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Much of her political origin story stems from the loss of her daughter, who was 5 when she died from complications from Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
Mehta defeated Republican incumbent Mark Earley Jr. in November with 52%of the vote. In 2023, Earley won the then-open seat with 54% of the vote. This was Mehta’s second campaign. She unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Republican US Rep. Rob Wittman in Virginia’s 1st congressional district in 2024.
VPM News State Politics Reporter Jahd Khalil recently spoke to Mehta at her home in Moseley, as part of a series of interviews conducted with the newest members of Virginia’s House of Delegates, elected in November of 2025. (Links to interviews with the other delegates can be found at the bottom of this story.)
In the interview, Mehta spoke about the Republicans she met on the trail, prescription drug costs and a potential tax on millionaires.
This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.
Jahd Khalil: Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your district?
In 2023, Republican Del. Mark Earley Jr. won this district with 54% of the vote, and then you won it this year with 52%. Why do you think you won?
I’ve talked to people up and down the district about their needs and what they’re looking for.
They were looking for someone who cared about making sure there was good quality education for everyone, irrespective of your ZIP code; an economy that works for everybody, not just millionaires and billionaires; and that folks have good access to quality health care. I think that’s why they voted for me.
I was with you on a day when you were knocking doors in this neighborhood a few months ago, and there was one person that I remember quite vividly. He asked which party you were, and he happened to be a Republican. He said he wanted to vote for you. How often were you finding that on the campaign trail?
Quite often, actually.
First of all, there’s this misconception that there are so many people who are just one way or the other. I found a lot of folks who were either in the middle or willing to listen to what I had to say. They were appreciative of the fact that I’ve reached across the aisle. I still am on Gov. Youngkin’s Rare Disease Council, and I’ve done a lot of bipartisan work in the health care space.
People are tired of it being just, you know, you’re a D or you’re an R. People were interested in making sure that we were working together to get things done, and I think they saw that in me.
This win was pretty big for the whole Democratic caucus. What does that mean for the issues you want to tackle?
I said a little bit already about the kinds of issues that I’m interested in tackling, and honestly, I don’t feel that those are strictly Democratic issues.
Like I said, I’ve talked to many people in the district that are concerned about those as well, and I want to be a voice for everyone in the district. I know that not everyone will agree on every single thing that I do, but I take into account people’s opinions. I am looking forward to talking to folks in the district — not only those who I know definitely agree with me, but those who don’t as well.
I think if you have signed up to be a legislator, you have to listen to different opinions and ultimately make your decision. I come from a lawyer background, so I like getting all of my evidence together and then coming to a decision.
Are there specific things that you want to do to help make health care more affordable for people?
A bill that didn’t make it past the governor last time around was prescription drug prices, making sure that there’s a panel for them to be affordable — I’m very much interested in that.
Some of the reasons why I got into this had to do with health care and advocacy. My oldest daughter — who passed away from a rare disease — when I started fighting for her, even though she had this big diagnosis, she didn’t get Medicaid her first two times. She was denied.
I want to make sure that people have access to the full realm of health care, and that includes making sure that prescription drug prices are affordable. In my mind, that certainly doesn’t mean that the drug companies aren’t able to innovate and do their research and do all of those things. Particularly as a rare disease mom, I really am adamant about being able to support that.
But people who are getting these drugs need to be able to live and not have to make choices about that versus groceries or having a safe environment to live in.
One of the biggest challenges that legislators are going to face in the upcoming legislative session is the budget.
Changes at the federal level could result in Virginia collecting hundreds of millions — or even billions — less in tax revenues. But there are hundreds of millions — or even billions — in new costs that the state will have to spend if it wants to maintain the same level of services.
Should we be looking for new revenue streams, cutting costs in certain areas or all of the above?
We have to look at both. I think we certainly need to find ways to cut costs, if that’s possible. And on the other hand, we need to make sure that millionaires are paying their fair share. The thing about it, for me, is that we should not be leaning too heavily on the backs of the middle class in order to get things done.
I want to make sure that the folks who have been coming into Chesterfield and other places, they are willing and interested in coming in without having to be overly burdened by taxes. But those who can support a little bit more, like the millionaires, should pay their fair share as well. The devil is going to be in the details, right? That’s what I’m interested in trying to figure out.
I can’t say sitting here right now what exactly the secret sauce is, but I do think that there are ways to be able to figure out that happy medium — things like looking into the car tax and property tax and making sure they’re not overburdening individuals who are just trying to make a living. But I’m sure that there are some folks who have additional thoughts, and we want to make sure that we’re looking at all of that and ultimately making that decision.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Virginia right now?
There are a lot of people who are hurting economically right now. There are folks in Virginia who have been furloughed or lost their jobs, and there are others who are working 40 hours a week, but not making enough to be able to live.
Fighting for $15 an hour is important. Making sure that people aren’t overburdened by taxes, and that people have access to things like affordable housing and health care, all of those things kind of fall under that realm.
We want people not only to be able to live, but enjoy life. I often tell people that it’s great to be able to have a roof over your head and food on the table. That’s the first step that we’re trying to make. But we also need to make sure that people get to live a little, too.
People should be able to go to the movies or go out to eat every once in a while. And not only does that help the individual, that helps all of us. When we’re circulating money into the system and we’re contributing to small businesses, it benefits all of us Virginians.
Read VPM News’ interviews with incoming delegates:
Del.-elect Jessica Anderson (HD-71)
Del.-elect Kacey Carnegie (HD-89)
Del.-elect Stacey Carroll (HD-64)
Del.-elect Mitchell Cornett (HD-46)
Del.-elect Lindsey Dougherty (HD-75)
Del.-elect Mark Downey (HD-69)
Del.-elect Elizabeth Guzman (HD-22)
Del.-elect John McAuliff (HD-30)
Del.-elect Leslie Mehta (HD-73)
Del.-elect May Nivar (HD-57)
Del.-elect Virgil Thornton Sr. (HD-86)
Copyright 2025 VPM
