The local Virginia elections have passed, but their results can still impact the student at McLean. The representative chosen for District 34, Kathleen Murphy, is the democratic incumbent who took home 60.94% of this year’s votes, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Murphy’s republican counterpart was Cheryl Buford. According to Cheryl Buford’s website, her main plan was to S.E.R.V.E. district 34 by “shortening your commute”, “energizing the commonwealth’s economy”, “rebooting out public schools”, “vanquishing the opioid epidemic”, and “ensuring our neighborhoods are safe”.

However, Kathleen Murphy pulled ahead, which is not surprising as an incumbent in a primarily democratic district. However, how does Murphy’s platform affect students here at McLean?

Generally, she keeps along the democratic party lines, with more government programs, pro-choice, and pro gun control. She also pays attention to the needs of young voters.

“She’s very focused on some of the issues that young people care about: college tuition, health care, reproductive rights. When she came to MHS, I was impressed by her ability to talk just at the level of teenagers, neither patronizing them nor being overly-complicated,” teacher Karen Wolpert said.

Murphy also stated her stances on education, especially pertinent to students at McLean.

“As your Delegate, I am committed to making responsible budget decisions that protect funding streams that our communities depend on to support our local schools. We must find and promote innovative opportunities and practical solutions to improve education in Virginia.” Murphy said.

Furthermore, she has advocated for lower college tuition, an important issue to students struggling with the high tuition costs the universities in Virginia require.

“As support from the Commonwealth has gone down for our universities, tuition has gone up for our students.  We need to restore the traditional role of support for our universities and to our Community Colleges.”

However, now that she steps into office as our representative, it’s time to see what she will do for the betterment of our community.