The House candidate Nextdoor

Virginia's candidates for House try novel social media tactics to break through in tight races

The Instagram feed for Jessica Anderson, a Democratic candidate running for Virginia’s 71st district in the House of Delegates. (Screenshot by Kaylie Klausing/24sight News.)

Candidates running for the Virginia House of Delegates are taking a novel approach as they attempt to reach voters directly, even relying on the platform Nextdoor.

Jessica Anderson, a mother, part-time public school employee and Democrat, is running for the competitive House District 71 seat, which stretches from outside Richmond down to Williamsburg.

She’s making her second run against incumbent Republican Amanda Batten, who she lost to in 2023, 51-49%. Since then, Anderson has continued to grow her social media presence and create content relating to local issues, national news, and this year's races. 

"I'm on Nextdoor. I'm having engaging conversations about issues that get brought up on that platform with people that are voting in my district," the candidate told 24sight News. "I'm very civil, and there are people that obviously don't always agree with me, but I go back and forth. I do the same thing on a variety of Facebook group chats that I'm in."

Nextdoor is a social networking app designed for connecting neighbors and discussing local issues.

But Anderson has used the app to reach older voters who may not be active on traditional social media platforms and to have discussions directly with her neighbors, even those who don't always agree with her.

In addition to fostering valuable conversations surrounding local issues, Anderson said her presence on Nextdoor creates a sense of personal connection with her district's citizens.

She has found that when people reach out to her through direct message with questions, they are often surprised that they are speaking directly to the candidate.