Rosalyn Dance Explained

Rosalyn Dance
State Senate:Virginia
District:16th
Term Start:November 9, 2014
Term End:January 8, 2020
Preceded:Henry L. Marsh
Succeeded:Joe Morrissey
State Delegate1:Virginia
District1:63rd
Term Start1:April 6, 2005
Term End1:November 9, 2014
Preceded1:Fenton Bland
Succeeded1:Joseph E. Preston
Birthname:Rosalyn Odessa Randolph
Birth Date:10 February 1948
Birth Place:Chesterfield, Virginia, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Spouse:Nathaniel Alfonso Dance, Jr.
Children:Nathaniel Dance III
Tanya Dance Kelly
Residence:Petersburg, Virginia
Alma Mater:John Tyler Community College
Virginia State University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Profession:Nurse
Committees:Appropriations; General Laws; Privileges and Elections
Website:Dance for Senate

Rosalyn Randolph Dance (born February 10, 1948) is an American politician, who served in the Senate of Virginia from 2014 until 2020. She was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2005 to 2014, and was mayor of Petersburg, Virginia from 1992 to 2004. Dance is a member of the Democratic Party.[1] [2]

Early life

Dance was one of 11 children.[3] She dropped out of high school, but went on to earn several higher degrees.[3]

Electoral history

Dance was elected to the Petersburg City Council in 1992.[3]

In 2001, the 63rd Virginia House of Delegates district incumbent, Democrat Jay DeBoer, retired after 18 years. Dance, then mayor of Petersburg, ran for the seat as an independent but lost to the Democratic nominee, funeral director Fenton Bland.

On January 25, 2005, Bland pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud; he resigned the 63rd district seat the next day. Dance received the Democratic nomination and was chosen to replace Bland in a special election on March 22.[4] The 63rd district is southeast of Richmond, made up of the city of Petersburg and part of Hopewell, plus parts of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George Counties. Dance was reelected multiple times, the last in November 2013.

Dance served on the House committees on Appropriations, General Laws, Health, Welfare and Institutions, and Privileges and Elections.[1]

Dance served in the Senate of Virginia, where she represented District 16, having won a special election on November 4, 2014, to fill the seat once held by Henry L. Marsh.[1]

In 2019, Dance sponsored a bill to gradually increase Virginia's minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 per hour by 2021.[5] Later that year, she ran for reelection to her state senate seat, but was defeated in the primary by disbarred attorney Joe Morrissey.[6] [7]

Date Election Candidate Party Votes %
Virginia House of Delegates, 63rd district
November 6, 2001[8] GeneralFenton BlandDemocraticalign=right 8,774align=right 52.48
Rosalyn DanceIndependentalign=right 7,926align=right 47.40
Write Insalign=right 20align=right 0.12
March 22, 2005[9] SpecialRosalyn DanceDemocraticalign=right 4,342align=right 68.78
A G SimsRepublican1,69026.77
M W BratschiIndependentalign=right 271align=right 4.29
Write Ins100.16
Fenton Bland resigned; seat stayed Democratic
November 8, 2005[10] GeneralRosalyn DanceDemocraticalign=right 9,456align=right 60.29
D H DphrepaulezzIndependentalign=right 6,177align=right 39.38
Write Insalign=right 52align=right 0.33
November 6, 2007[11] GeneralRosalyn DanceDemocraticalign=right 8,684align=right 98.07
Write Insalign=right 170align=right 1.92
November 3, 2009[12] GeneralRosalyn DanceDemocraticalign=right 12,375align=right 96.42
Write Insalign=right 459align=right 3.57
November 8, 2011[13] GeneralRosalyn DanceDemocraticalign=right 10,775align=right 96.64
Write Insalign=right 374align=right 3.35
June 11, 2013[14] Democratic primaryRosalyn Dancealign=right 2,471align=right 52.82
Evandra D. Thompsonalign=right 2,207align=right 47.18
November 5, 2013[15] GeneralRosalyn DanceDemocraticalign=right 15,962align=right 95.72
Write Insalign=right 714align=right 4.28
Senate of Virginia, 16th district
August 9, 2014[16] Special primaryRosalyn Dancealign=right 1,725align=right 45.4
Delores McQuinnalign=right 1,375align=right 36.2
Rudy McCollumalign=right 592align=right 15.6
Gerry Rawlinson1082.8
November 4, 2014[17] Special generalRosalyn DanceDemocraticalign=right 29,237align=right 73.0
Preston "Famous" BrownIndependentalign=right 10,154align=right 25.4
Write Insalign=right 645align=right 1.6
Henry L. Marsh resigned; seat stayed Democratic
June 9, 2015[18] Democratic PrimaryRosalyn Dancealign=right 4,967align=right 62.0
Joseph E. Prestonalign=right 3,039align=right 37.9
Write Insalign=right 2align=right 0.0
November 3, 2015[19] General electionRosalyn DanceDemocraticalign=right 17,331align=right 72.7
Joe MorrisseyIndependentalign=right 6,090align=right 25.5
Write Insalign=right 428align=right 1.8
June 11, 2019[20] Democratic primaryJoe Morrisseyalign=right 8,741align=right 55.0
Rosalyn Dancealign=right 6,873align=right 44.0
Write Ins60.0

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rosalyn R. Dance. Senate of Virginia. April 27, 2017.
  2. Web site: Meet Delegate Dance . Delegate Rosalyn R. Dance - Virginia's 63rd District . June 14, 2013. (campaign/constituent website)
  3. Web site: Fresh off tough primary win, Dance sees chance to rise. Richmond Times-Dispatch. August 2, 2014 . en. February 25, 2019.
  4. News: Lewis . Bob . Former Va. Delegate Sentenced to Federal Prison . Associated Press . April 29, 2005 . June 4, 2013.
  5. Web site: In surprise, Senate panel advances bill to raise minimum wage to $15 by 2021. Roanoke Times. January 14, 2019 . en. February 25, 2019.
  6. News: Gregory Schneider, Jenna Portnoy, and Laura Vozzella. After scandal and stint in jail, Joe Morrissey wins Virginia state Senate primary. . June 11, 2019. June 11, 2019.
  7. Web site: Mel Leonor and Michael Martz. Joe Morrissey knocks off Sen. Rosalyn Dance in Democratic primary. June 11, 2019. June 11, 2019.
  8. Web site: General Election- November 6, 2001 . Virginia State Board of Elections . June 14, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121229000248/http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/ElectionResults/2001/nov2001/html/c_08_063.htm . December 29, 2012 .
  9. Web site: Special Election- March 22, 2005 . Virginia State Board of Elections . June 14, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080515074010/http://sbe.virginiainteractive.org/mar2005/index.htm . May 15, 2008 .
  10. Web site: General Election- November 8, 2005 . Virginia State Board of Elections . June 14, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121228235457/http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/ElectionResults/2005/nov2005/html/h_63.htm . December 28, 2012 .
  11. Web site: November 6, 2007 General Election Official Results . Virginia State Board of Elections . June 14, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085617/https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2007/196E44FA-8B19-4240-9A44-737216DAA55D/Unofficial/8_p4_s.shtml . March 4, 2016 .
  12. Web site: November 2009 General Election Official Results . Virginia State Board of Elections . June 14, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234218/https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2009/37C2EDEB-FACB-44C1-AF70-05FB616DCD62/Official/8_p4_s.shtml . March 3, 2016 .
  13. Web site: November 2011 General Election Official Results . Virginia State Board of Elections . June 14, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053820/https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2011/EB178FD6-875D-4B0D-A295-900A0482F523/Official/8_p4_s.shtml . March 4, 2016 .
  14. Web site: Unofficial Results - Primary Election - June 11, 2013 . Virginia State Board of Elections . June 14, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130615230559/http://electionresults.virginia.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=HOD&map=CTY . June 15, 2013 .
  15. Web site: November 2013 General Election Official Results . Virginia State Board of Elections .
  16. Web site: Del. Rosalyn R. Dance wins Senate primary . August 10, 2014 . NBC 12 .
  17. Web site: November 2014 General Election Official Results . Virginia State Board of Elections . January 23, 2018.
  18. Web site: June 2015 Democratic Primary Election Official Results . Virginia State Board of Elections . January 5, 2023.
  19. Web site: November 2015 General Election Official Results . Virginia State Board of Elections . January 5, 2023.
  20. Web site: June 2019 Democratic Primary Election Official Results . Virginia State Board of Elections . January 5, 2023.