Joshua Gregory Cole (born July 25, 1990) is an American politician. A Democrat, he served one term as member of the Virginia House of Delegates as the representative of Virginia's 28th district. Elected by the Democratic Party of Virginia, Cole served as a member of the Democratic National Committee at the 2020 convention.[2] Cole was elected to represent Virginia's 65th district in the 2023 Virginia House of Delegates election.[3]
Joshua Cole | |
|---|---|
 Joshua Cole on the House Floor in 2020. | |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Lee Ware (redistricting) |
| Constituency | 65th district |
| In office January 8, 2020 – January 12, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Thomas |
| Succeeded by | Tara Durant |
| Constituency | 28th district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 25, 1990 Washington, D.C.[1] |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Tiffany Santora |
| Residence | Fredericksburg, Virginia |
Early life and education
Cole was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Stafford County, Virginia. He graduated from North Stafford High School and attended Liberty University for three years. He currently attends the University of Mary Washington.
Career
He worked for Liberty University and Richmond City Public Schools. He was also a pastor and is the immediate past president of the Stafford County NAACP.[4] Cole has also had many staff positions in the Virginia Assembly. Between the 2017 and 2019 elections, he was chief of staff to Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler.[5]
Virginia House of Delegates
In 2017, Cole ran for the 28th district in the 2017 Virginia House of Delegates election but lost to Bob Thomas by 73 votes.[6]
In 2019, Cole announced his campaign for the same seat in the 2019 election. He faced then Stafford County Supervisor, Paul V. Milde, who had defeated Thomas in the Republican primary.[7] Cole won with 51.8% of the vote.[8]
His 2021 re-election won the support of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, an organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ candidates.[9] He also received endorsement from the Collective PAC, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Barack Obama. Cole was defeated for re-election in November 2021 by Tara Durant.[10]
In 2023, Cole declared his candidacy for the redrawn 65th district.[11] He won the seat in the general election.[12]