RICHMOND — Del. Stacey Carroll made a mistake.
She was going through her first day on the job Wednesday. She’d taken votes on the floor of the House of Delegates.
She’d sat through her first committee meeting.
But then her colleague, Del. Joshua Cole noticed something was wrong as the two stood near the House chamber’s doors.
Carroll’s official House pin was on upside down, so Cole promptly flipped it around for his fellow Stafford County Democrat.
“I’ve got to make sure my teammate’s looking good,” Cole said later.
It was a light moment during a busy day for Carroll and Del. Nicole Cole, two of the Fredericksburg area’s newest state lawmakers.
The third, Del.-elect Margaret Franklin, was also at the State Capitol on Wednesday for the first day of the Virginia General Assembly’s regular 2026 session. Franklin, however, had just won election Tuesday night and won’t get sworn in until her predecessor, Del. Candi Mundon King, takes the position of secretary of the commonwealth under Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger. Franklin will represent parts of Stafford and Prince William counties in the 23rd House District.
Nutty day? Nah.
Was Wednesday a crazy day for Carroll? Not really, she said, because she had been gearing up for it since defeating incumbent Republican Del. Paul Milde in November.
She said the General Assembly orientation process has gone well, and she’s been getting to know those she’ll serve with as well as finding out about very practical matters, such as where the closest bathrooms are in the Capitol.
“And it’s been fun,” said Carroll, who represents the 64th District. “Learning and just talking to all of my future colleagues on both sides of the aisle on various things.”
The committee meeting Carroll attended was for the House’s Privileges and Elections panel, which advanced four proposed state constitutional amendments. One would protect abortion rights, another would restore voting rights for Virginians with felony convictions, a third would eliminate a previously approved ban on same-sex marriage and the fourth would give the legislature limited power to change the shape of congressional districts outside the usual redistricting cycle.
House Democrats representing the Fredericksburg area pose for a photo during a break in Wednesday’s General Assembly session. From left, Del. Candi Mundon King, Del.-elect Margaret Franklin, Del. Joshua Cole, Del. Stacey Carroll and Del. Nicole Cole. (Photo courtesy of Del. Joshua Cole)
Those amendments were passed by the full House later in the day, and are now in the hands of the state Senate. If advanced, the amendments eventually will go before voters, who will decide if the constitution should be changed.
“I’m excited about that,” Carroll said of the package of amendments she voted for, “just so that the voters have a say to decide on so many levels, right?”
Are you ready?
Nicole Cole, no relation to Joshua Cole, also voted for the amendments, and the Privileges and Elections meeting was her first time attending a committee meeting as a legislator, too.
The Democrat said she was awed by being part of the committee that advanced the constitutional amendments on her first day.
“That was a surprise, but also a joy and something that I will never forget,” she said later in her legislative office, which she’s still decorating. A Caroline County flag was there, as if waiting to be displayed.
Cole likened the time leading up to her debut as a delegate to being pregnant with her first son. People kept asking her: Are you ready?
“If you think about it as a parent,” Cole said, “it’s sort of like, you can prepare, but are you ever really ready? You just got to do it.”
She also said her time on the Spotsylvania County School Board helped her get ready for the office she won by shocking many political observers and defeating Del. Bobby Orrock, a Republican who served for 36 years.
“I am prepared. I’m excited,” Cole said. “I mean, the reason why I ran [is] because I felt like I was prepared and would do the job that the constituents in Spotsylvania and Caroline County wanted, and you know they chose me, and so that’s what they want.”
Now, she said she’s on to attacking issues, including affordability for Virginians and ensuring that schools get the resources they need to educate the children of the Old Dominion.
Even though Cole’s party will control both the General Assembly and the governor’s mansion after Spanberger is inaugurated Saturday, the delegate said the task of governing won’t be a slam dunk because of challenges brought on by Washington.
“It is an exciting time for Virginia,” she said.
