‘Do not put me in a box:’ Daniels pushing to get on ballot for U.S. Senate primary

Spotsylvania County School Board member Lorita Daniels’ November 2025 announcement that she would seek office as a U.S. Senator may have surprised many people. But in a wide-ranging interview with the Free Press, Daniels made a case that she is a viable candidate with the local, state, national, and international experience needed to effectively serve in the position. 

Fredericksburg Free Press: What was the reaction of the people close to you when you informed them you were running for U.S. Senate? 

Lorita Daniels: They were like, ‘You know you’re going to have to travel the whole state of Virginia. I let them finish. They said, ‘You know you’re going to have to raise a lot of money.’ I let them finish. I said, ‘I understand that and my opponent, [Sen. Mark Warner], has $13 million in the bank for his campaign. Yes, I do not have that, and that’s why we need to have campaign finance reform so people like me can run for these seats. So, politicians are not staying in a seat for a long period of time without passing the baton backwards … You still have old ideas and perspectives. That’s why it’s time to pass the baton backwards. 

He has $13 million in the bank. How am I going to come up against that? Well, I’m just going to have to raise money, and people are going to make the decision if they want to stay with the status quo, or do they want to move Virginians forward? I’m for moving Virginians forward. It’s time to listen to the young adults because they have been absent from our election process. There is a reason for that — they are tired of the status quo.  

The other piece I’ve heard is ‘You’re going to have to travel the whole state. How are you going to do that?’ Politely, I say that I used to be the state commissioner for the arts. I’ve already traveled the state. I’ve been all the way down to Bristol. I’ve been to Northern Virginia. I’ve been everywhere already. We had board members from each congressional district, and every quarter we had a meeting at a different location in Virginia. That’s the background that people don’t know about me. 

FFP: Why should voters believe that you’re a serious candidate for this election and that you will provide a challenge to Sen. Mark Warner?  

LD: I will say what makes me a serious candidate is that I’m going to represent the people’s lived experiences and that’s what they want based on my conversations around Virginia. I’ve lived these experiences. Established politicians may be far removed from what’s really happening in Virginia. I’ve already lived these experiences many people are talking about and people identify with that. They want someone that’s not far removed. When you have the amount of money he has, or any candidate has, you can be far removed from the process. I’m in the community every day. I’m still an elected official and I’m doing the work. When you have an elected official in the community that’s already doing the work, that’s what makes me a serious candidate. 

What I tell people when I go on my visits is, ‘Do not think of me as not a viable candidate because I do not have millions in the bank. But think of me as a viable candidate because I did not start with millions in the bank.’ That’s important because people are tired of the big corporations or billionaires running the country because at the end of the day it’s our lived experiences that get put on the backburner. We need to start thinking about the community’s interests instead of corporate interests. 

FFP: What issues do you believe the younger generation is not being heard about and how will you address those issues?  

LD: They definitely want healthcare. They want affordable housing, because right now, I don’t know if you’re aware, in December, 40,000 people canceled their housing contract when they were getting ready to purchase a home. They canceled because of the instability in the community right now, not just the community but all over the world. Housing is just unaffordable for a lot of people at this point. When I bought my first house, I was in my 20s. I don’t think they can afford that. They won’t be able to buy their homes in their 20s. They probably won’t be able to buy one until they’re in their 40s because these housing prices are really, really high. 

FFP: Most people in the Fredericksburg area know you as the Salem District representative on the Spotsylvania County School Board. Did you ever think about running for board of supervisors, a state office or the House of Representatives before jumping to U.S. Senate?  

LD: I went straight t the top because shooting at that level, that’s where the most change needs to happen. Let’s just think about this: We have three men. My congressman, Eugene Vindman, then we have the two top senators, Warner and Tim Kaine. But we’re still dealing with issues in this community. I’m listening to the whole state of Virginia. That’s where the change needs to happen. They also are part of the Virginia Democratic party; the Democratic party needs to change. 

We cannot try to play it safe all the time. Change needs to happen. Shooting for the top gives Virginians an opportunity to decide if they want to stay with the status quo and stagnation. People are hurting. I’ve heard it.  

So, what I’ll say to people is ‘Do not put me in a box. Really understand my experiences.’ My experience is No. 1, having a Ph.D. in public administration policy. That in itself lets you know that I’ve already been there. I know federal policy. No. 2, being a professor at American University where I’m teaching students who want to go work in Congress. They’re coming back to the school to get their master’s degrees to make sure they stay engaged. I’ve taught doctors and lawyers … They want to learn about public service, so I teach them that. I’m the first face that they see when they come back to learn what it means to be a public servant. 

FFP: You said voters shouldn’t put you in a box. Could you describe some other experiences that you have other than what you just mentioned that would make voters want to choose you to represent them in the U.S. Senate?  

LD: As the mother of a veteran and the spouse of an Air Force veteran, being overseas, living overseas in two countries, speaking two different languages, working on the economy in their country, understanding their policies, understanding their healthcare system, understanding their education system. That was in Japan in Germany. Sending my child to a German school, working for a Japanese corporation, teaching their men how to speak English, working in a Japanese high school, my experience runs the gamut. I’ve worked in these two countries; I spoke two different languages; I worked on their economy. So, I think that’s what people don’t know.  They only see me at this level.  

FFP: How would you balance getting involved in the disagreements at the federal level with keeping your focus on serving Virginians?  

LD: I’ll just say this: I do reverence Warner. He’s done a great job in terms of how he’s out there, which is good. We should do that all the time, not just when there’s a crisis. We should be informing the community about what’s happening. Your constituent base should always know what you’re doing; they should always know where you are; you should always be in the community. That’s No. 1. That’s something I would do differently.  

When I was the state commissioner, we were in the community at least once a quarter. I do believe every elected official should always be in the community. I feel that in this seat, I will continue to do that. The constituents need to see and hear from you. They should not be at a distance from you. They should not have to come to D.C. to see you. 

No. 2, I know it’s kind of difficult to work with your colleagues in the Senate because Democrats don’t have the majority. But at the end of the day, he’s been there how long? He has some seniority. That means there should be some collaboration going on, some give and take. When we’re at a standstill right now, that is not good for Virginians, that is not good for the country … When I see stagnation or nothing’s going anywhere, that’s a problem for me. You have seniority there.  There should be some collaboration with some of his colleagues whether they’re on the other side of the aisle or not. There should be bills that he’s sponsoring all the time. When I looked, it was kind of scattered. 

FFP: What are your thoughts on the war between Israel, the U.S. and Iran? 

LD: As the spouse of a veteran who served in the Middle East, as the mother of a veteran who served in the Middle East, I’m always going to stand on the side of the troops because when these men and women put on their uniform they’re obeying the commander-in-chief and I respect that. Of course, my family members had to do the same thing. I missed birthdays, and other celebratory moments when they were not home. That’s very personal to me when we send our troops over there. When we do that, we do have to be mindful of why we’re really sending our troops over there? Is there an end goal in mind and what does that look like? We should not be in wars forever, these non-ending wars. It’s not good for the country, especially when we’re already dealing with issues at home with affordability, healthcare, elderly care, and mental health. We have so many issues at home that we don’t need another moment where it’s going to cause more instability for our country. We’re trying to figure out what the heck is going on. There’s no balance right now.  We’re chaotic at home right now because we’re not getting the support we need here; now we’re causing more chaos for our troops. 

Some of the questions I would ask in that seat are: What is the legal foundation? What is the rationale for doing this? Have you followed protocol? You can’t unilaterally just say we’re at war. You have to get approval.  

So, when I get in that Senate seat, there needs to be a resolution that passes that prevents him from having this unilateral power to do whatever he wants to do. That’s what I mean by we have got to pass some congressional backing to support some type of resolution that prevents him from doing this in the future. When this is not happening then I question, ‘Who do we have in office again? Do we need to replace them? Are they up to speed? Are they doing their job?’

FFP: Can you explain how you’re going to attack this campaign in the next few months?  

LD: Right now, I need to raise money.  

FFP: How much have you raised?  

LD: I’m not going to talk about that piece. I’ll file my reports in April.  

FFP: Is fundraising slow? 

LD: It’s only slow because I made it slow, because my focus is getting on the ballot. So, I took a lot of my time getting on the ballot, getting signatures. I need 10,000 signatures, 400 in each congressional district. That is my focus. I also have to raise the money, but I’m not worried about the fundraising piece because the people that I’ve called agreed to help. I have a wide net. 

FFP: Do you see yourself on the ballot when the preliminary is held in August? 

LD: I do see myself on the ballot. I’m going to stick it out unless something changes that I’m not aware of. Right now, I’m not aware of anything that’s going to change. So, at this juncture, my goal is to stick it out.  

-As told to Taft Coghill Jr.