GATE CITY – A 30-year incumbent faces a first-time challenger for the Virginia 45th District Delegate post in November’s general election.
Gate City Republican Delegate Terry Kilgore and Democratic candidate Joshua Outsey are on the November ballot, and both see some of the same issues as important to the district and Virginia overall.
The 45th District includes Scott, Lee and Wise counties, Norton and part of Dickenson County.
Kilgore is a Gate City attorney and Scott County native in addition to being a legislator since 1995. Outsey, a community archive coordinator with Appalshop in Letcher County, Kentucky, moved to Big Stone Gap six years ago.
Kilgore said he wanted to continue his work on economic development for Southwest Virginia and the rest of the state.
Outsey’s platform includes development of a new economy based on energy transition; maintaining health care benefits for residents; education; supporting farmers; keeping young people in the region; job creation, and; focusing on Southwest Virginia’s future.
“I wanted to offer the people of Southwest Virginia a choice,” said Outsey. “I like the idea that folks knowing I’m running gives them hope.”
Kilgore and Outsey both cited energy development as a major issue. The two each said multiple energy sources need development to provide affordable power for businesses and homes in the region, but they differed on whether nuclear power through small modular reactors is a viable option.
“If you’re going to get clean energy resources in Virginia, you can’t do it without nuclear power,” said Kilgore. “A lot of folks are comparing it to nuclear plants of the 70s and 80s but it’s not like Three Mile Island. SMRs are proven technology that has been used on ships for years not. If we’re going to have sufficient power to attract businesses, including data centers, it’s either fossil fuels or nuclear power.”
Outsey said he felt that Southwest Virginia residents’ opinions on bringing SMRs to the region has not been given full consideration since Governor Glenn Younkin announced in 2021 his goal of seeing an SMR in Southwest Virginia in a decade.
“There’s a need, and I don’t know how far legislation can go with things like that, but making sure the community is required to give input a little more before private companies can make decisions that alter out local economy and even the ecosystems around here,” said Outsey. “We have to be part of those very important discussions.”
Outsey said research has shown that there’s still not enough information to support whether SMRs are the right direction for the region. He said the safety of on-site storage of spent nuclear fuel at reactor sites makes nuclear power now makes it a “hard no for me.”
“I’m an all-of-the-above when it comes to energy options,” said Kilgore. “There’s a role for solar, wind, nuclear, gas, and clean coal technology.”
Despite Trump administration cuts to some federal energy program funding including solar and wind, Kilgore said Virginia has not cut its support for solar energy development.
Trump administration cuts in recent months mean that the Commonwealth needs to ensure that public health and safety are protected.
“The General Assembly should serve both as a safeguard and an advocate,” said Outsey, “protecting special education and vaccination initiative from disproportionate harm and ensuring that state-level decisions reflect the needs and values of the citizens.”
“I don’t know much about my opponent,” said Kilgore, “but I will say, welcome to the race.”
“I’m very excited to be in this race and I don’t want to throw any shade, but we need to have term limits,” said Outsey. “Thirty years is enough time for anyone to focus and get a job done, and I want to see what I can do now.