Jennifer Barton Boysko (born November 16, 1966) is an American politician from the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. She represents the 33rd district in the

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

. Previously, she represented the 86th district in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

, which is located in Fairfax and

Loudoun Loudoun ( gd, Lughdan) is a parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland and lies between five and ten miles east of Kilmarnock. The parish roughly encompasses the northern half of the Upper-Irvine Valley and borders Galston Parish (which encompasses the ...

counties. She is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Early life and career

Boysko was reared in Alabama and Arkansas. In 1989, she graduated from

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States ...

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

. Since 1996, Boysko has been a resident of downtown

Herndon, Virginia Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of the United States. The population was 23,292 at the 2010 census. In 2020, the population was estimated to be 24,532, which makes it the largest of three i ...

, where she and her husband Glenn have raised two daughters, Hannah and Sophie Claire. She has been a grassroots organizer and leader in her community, volunteering her time for

Herndon High School Herndon High School is a fully accredited four year public high school in Herndon, Virginia, United States. Herndon serves grades 9-12 and is a part of the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) system. Herndon High School serves the town of He ...

, the Herndon Fortnightly Club, the Herndon Optimists, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Reston Interfaith, and other political and charitable causes.

Virginia House of Delegates

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, Boysko was narrowly defeated for the House of Delegates 86th district seat, losing to the incumbent Republican Tom Rust 50.08 percent to 49.92 percent, a difference of 32 votes. The 2015 election, held November 3, featured an open seat after Rust announced his retirement on February 25, 2015. For the primary election, held June 9, Boysko ran unopposed. For the general election, Boysko received 54 percent of the vote; Republican Danny Vargas—who ran unopposed in his primary—received 42 percent; and Independent Paul Brubaker received 5 percent. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Vargas outspent Boysko $654,725 to $476,322. Brubaker spent $9,100. In

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, Boysko was re-elected 69%-31%.

Virginia Senate

Following

Jennifer Wexton Jennifer Lynn Wexton (née Tosini; born May 27, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the United States representative for Virginia's 10th congressional district since 2019. The district is anchored in the outer portion of Northe ...

's election to the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in the

2018 elections The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. Africa *2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018 *2018 Sierra Leonean general elect ...

, Boysko announced her candidacy for the

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

to succeed her in the

. She won the Democratic Party's nomination on November 17, and won against former Republican Delegate

Joe T. May Joe Turner May (born June 8, 1937) is an American businessman, electrical engineer, inventor, aviator, and politician. Biography Born on June 8, 1937 in Broadway, Virginia, May graduated from Virginia Tech in 1959. Between 1955–1958, he se ...

in the election on January 8, 2019. Boysko was elected to a full term during the 2019 general election, defeating Leesburg Vice Mayor Suzanne Fox 65%-35%.

Policy positions

Animal welfare

In 2018, as a member of the House of Delegates, Boysko sponsored legislation that would require companies to avoid using animals while testing cosmetics or household cleaners.

Labor

Boysko introduced a paid family leave proposal during the 2020 session of the Virginia State Senate. The bill would provide up to 12 weeks of

paid time off Paid time off, planned time off, or personal time off (PTO), is a policy in some employee handbooks that provides a bank of hours in which the employer pools sick days, vacation days, and personal days that allows employees to use as the need o ...

for family or medical leave. The leave would be paid for by an insurance fund administered by the state and funded by a 0.5% payroll tax contribution by both workers and employers. Workers eligible for leave would receive 80% of their wages for up to 12 weeks.

Electoral History

References

External links

Official House of Delegates websiteOfficial campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boysko, Jennifer Living people People from Herndon, Virginia 21st-century American politicians Women state legislators in Virginia 1966 births 21st-century American women politicians Politicians from Pine Bluff, Arkansas Hollins University alumni Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Democratic Party Virginia state senators