Editor's note: a previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Freitas was first elected in 2016. It has been corrected.
Virginia Delegate Nick Freitas aims to represent the newly drawn 62nd district – but does he live in it? WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
With all of the 140 seats in the General Assembly up for election this year, many incumbents are navigating a very different race than those prior, thanks to the redistricting that was finalized in late 2021.
Freitas, a Republican, was first elected to the General Assembly in 2015 to represent what was then district 30, which included Madison and Orange counties and part of Culpeper. He's now running against Democratic challenger Sara Ratcliffe to represent the new district 62. Tax records show he owns a home just north of the town of Culpeper – but that property is in district 61.
WMRA obtained the certificate of candidate qualification Freitas filed with the Virginia Department of Elections this year – and it lists a different address than the home he's owned since 2010. Instead, it lists an address just southeast of town, which is in district 62. That property is owned by Robin McMichael – who, according to a 2019Virginia Mercuryarticle, is Freitas' mother.
Freitas' chief of staff told WMRA via email that he lives in the 62nd district, but did not respond to a follow-up question specifically asking if he had moved out of his home in the 61st. Were he to run in district 61, he'd be up against fellow Republican incumbent Michael Webert, who represented former district 18.
