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WAYNESBORO So now it looks like Del. Richard "Dickie" Bell will have a Democratic opponent this year after all.

Staunton resident Michele Edwards announced her intention Thursday to seek the Democratic nomination for House District 20. Bell has held the 20th District seat since 2010.

The Republican District Committee announced on Wednesday that Bell had secured the GOP nomination for this year's race, and at that time, it appeared his only challenger in the November election would be Libertarian candidate Will Hammer. Bell and Hammer were the only candidates on the ballot in the 2015 race, with the incumbent easily winning with more than 70 percent of the vote.

Now, though, it appears Edwards will make it a three-way race. The Staunton resident works for Partners Worldwide, an organization that seeks to end poverty. She is married to Wally Edwards, has two children, and is a member of Trinity Episcopal Church.

Edwards announced her candidacy at the Augusta County Courthouse on Thursday.

"You know, someone said to me recently that it would be a cold day in hell before an incumbent in Virginias 20thdistrict would be beaten,so I chose a cold day in Staunton, Virginia, to announce my plans to do just that," she joked, injecting some levity in a reference to the fact that unseating a Republican in the conservative district will be no easy task. But Edwards said she is up to the challenge.

Her platform includes creating jobs with good wages, spurring economic development, and curtailing the opioid epidemic that has hit parts of Virginia hard.

"I am profoundly concerned about the challenges our communities face right now,'' Edwards said. "The rise of opioids and other drug abuse, mental health issues and high levels of poverty all have a devastating impact on the health of families."

If elected, Edwards said she wants to ensure full funding of public education, find solutions to bring health care to all Virginians, support local businesses and attract new ones to the area and "protect the rights and dignity of all people." She also said she would work to reach across party lines to collaborate with other members of the Virginia House of Delegates, regardless of their party affiliation.

The 20th District includes the cities of Waynesboro and Staunton, and portions of Augusta, Highland and Nelson counties.

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Democrat announces bid for Bell's seat - The Daily Progress