Jake Denton
Jake Denton (Democratic Party) (also known as Jeremiah) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Virginia's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on June 18, 2024.
Denton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jake Denton earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Virginia and a law degree from the William & Mary Law School. His career experience includes working as an editor with the Virginia Port Authority, as a reporter, and as an attorney.[1][2]
Elections
2024
See also: Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024
Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Democratic primary)
Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 2
Incumbent Jennifer Kiggans defeated Missy Cotter Smasal and Robert Reid in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 2 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jennifer Kiggans (R) | 50.7 | 207,368 | |
| Missy Cotter Smasal (D) | 46.9 | 191,666 | ||
| Robert Reid (Independent) | 2.3 | 9,197 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 471 | ||
| Total votes: 408,702 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 2
Missy Cotter Smasal defeated Jake Denton in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 2 on June 18, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Missy Cotter Smasal | 70.1 | 20,480 | |
| Jake Denton | 29.9 | 8,732 | ||
| Total votes: 29,212 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jennifer Kiggans advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 2.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Denton in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jake Denton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Denton's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- The rule of law and protecting our democracy – no man is above the law.
- Protecting fundamental freedoms such as reproductive rights, the right to vote, and freedom of conscience.
- The economy – our leaders must find common ground to solve big problems like inflation, tax reform, and lowering costs – we must protect the American Dream and re-build an economy that ensures all hard-working people can provide for their families and have a path to prosperity.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Denton’s campaign website stated the following:
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I believe in finding common ground to solve big problems. I also believe all Americans have a duty to fight for the truth and against the extremism threatening our Constitutional Democracy. If you believe in this too, I am asking for your support for my campaign for Congress. Will you make a contribution of any amount to our campaign today? My six siblings and I were raised with both strong-minded Republicans and Democrats in our family. I remember watching the 2004 Convention speeches and agreeing when Barack Obama said, “There is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.” Those times seem like just yesterday but also long ago. Since then, I have changed careers from journalism to law. I loved both jobs because they provided awesome and countless opportunities to learn about what is important to the people of our community. Katie and I are grateful for our many blessings, especially for raising our devoted family in our hometown. We are proud of our heritage and our values, and we love our country. I’m entering public service because extremists are attacking the truth, our legal system, and our Democratic way of life. Trump‐appointed Supreme Court Justices — including the shamefully corrupt Clarence Thomas — will soon decide whether Donald Trump is above the law. An affirmative decision would destroy our Constitution because the presidency, as Trump speaks about openly, would become a de facto dictatorship. Even if the Supreme Court rules as most expect and forces Trump to face his numerous trials (all of which involve Trump’s criminal and self‐serving lies), then Trump will nonetheless have the right to stand for election. Even if convicted, Trump could win from prison. In my work as a constitutional law and civil rights attorney, I fight for the truth and against discrimination every day. In my defamation cases, I represent clients whose reputations have been damaged by malicious lies. In my civil rights practice, I represent clients who must overcome race, gender, LGBTQ, disability, and age discrimination, as well as worker’s rights and Fourth Amendment police misconduct cases. Before I attended law school, I worked for 10‐plus years as a journalist covering the Port of Virginia; reporting on social issues such as homelessness, education, and immigration; and writing about fun stuff like surfing, travel, and sports. I also worked as a state employee at the Virginia Port Authority, where I published a magazine called The Virginia Maritimer. More importantly, I was raised in Virginia Beach by a big loving family — my mother is one of eight, and my father is one of seven siblings — and benefitted from a tremendous education in Virginia’s private and public schools — Norfolk Academy, the University of Virginia, and the William & Mary School of Law. Truth and honor have always been held sacrosanct in my family and my education. For this reason, what concerns me the most about Trump is how he successfully attacks the truth itself — seemingly, without any repercussion. Donald Trump faces each of his trials because he is a liar. In response, he and his extremist followers are now attacking the legal system. The other day I heard Republican Florida Congressman Byron Donalds on the radio saying that the legal system is the greatest threat to America in the history of our country. In fact, the legal system, which currently is withstanding tremendous stress, is our nation’s bulwark against extremism. I am grateful and hopeful that our courts will continue to protect our democracy, as they did when they rejected Trump’s many “Big Lie” cases. Trump deserves to face his reckoning in the courts because he has lied about his taxes, has lied about payoffs to porn stars, has lied about the value of his business, has lied about the possession of classified documents, has lied about the election of 2020, and, most importantly, because he attempted to block the transfer of power fraudulently and violently in order to unconstitutionally remain president. Mitch McConnell bears blame for failing to convict Trump after his 2nd impeachment and bar him from running for office. Attorney General Merrick Garland and other prosecutors should not have waited so long to press charges. But thankfully, Jack Smith and other heroic prosecutors finally appear poised to present the story of Trump’s criminal lies to juries and the American people. And yet — Trump is winning in the polls. And the Supreme Court — the same Court that has overturned Roe v Wade and gutted the Voting Rights Act — will remain conservative for years and perhaps decades to come. All of this obviously makes defeating Trump Republicans in Congress imperative. The Second District of Virginia is a critically important swing district. Jen Kiggans votes as Trump demands and appears afraid to cross Trump. A Trump Congress would be unspeakably dangerous if Trump wins the Presidency. Kiggans must be defeated. So, yes, I am running to do my part in defeating Trumpism. But that is just the beginning. Because, after we stop the madness and restore normalcy, there will, of course, be much work to do. I grew up in our district, and Katie and I love raising our children here. Americans must find common ground to solve big problems. We must protect the rule of law; stand up for basic freedoms like reproductive rights and the right to vote (overturn Citizens United!); and work together to build the economy by incentivizing a thriving workforce, lowering the costs of living, and cutting taxes. We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in history. That is why I ask for your help and support, and for the honor of representing you in Congress. Please help me fight extremism and win this seat by donating what you are able to today. Thank you for being on this journey with me. — Jake Denton [3] |
” |
| —Jake Denton’s campaign website (2024)[4] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 27, 2024
- ↑ Jake Denton for Congress, "Home," accessed June 13, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jake Denton for Virginia, “Why I'm Running,” accessed June 18, 2024
