About Protect Our Progress PAC

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Senator Scott Surovell launched Protect Our Progress PAC to defend significant gains Democrats made during the historic 2020 and 2021 Sessions of the General Assembly of Virginia.  The PAC allocates resources around the Commonwealth to ensure Democrats hold their majority in the State Senate in the 2023 General Assembly Elections.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), Surovell consistently ranks among the top legislators for donations from small-dollar donors and was #1 in total dollars raised from small donors in 2020. Legislators typically raise funds from small donors, industry associations, labor organizations, and lobbyists. His colleagues recognize Surovell’s ability to deliver strong fundraising results year after year and elevated him to Senate Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman in 2020. 

During the 2020 and 2021 legislative session, Surovell passed historic legislation to repeal the Death Penalty, prevent firearm violence, reform policing and criminal justice, and promote the transformation of Virginia's energy production. Democrats also delivered significant gains for workers and families including an increase in the minimum wage, a massive transportation investment package, and healthcare reforms.

After the election of Governor Youngkin and the loss of the Democratic majority in the House of Delegates, the Senate Democratic Caucus one-vote majority prevented numerous bills from passing including attempts to:

• Reinstate the Death Penalty
• To reinstate unnecessary abortion ultrasounds, a 24-hour waiting period for abortions, biased abortion “counseling,” restrictions on nurse practitioners from providing abortion care, and authorizing hospital-level regulations on outpatient abortion clinics.  
• Repeal Virginia's ban on guns on Capitol Square and churches or allow local bans in libraries, parks, farmer's markets, and marches; 
• Repeal Virginia's universal background check law, "Red Flag" law, One-Gun-A-Month Law, and allow permit-less carrying of concealed weapons; 
• Repeal no excuse absentee voting, same day registration, drop boxes or reduce Virginia's early voting period from 45 days to 10 days.
• Repeal Virginia's minimum wage increase, collective bargaining for local government workers and authority for local governments to require prevailing wages in procurements; 
• Repeal reforms allowing sealing of minor criminal convictions, good time credits for prisoners, the admission of mental health evidence in criminal cases; and
• Repeal the Virginia Clean Energy Act, legislation authorizing Virginia's joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative or the California Vehicle Emissions standards to facilitate electric vehicle sales. 

Donations to Protect Our Progress will help Democrats maintain and grow their majority, especially in the newly redrawn senate maps.