WAYNESBORO Libertarian Will Hammer will take another crack at the House of Delegates 20th District seat this fall.

The incumbent, Del. Richard Dickie Bell, R-Staunton, has held the seat since 2010. He easily won election in 2009 and has cruised in his three successive bids, winning at least 70 percent of the vote each time.

Hammer will try to break Bells grip on the seat in the November election this year, but the Staunton resident likely will have an uphill climb once again. He got 24 percent of the vote in 2015 as a third-party candidate, and there was no Democratic challenger.

I believe that my strong showing in 2015 and the growing distrust and distaste for the two major parties, specifically incumbents, represents a great opportunity to go to Richmond as a third-party candidate, Hammer said in a news release Friday night.

He also hopes that the controversy over the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will buoy his chances this year. Property rights a key issue for the Libertarian Party has been one of the defining issues in protests against the pipeline.

In addition, he vows to end gerrymandering and corruption, and to bring transparency to Richmond, if elected. Gun rights and marijuana legalization also are planks on his platform.

A 2009 graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, Hammer describes himself as an entrepreneur and Libertarian activist.

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Libertarian announces bid for 20th District House seat - The Daily Progress