VA · Candidate
Bishop Staten
INDCandidate
On the ballot Nov 3, 2026: U.S. House · Virginia's 2nd District
Biography
Geral D. "Bishop" Staten, a Suffolk, Virginia civil servant and community activist, is an independent candidate for Virginia's 2nd Congressional District, where he is on the ballot alongside Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans, Democrat Elaine Luria and fellow independent Matt Baker. He is campaigning on affordability, public safety and equal opportunity.[1][2]
Staten was born and raised in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, in Suffolk, and earned a high school diploma from Nansemond River High School.[1] He says his first job was as a car hop at Sonic Drive-In, which he held for two years in high school, and he has worked as a civil servant.[1]
Staten describes himself as the youngest person to run for mayor of Suffolk, in 2016 at age 30, and as the runner-up in a race for Commissioner of the Revenue with 10,909 votes.[1] In his Ballotpedia survey he also lists a short stint with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, work as a public-address announcer for Kings Fork girls' and boys' basketball, and service as secretary of a nonprofit organization, the PPPCP.[1]
- 1.Bishop Staten · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2025-01-01 Candidate's own words
- 2.Luria and Kiggans rematch in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District among most watched races in nation · WHRO / Virginia Mercury · 2026-09-28 News report
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
