Aijalon Cordoza

Aijalon Carlton "A.C." Cordoza (born 1989) is an American politician from Virginia. He was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2021, defeating incumbent Democratic Delegate Martha Mugler. Cordoza represented the 86th District, which covers a large slice of Hampton, as well as all of the neighboring city of Poquoson, and a small slice of neighboring York County. He ran for re-election in 2023 and 2025, winning against Jarris Taylor Jr. in 2023 but losing to Virgil Thornton Sr. in 2025.

Early life Aijalon Cordoza was born in New York City, and grew up in Hampton, Virginia. In 2008, he graduated from Hampton High School; in 2013, he joined the United States Air Force, in which he served for three years before leaving honorably.

Cordoza began attending Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton in 2014, graduating in 2016 with an associate degree in information technology. Cordoza has since become a cybersecurity professional at Newport News Shipbuilding. He lives in Hampton.

2020 Hampton City Council election In 2020, Cordoza ran for the Hampton City Council, his first election. He lost, coming in fifth (the top three finishers became city councilors), with 9.8% of the vote.

2021 Virginia House of Delegates election In 2021, Cordoza ran for Virginia's 91st House of Delegates district and defeated incumbent first-term Democrat Martha Mugler by just 94 votes, with 49.4% of the vote to Mugler's 49.0%. After a recount the final count ended up with Cordoza winning by 64 votes.

Post-House career Cordoza founded the Justice for Democracy PAC, a PAC heavily financed by Peter Thiel. In 2026, the group raised over $9 million against the 2026 Virginia redistricting amendment.

Controversies In the lead-up to the 2025 Virginia House of Delegates election, Cordoza's opponent ran an attack ad that claimed Cordoza had sexually harassed a teenager, ran a sexting ring on an "open forum for sexual predators", and brandished a firearm on a retired state trooper. Cordoza called the claims "false and misleading in nature".

In October 2025, during a political campaign, a staffer for Cordoza's opponent allegedly threatened to "put a knot" on the head of Cordoza. A Virginia magistrate granted a protective order for Cordoza. During the same campaign the opponent obtained a protective order against Cordoza, alleging Cordoza had engaged in "armed harassment and intimidation" against a supporter.

Electoral history