Alexandria voters reelected Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter, Sheriff Sean Casey and three House of Delegates members in resounding victories.
Running without opposition, Porter and Casey each received 96% of votes. Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3), Del. Charniele L. Herring (D-4) and Del. Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker (D-5) also held onto their statehouse seats.
In total, 61,174 voters cast ballots in Alexandria, placing the registered voter turnout rate at 53%, according to state data.
Porter, Casey and Lopez made appearances at an Election Day watch party with the Alexandria Democratic Committee at Pork Barrel BBQ in Del Ray last night.
Following his fourth uncontested election since 2014, Porter told ALXnow he feels “really blessed and fortunate” to serve his hometown.
“It’s true that I didn’t have an opponent,” Porter said. “I’d like to think that, you know, my ability to run the office apolitically and competently might have had something to do with that.”
Meanwhile, last night marked Casey’s second election for sheriff. He first assumed the role in 2021 after running for the office unopposed following a 14-year career at the Alexandria Police Department. He succeeded former Sheriff Dana Lawhorne.
Earlier this year, the sheriff promised to “continue modernizing operations, reducing recidivism, and making our community safer, stronger, and more connected every day,” if reelected.
He campaigned on priorities like introducing a body-worn camera program for sworn staff, implementing new technology in the jail management system to improve transparency and expanding the office’s “cultural diversity, disability awareness and inclusion training.”
In the months leading up to Election Day, activists applied pressure to his office, demanding it cease voluntary communications with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, the sheriff’s office transferred 40 inmates at the Alexandria jail to ICE custody pursuant to federal arrest warrants, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Amy Bertsch previously told ALXnow.
In an August statement, Casey maintained his office does not “participate” in immigration enforcement or “collaborate with ICE.”
At the state level, Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, Lieutenant Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi and Attorney General-elect Jay Jones delivered decisive victories for the Democratic party, which also increased its majority by several seats in the House of Delegates.
Reporter James Cullum contributed to this story.
