Alexandria Democrats are in for deja vu as this month’s second Democratic firehouse primary will take place Tuesday to fulfill outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s seat, after her resignation announcement.
The firehouse primary is happening this Tuesday, Jan. 20, according to the Alexandria Democratic Committee. So far, two candidates have entered the race vying for Bennett-Parker’s 5th District seat: City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike and former Alexandria City School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera.
Voting will be open from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday at these locations.
- Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Library, 5005 Duke Street
- Charles Houston Recreation Center, 901 Wythe Street
Voters must be registered to vote and live in District 5, which encompasses parts of the city including Old Town, Potomac Yard and land along the Duke Street corridor. Voters can check registration status on the Virginia Department of Elections’ website.
ADC Chair Jon DeNunzio also confirmed voters will “need to provide written certification that they identify as a Democrat,” in accordance with a rule set by the Democratic Party of Virginia.
Section 18.3 Participation in Caucuses: Each person participating in a caucus must provide written certification that he or she: A. is a Democrat; B. is a registered voter within the county or city for which the caucus is held; C. believes in the principles of the Democratic Party; and D. does not intend to support any candidate who is opposed to a Democratic nominee in the next ensuing election.
The deadline to submit a declaration of candidacy is this Sunday. It must be dropped off with a $360 filing fee between 1-4 p.m. at 2101A Mount Vernon Avenue.
Bennett-Parker won this week’s firehouse primary on Wednesday, moving one step closer to replacing outgoing Sen. Adam Ebbin in the 39th State Senate District. She will face off against Republican nominee Julie Robben Lineberry on Feb. 10.
Her resignation from the House of Delegates will go into effect eight days later on Feb. 18 — a date required by state law if she wins, which is very likely, as 78.2% of the district’s voters supported Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
The unassembled caucus will be the second to happen in a span of two weeks and is in accordance with Virginia law guidelines for special elections. A special election would need to be held within 30 days of Bennett-Parker’s departure from the House of Delegates.
But, she said in her resignation, waiting until then would have “unfortunate consequences” and that “party nominations are due within five days of the issuing of the writ of election.”
“It would leave the 5th District without a vote in the House for the second half of the legislative session,” Bennett-Parker said. “Weighing more heavily on my mind, it would also mean there would be another general election in mid-March for HD-5, only a month after the general election for SD-39, in addition to a likely special election in late spring for the proposed constitutional amendment on redistricting.”
