City Councilman R. Kirk McPike has been declared the winner in today’s Democratic firehouse primary to succeed outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5).
McPike secured 60.5% of the vote Tuesday among 5th District Democrats, defeating three other candidates in the running. A total of 2,115 voters participated in the primary, placing district turnout at around 3%, according to tallies from the Alexandria Democratic Committee and data from the Virginia Public Access Project.
McPike will now face Republican nominee Mason Butler in a special election on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The race for delegate will appear on the ballot alongside the ongoing special election for State Senate seat in the 39th District with Bennett-Parker and Republican Julie Robben Lineberry.
Leading the other candidates in votes was Eileen Cassidy Rivera with 24%, while 12.5% of voters cast ballots for Chris Leibig and 3% voted for Gregory Darrall, according to tallies.
Early voting for the special election begins Saturday, Jan. 31 and will last through Saturday, Feb. 7. The last day to register to vote or update registration to be eligible to vote is Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Bennett-Parker announced her Feb. 18 resignation earlier this month, in hopes of replacing outgoing Sen. Adam Ebbin, who will serve as senior advisor at the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority under Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
The Democratic victor thanked his supporters over Bluesky just after 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Thank you, Alexandria! It is an honor to be your Democratic nominee for House of Delegates District 5!
— R. Kirk McPike (@kirkmcpike.bsky.social) January 20, 2026 at 10:05 PM
McPike’s success tonight means he is likely to advance to the House of Delegates, given Democrats’ stronghold in the 5th District, which encompasses parts of the city including Old Town, Potomac Yard and land along the Duke Street corridor. In the 2024 presidential election, 78.2% of the district’s voters cast ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris.
McPike was first elected to City Council in 2021 and reelected in 2024. If he wins a special election for the delegate seat, he will have to resign from his longtime day job as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), according to state law.
The victory also means it’s likely McPike will resign from City Council. The expected Council vacancy could spell out a third special election for Alexandria’s voters this year.
A timeline for the Feb. 10 special election is available below, according to the city of Alexandria.
Early voting: Saturday, Jan. 31 through Saturday, Feb. 7
Last day to register to vote or update existing registration: Feb. 3
Same day registration begins: Feb. 4
Last day to apply for a mail ballot: 5 p.m., Jan. 30
Election Day: Tuesday, Feb. 10; Polls open 6 a.m.-7 p.m.
Mail ballots returned by mail must be: Postmarked on or before Tuesday, Feb. 10, and received by noon (12 p.m.) on Friday, Feb. 13
