Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) is getting a promotion in Richmond.
Voters in today’s special election gave the Democrat a sweeping victory against Republican Julie Robben Lineberry for a seat in the State Senate. The outgoing delegate received a decisive 83% of the vote, setting her up to succeed Sen. Adam Ebbin as he joins Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration.
“It is an incredibly challenging time here in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, our entire Commonwealth and our entire country,” Bennett-Parker said at a watch party on election night at Pork Barrel BBQ. “I don’t want to minimize that, but I also want to celebrate what we’ve done today. We all came out again and showed that Virginia rejects Trumpism and MAGA extremism and that we are stronger together.”
Bennett-Parker, who first joined the General Assembly in 2022, campaigned on priorities like restricting federal immigration enforcement, expanding affordable housing, lowering health care insurance premiums and rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
“We have a lot of bills that I’m excited to see pass the General Assembly and get signed into law this session,” she said. “Everything from increasing the minimum wage to a lot of bills to address cost of living for Virginians and reduce costs for housing, for health care, for energy and more.”
Bennett-Parker’s victory means Democrats will continue to hold a majority in the Virginia State Senate.
In a statement Tuesday night, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Bennett-Parker’s win “is another clear sign that voters are rejecting Donald Trump and Republicans’ billionaires-first agenda and instead choosing Democrats who will fight for working families.”
Bennett-Parker’s resignation from the House of Delegates goes into effect next Wednesday, Feb. 18. She will also be sworn in that day.
Per unofficial state results, a total of 14,107 voters in the 39th State Senate District participated in today’s special election, which is 9.3% of the 151,411 voters in the district, according to state data and the Virginia Public Access Project. Bennett-Parker received 11,656 votes against Lineberry’s 2,408 votes, and an additional 43 voters submitted write-ins.
The district encompasses the City of Alexandria as well as parts of southern Arlington County, along with Bailey’s Crossroads and Seven Corners in Fairfax County.
Bennett-Parker was elected Alexandria’s vice mayor in her first election in 2019. She held the seat until 2021, when she defeated former Del. Mark Levine in the Democratic primary.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve Alexandria and to once again serve parts of Arlington and Fairfax in the State Senate, and I have big shoes to fill with Sen. Ebbin’s departure,” she told supporters. “I’m grateful for his service, but look forward to continuing his legacy and continuing to deliver real progress for Virginians.”
