R. Kirk McPike is trading in Alexandria City Council dockets for a newly-won seat in the House of Delegates, following today’s special election.
Alexandria’s outgoing councilman received 81.5% of the vote in a decisive win against Republican candidate Mason Butler to secure a seat in the House of Delegates. The win means McPike will fulfill the 5th District post of Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, who voters concurrently elected to outgoing State Sen. Adam Ebbin’s 39th District seat tonight.
“I look forward to taking the successes we’ve had in Alexandria and going down to Richmond and building upon them,” McPike told supporters at a watch party at Pork Barrel BBQ on Tuesday night. “I’m only able to do that because Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and Adam Ebbin have been down there this entire time working so hard for our community.”
McPike campaigned on issues like expanding affordable housing, funding green infrastructure, restricting federal immigration enforcement and bolstering programs to assist former federal employees. His resignation from City Council went into effect yesterday (Monday).
McPike told ALXnow he will not be able to file any bills since he is entering the General Assembly after House bills have crossed over to State Senate.
“I won’t be originating any bills, but I’m certainly going to do everything I can to have a positive impact on the people of Alexandria, on the bills passing through the House of Delegates,” he said. “I look forward to having a bevy of bills to file my first full session next year.”
Per unofficial state results, a total of 7,769 voters in the 5th House District participated in today’s special election, setting the district’s turnout at around 10.8% of nearly 72,000 voters, according to state data and the Virginia Public Access Project. McPike secured 6,332 votes, Butler received 1,392 votes and 45 voters submitted write-ins.
The 5th District encompasses parts of the City of Alexandria including Old Town, Potomac Yard and land along the Duke Street corridor.
McPike told ALXnow he is excited about the win. It’s also been a lot to process over the past few weeks, he said.
“I was thinking about the fact that this has all basically happened in about six weeks here,” McPike said. “The life I’m going to have on February 18 is not the life I was expecting to have on January 4.”
McPike was first elected to City Council in 2021 and was reelected in 2025. By day, he is the longtime chief of staff to U.S. Congressman Mark Takano (D-CA) — a role he is departing on Feb. 17 to join the House.
He and his husband live in the Seminary Hill neighborhood with their beagle, Jenny.
The Democratic victor told supporters Tuesday that the win felt “surreal,” since he helped run Ebbin’s State Senate campaign 16 years ago. He also thanked his campaign team, husband and Alexandria Democrats.
“Thank you for showing once again, with these giant margins tonight, that Alexandria is royal blue and will stay that way, no matter what’s coming at us from across the river,” McPike said.
