Few state legislators saw a more interesting General Assembly session than Alexandria’s state Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-39).
Bennett-Parker, whose Senate district includes all of Alexandria and portions of Arlington and Fairfax counties, started the 2026 session as a member of the House of Delegates.
After incumbent Sen. Adam Ebbin resigned to take a position in the Spanberger administration, Bennett-Parker won the special election to succeed him.
As a result, Bennett-Parker arrived in the upper house at the same time legislation she’d sponsored in the House of Delegates did, giving her the unusual distinction of voting on her own legislation twice.
Despite the wild ride, she said at an Aug. 11 luncheon sponsored by Arlington Senior Democrats, her 2026 experience was a generally positive one.
“Can things get testy on the floor on certain issues? Yes,” Bennett-Parker said, but “we’re not in a partisan gridlock.”
At the luncheon, held in Shirlington, Bennett-Parker detailed some of her legislative successes, including bills that previously had been vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) but were signed by current Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D).
They included legislation on issues related to housing, health and small business.
She said she had witnessed “fascinating journeys” of a number of bills, including one allowing disabled veterans to receive exemptions from vehicle licensing fees without being required to display specialty plates noting their disabled status.
“You would think this was a simple bill. I thought it was a simple bill,” Bennett-Parker told the audience.
But the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget threw a wrench into the proceedings when it estimated the legislation would cost the state treasury $5.7 million annually.
“They had made some wrong assumptions,” Bennett-Parker said of the estimates. “I had to talk through that to save the bill. I was able to convince folks that the number was really wrong.”
The Department of Planning and Budget ultimately agreed, reducing the projected net cost from the initial $5.7 million to less than $70,000.
With that revision having been made, the bill ultimately passed 97-0 in the House of Delegates and 40-0 in the Senate, and on March 31 was signed by Spanberger.
“All of my bills” — including the one for disabled veterans — “generally come to me from my constituents,” Bennett-Parker said.
In 2021, Bennett-Parker defeated incumbent Del. Mark Levine (D-45) in the Democratic primary. Previously, she had served as vice mayor of Alexandria on the City Council.
Having spent her House of Delegates years when state government was divided between Republicans and Democrats, Bennett-Parker said she learned to build coalitions on an ad hoc basis.
Someone who is an opponent on any given issue “might be your ally on a different bill” later in the session, she said.
Bennett-Parker defeated Republican Julie Robben Lineberry in the February special election to succeed Ebbin in the Virginia Senate. At the Aug. 11 event, she told ALXnow she was anticipating seeking a full four-year term in 2027.
“I’m planning on that,” she said.
All 40 Senate and 100 House of Delegates seats will be on the November ballot in 2027. The current Democratic majorities are 21-19 in the Senate and 64-36 in the House of Delegates.
Bennett-Parker’s Senate district is considered a Democratic stronghold.
Bob Platt, who coordinates luncheons for the senior Democrats, said Virginia legislators are required by necessity to take their responsibilities more seriously than those in Congress must.
“You have to pass a budget, and the budget has to be balanced,” he said of the state legislature.
Bennett-Parker is the mother of a 3-year-old and a co-owner of Little Chickadee, a consignment shop in Del Ray focused on children’s clothing and maternity wear.
At the Democratic gathering, she said she’d like to find ways to give Virginia’s part-time legislators greater opportunities to address the thousands of bills that come before them each year.
“How much thoughtful deliberation can happen?” she asked of the current sessions, which run either 46 or 60 calendar days depending on the session.
“It is very hard to do all of our work. More time would be helpful, but I don’t necessarily have the solution for how that is done,” Bennett-Parker said.
