Alexandria mayoral candidate Amy Jackson excitedly announced an endorsement from the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors on Monday, but the organization says they haven’t endorsed anyone in the mayoral race and have been trying to contact her to correct the misunderstanding.
Josh Veverka, NVAR’s senior director of government affairs, has been trying to get ahold of Jackson after the announcement was posted. He says that the organization has yet to conduct interviews with mayoral candidates, a process that will be conducted in March or April — in time for the June 18 primary.
In her post, Jackson included a quote from the organization’s board of trustees, and wrote that she was “beyond thrilled to carry the endorsement of the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors.”
Jackson said in her post that she received the endorsement on Sept. 7 in a letter from NVAR with a campaign contribution “prior to my announcement for mayor.” An earlier version of the endorsement post from Jackson included “For Mayor” at the bottom of the post, which was later removed.
Jackson shared a letter with ALXnow that included a check and endorsement for 2023.
“Enclosed is a check from the Northern Virginia Realtors Political Action Committee (NV/RPAC),” the letter said. “We are pleased to offer you our support and endorsement in 2023.”
Veverka said that NVAR’s political action committee sent Jackson a check last year.
“We did provide funding and support to her last year in and we cut a check to her in September from our PAC,” Veverka said. “I think it’s probably a misunderstanding. We have not yet endorsed in the mayoral race.”
When asked about how she got the endorsement, Jackson said that she got it the same way that her opponent, City Council Member Alyia Gaskins, got the recent endorsement of NOVALabor. Jackson would not say whether she would remove the claim.
Jackson said her situation with NVAR is similar to NoVA Labor endorsing Gaskins, though Virginia Diamond, the president of the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO, said NoVA Labor’s executive board endorsed Gaskins for mayor.
“Our executive board unanimously endorsed Alyia Gaskins for mayor of Alexandria,” Diamond told ALXnow. “Everyone here knows Alyia very well.”
NVAR contributed $500 to Jackson’s city council campaign in 2021, and that same year contributed the same amount to Gaskins, Mayor Justin Wilson and Council Members Kirk McPike, Canek Aguirre and John Taylor Chapman.
“Our endorsement process has not yet begun for the mayoral race,” Veverka said. “We’ll start that probably in the March-April timeframe.”
Gaskins said that, like Jackson, she was endorsed in 2021 by NVAR after a similar interview process.
“I look forward to participating in the process that they’re going to do in March and having the interviews,” Gaskins said. “I’ve been proud of the record that I’ve had to date on housing and creating a community that is helping us build a community where people want to live, work, play and enjoy which is all critical to a thriving real estate industry.”
The November 2 general election is less than four months away, and nearly all of the candidates running for City Council spent most of their money in last month’s Democratic primary.
Republican candidate Darryl Nirenberg has $48,552 in the bank — more than anyone else running for Council.
That’s according to the latest figures just released by the Virginia Public Access Project.
The Council candidate who gets the most votes is named vice mayor. There are eight candidates running for the six-seat Council, and independent candidate Florence King has the least amount in the bank with $16.
Mayor Justin Wilson raised $3,722 and spent almost $21,000 between May 28 and June 30, leaving him with just $13,343 in the bank. Wilson spent the bulk of his nearly $175,000 campaign finances on the Democratic primary last month in his successful rematch against former Mayor Allison Silberberg.
Republican Annetta Catchings is Wilson’s opponent, and raised $425 between May 28 and June 30, and has a balance of $3,687.
Mayor’s race
- Raised — $183,438
- Balance — $13,343
- Raised — $3,364
- Balance — $3,687
City Council
- Raised — $87,852
- Balance — $15,951
- Raised — $77,665
- Balance — $6,372
- Raised — $74,649
- Balance — Approximately $6,000 (Figures being updated)
- Raised — $52,335
- Balance — $30,956
- Raised — $50,616
- Balance — $5,125
Sarah Bagley (D)
- Raised — $47,268
- Balance — $2,039
Darryl Nirenberg (R)
- Raised — $42,807
- Balance — $48,552
Florence King. (I)
- Raised — $6,872
- Balance — $16
Jeff Jordan has his work cut out for him. The Republican supports President Donald Trump, and he’s running an uphill battle against Rep. Don Beyer for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District seat, which has remained solidly in Democratic hands for the last 30 years.
Jordan, a 50-year-old retired U.S. Army Major and counterintelligence officer, spends his days as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense. He says that his opponent is a socialist, and that a vote for him is a vote for Antifa and BLM.
“We must stand together and fight this tyranny,” Jordan told ALXnow. “That fight, here in the 8th District, is against my socialist opponent, Don Beyer. For perspective, the American Conservative Union has graded my opponent more liberal than Nancy Pelosi.”
Jordan had about $39,000 in his largely self-funded campaign as of June 6, as opposed to Beyer, who had $1.4 million. His strategy is to get Republican votes, in addition to middle-of-the-road and undecided voters. He has one debate set for October, he said, although the location and time are to be determined. Beyer decimated his last two opponents at the polls, winning 76% of the vote in 2018 and 69% in 2016.
Jordan said that Trump will make cringeworthy comments, but he believes in his intentions for the country. On the coronavirus, Jordan said Trump has made mistakes, but has tried his best to manage the situation.
“At the end of the day, I support the president for four words: ‘Promises made, promises kept,'” Jordan said. “He wants to see America win, and if you have to fight some of the battles he’s had to fight, it’s not going to be nice. If you look at his tactics from the business world in New York City, that’s a tough crowd. Does he say things that I cringe at? Sure, but I think he sometimes he does that on purpose to move someone’s focus from something substantial to something trivial.”
Jordan added, “My opponent has only been there six years, but the people leading the anti-Trump charge on the left have been there decades, but they are going to blame the man who is going in there to fix the problem, the man who came in there and raised Black and Hispanic employment numbers in record numbers.”
Jordan lives in Arlington, and retired from the military in 2014. He served multiple tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, South Korea, and said that he has spent decades monitoring the activities of collectivist regimes around the world.
“I see that happening here, and every night you turn on your TV and you see that people want to do away with our Constitution, with our way of government and with our way of life,” he said. “When I hear somebody say, ‘Let’s defund the police,’ that translates into my brain that they’re pro-Second Amendment. If you take away the police, who else is going to defend you?”
Posted by Jeff Jordan for Congress on Thursday, August 6, 2020
Courtesy ImageÂ
In-Person Absentee Voting Underway — “Beginning Saturday, October 26, Alexandrians who qualify to vote absentee for the November 5 General Election may cast their ballots in person at the Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library (5005 Duke St.), or the Alexandria Voter Registration Office (132 N. Royal St.).” [City of Alexandria]
Aslin Beer’s ‘Weird Vibe’ in Alexandria — “Aslin Beer Company doesn’t have exposed brick walls, it isn’t decorated with string lights and it doesn’t use wooden barrels as high top tables. Straying from the traditional industrial vibe at a lot of breweries and tasting rooms, Aslin has an eclectic, colorful atmosphere enhanced by patterned walls, neon signs and a giant robot.” [Alexandria Times]
Alexandrians Give to Political Campaigns — “More than $3.5 million in campaign cash has an Alexandria mailing address this election cycle, a spending spree that reflects the stakes this year’s election. Control of the House of Delegates and state Senate is at stake, and partisans on both sides are trying to influence the outcome.” [Gazette Packet]
City Seeks Members for Advisory Group — “The City of Alexandria is seeking nominations for two At-Large Business Representative and two At-Large Resident Representative vacancies on the Ad Hoc Eisenhower West/Landmark Van Dorn Advisory Group.” [City of Alexandria]
Grand Opening for Free Preschool — “A new classroom space launched by Child & Family Network Centers will offer free preschool education to 45 children in Alexandria. The classrooms are in a West End apartment complex at 101 South Whiting Street.” [Patch]
Historic Waterfront Building Becoming Restaurant — “More details have recently been unveiled about the cafe and market going in at the 10 Duke Street warehouse building. Alexandrian Murray Bonnitt, a custom builder who specializes in historic preservation, is renovating the building, which served as a Civil War mess hall. Dubbed The Mill, it is part of the Robinson Landing development on Old Town Alexandria’s waterfront.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
City Recognizes Cybersecurity Month — “During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, and year-round, the City of Alexandria encourages the public to understand the importance of cybersecurity and to stay safe and secure online.” [City of Alexandria]
Local Life Expectancy Varies by ZIP Code — “The average life expectancy in Alexandria is 81.70, which is higher than the 79.20 statewide average, and above the 78.60 national average… The life expectancy in the area of 100 King Street is 84.60 years, while it’s 79.70 years for 1000 Mount Vernon Avenue.” [Patch]
Changes May Be Coming to Duke Street — “On the heels of a controversial decision to reduce vehicle lanes and add bicycle lanes and more safety measures to Seminary Road, Alexandria City staff are starting to take a serious look at Duke Street, especially in areas that experience the most significant backups.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Loan Companies Giving Money to Local Pols — “Alexandria has eight car-title lending locations and two payday lenders, plus a growing number of companies offering online loans at nosebleed interest rates. It’s an industry that’s been under fire in recent years, and now campaign-finance disclosures show these companies are spreading their money around to Democrats and Republicans in an effort to influence the next General Assembly.” [Gazette Packet]
Pharmacy Owner Sentenced for Fraud — “A pharmacy owner with stores in Arlington and Alexandria has been sentenced to four years behind bars for falsifying insurance claims and illegally dispensing opioids.” [ARLnow]
Letter Writer: Art Festival Was Traffic ‘Disaster’ — Alexandria resident Townsend A. “Van” Van Fleet writes in a letter to the editor: “A perfect example of overstretching our infrastructure occurred over the weekend when the annual Arts Festival invaded our turf. Anyone who came into Old Town on Saturday saw the largest traffic and parking disaster in years.” [Gazette Packet]
