There’s a little more than two weeks left before the Alexandria Democratic Committee conducts a firehouse primary for an open seat on City Council.
Candidates are expected to appear at an upcoming ADC meeting as well as forum hosted by the Del Ray Business Association later this month. So far, five people are running for the seat to replace outgoing City Councilman R. Kirk McPike.
Charles Sumpter is entering the special election race for Alexandria City Council after participating in last month’s Democratic firehouse primary, where he lost competing for a State Senate seat in the 39th District.
Sumpter, 40, is a senior executive at World Wildlife Fund and helped found Safe Space NOVA, where he served as a member of the board. He has updated his campaign website, though his platform of issues has stayed the same: affordable housing, community-based mental health care and expanding workforce pathways for students.
Roberto Gomez, executive director of nonprofit Cornerstone Craftsman, will soon launch a special election campaign for an open seat on City Council.
Gomez plans to formally announce his candidacy at the Alexandria Democratic Committee’s meeting on Monday, he told ALXnow. The 38-year-old longtime West End resident said he is prepared to outwork opponents and can relate to the city’s underserved constituencies.
R. Kirk McPike will resign from Alexandria City Council next month as he prepares to run for the House of Delegates, he announced during a legislative meeting tonight (Tuesday).
McPike made the announcement to his colleagues virtually, due to weather conditions, and said his resignation will go into effect on Monday, Feb. 9 — one day before the special election for 5th District delegate, where he’ll run against Republican Mason Butler to succeed outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker.
Tim Laderach, president of the Del Ray Citizens Association, launched a campaign for Alexandria City Council over the weekend.
Laderach, an attorney, pharmacist, U.S. Navy reservist and chair of the Alexandria Economic Opportunities Commission (EOC), is hoping to fill a potential City Council vacancy as Councilman R. Kirk McPike runs for 5th District Delegate. Laderach told ALXnow, “I know what I’m getting myself into, and I’m ready for the moment.”
The winner of today’s Democratic firehouse primary for a seat in the House of Delegates will run against Republican Mason Butler next month.
The Alexandria Republican City Committee canceled its party canvas and announced Butler’s candidacy over the weekend. Butler, an IT consultant who has lived in Alexandria for more than a decade, previously ran as an independent candidate for City Council in 2024.
At least two well-known Alexandria Democrats are interested in running for Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s 5th District seat in the House of Delegates, following her firehouse primary win last night.
City Councilman R. Kirk McPike and former Alexandria City School Board Member Eileen Cassidy Rivera have confirmed to ALXnow they intend to run to fill Bennett-Parker’s 5th District seat, which she has held since 2021. They have also each published campaign websites.
Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) has been declared the winner in a firehouse primary for Virginia’s 39th District Senate seat, defeating three opponents with 70.6% of the 4,647 ballots cast.
Bennett Parker received 3,281 votes, followed by former Del. Mark Levine with 807 votes (17.4%), Charles Sumpter with 321 votes (6.9%) and former Vice Mayor Amy Jackson with 238 votes (5.1%), according to ballots counted by the Alexandria Democratic Committee.
A former Alexandria elected official is making campaign stops outside the city in his attempt to unseat Rep. Don Beyer (D-8).
Mohamed “Mo” Seifeldein made his case last Wednesday to the Arlington County Democratic Committee. If elected, Seifeldein said his agenda would be to address the cost of living, implement a universal Medicare-for-all initiative and lower housing prices.
Alexandria Democrats have announced a firehouse primary to replace State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39), after he announced his resignation this week to fulfill a role in Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger’s administration.
The primary will be held from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. this Tuesday, Jan. 13, according to the Alexandria Democratic Committee — less than a week out from Ebbin’s Jan. 7 announcement. ADC announced the primary over social media around 11 p.m. Friday.
Much of the state’s Democratic political leadership is lining up behind Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s quest to succeed Adam Ebbin in the Virginia Senate.
Both Ebbin (D-39) and incoming Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced their endorsements for Bennett-Parker’s bid today (Thursday), joining a host of other supportive state leaders.
