Alexandria resident Olivia Troye, once part of the Trump administration, is joining the growing field of Democratic 7th Congressional District candidates running as Virginia voters consider redrawn districts.
Troye is a former career intelligence officer who served as an aide to former Vice President Mike Pence. She made national headlines after resigning from her post at the White House under President Donald Trump in 2020 and is now running as a Democrat in the 7th Congressional District.
Two opposing events will be held in Alexandria this week ahead of the April 21 statewide referendum on redrawing congressional maps.
Virginia Democrats have been pursuing the mid-decade redistricting in response to similar actions in states across the country to gain party control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll shows 52% of likely Virginia voters favoring redistricting. Even if redistricting advances in Alexandria, the city would remain within the 8th Congressional District.
Three weeks before the April 21 special election, more than 9,000 votes have been cast through in-person early voting and mail ballots, according to the Alexandria Office of Voter Registration and Elections.
According to data through Sunday (March 29), 4,245 people have voted early in person. General Registrar Angie Maniglia Turner told ALXnow another 244 early votes were counted through 3:30 p.m. Monday (March 30).
Alexandria City Public Schools is preparing to move hundreds of students and reassign staff as part of its redistricting process beginning in July.
The school system has been working on the transition since the Alexandria City School Board approved the plan last June. On Thursday (March 26), ACPS staff will update the board on the plan, which will shift 860 students to new schools in the coming school year.
Former Alexandria City Councilmember Mo Seifeldein is second to Rep. Don Beyer in fundraising for the Aug. 4 Democratic primary race in the 8th Congressional District.
According to FEC filings through the end of 2025, incumbent Beyer led Democratic candidates with $1.16 million in fundraising. Seifeldein followed with over $117,000. The only other Democratic candidate reporting donations through the end of 2025 is fired State Department worker Michael Duffin, with over $23,000.
Alexandria voters can begin casting early ballots this Friday to participate in the city’s April 21 special election.
This includes the City Council race and a proposed constitutional amendment to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps.
Virginia voters will get to cast ballots on a congressional redistricting plan benefiting Democrats while a court battle plays out over the legality of the effort.
The Virginia Supreme Court said Friday that a statewide referendum can be held April 21 on whether to authorize mid-decade redistricting, and the court will decide sometime later whether the plan is legal.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia judge ruled Tuesday that a proposed constitutional amendment letting Democrats redraw the state’s Congressional maps was illegal, setting back the party’s efforts to pick up seats in the U.S. House in November. In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore testified for a new map that could enable Democrats to defeat the state’s only House Republican.
The latest developments are part of a national battle over unusual mid-decade redistricting attempts, launched last summer by President Donald Trump who urged Republican officials in Texas to redraw maps to help the GOP win more seats. He did so in hopes of holding on to a narrow House majority in the face of political headwinds that typically favor the party out of power in midterms.
Potential collective bargaining agreements and redrawn school boundaries were factored into the latest budget proposal presented to the Alexandria City School Board last night (Thursday).
Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt proposed the $406.5 million combined funds budget for fiscal year 2027, a 3.7% increase from the last approved budget. The bulk of funds are in the $374.5 million operating budget, but it also includes school nutrition funds as well as grants and a special projects fund.
It took months of community meetings and work sessions, and on Thursday (June 12), the Alexandria School Board approved redistricting maps for its elementary and middle schools.
The Board whittled down its choices to the Triangle 3 map for elementary schools and Option E for middle schools. Here’s what that means:
The Alexandria City Public Schools School Board has narrowed its redistricting options, eliminating the Circle Plan while advancing the Triangle 2 and Triangle 3 maps for elementary schools. The decision came during a six-hour Regular School Board meeting on May 29, setting the stage for a final vote on June 12.
For middle schools, the board will consider three options: Option B (minor changes), Option C (Quaker Lane), and Option E (a combination that includes specific grade 6-8 boundary lines for K-8 schools).
