On Mother’s Day weekend, a pair of moms have defeated a pair of dads in the race for the Democratic endorsement for Arlington School Board.
Kathleen Clark and Zuraya Tapia-Hadley were announced last night as the winners of the coveted endorsement after a nearly two-week party caucus process. They’ll now run in the November general election, where Democratic endorsees are nearly undefeated this century.
Clark and Tapia-Hadley topped two other Democratic candidates, Chen Ling and Larry Fishtahler.
Clark is an Arlington Public Schools parent and an APS graduate herself, in addition to years of volunteering in schools and for community organizations. Tapia-Hadley is also an APS parent, with school, community and political volunteering experience. Ling and Fishtahler are APS parents as well, with Fishtahler currently serving as a substitute teacher at the school system.
“I am honored to have earned your vote for the endorsement!” Tapia-Hadley said last night on social media. “Thank you to everyone who participated in this election. And thank you to my family, friends, and supporters for helping us achieve this milestone!”
The two Democratic nominees are expected to face off against at least two independent contenders in November: James “Vell” Rives, who also ran in 2022 and 2023, and Arlington teacher Paul Weiss.
More on the caucus results, below, from the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
ARLINGTON, VA – Today, the Arlington Democrats announced that they are officially endorsing Zuraya Tapia-Hadley and Kathleen Clark for the Arlington County School Board. Throughout late April and May, Arlington Democrats held in-person and online voting opportunities to select two of the four candidates running to fill two vacancies on the School Board. Any registered Arlington voter was able to participate in the committee’s endorsement vote after pledging they are a Democrat and supporting all endorsed candidates in the next General Election.
The May 2024 School Board Endorsement Vote was Arlington Democrats’ first-ever implementation of ranked-choice voting. Tapia-Hadley won Round 1 of the Democratic School Board Endorsement vote with 44.41% of the overall vote. She received 862 votes. Clark also won in Round 1 with 39.57% of the vote. She received 768 votes. To win outright, a candidate needed to receive more than 33% of the vote, or more than 647 votes to pass the threshold.
“I am so grateful to the voters of Arlington County who supported me and all who came out to vote. I’m particularly grateful for my team and my family as integral to this moment,” said Zuraya Tapia-Hadley. “As an APS parent, I appreciate the significance of this endorsement and look forward to continuing to advocate for students and educators as the centerpiece of our system. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to continue the campaign with fellow Democrats and expand our Democratic base as we work towards a Blue victory this November.”
“Thank you to everyone who volunteered, contributed, showed up, spoke up, voted, and participated,” said Kathleen Clark. “I am honored to be chosen by the Dems after having so many heart to heart conversations with new people, and I will continue to have those conversations so that I can amplify the community’s voice on the School Board.”
“Arlington Democrats are thrilled to announce our endorsement of Zuraya Tapia-Hadley and Kathleen Clark for the School Board,” said Arlington Democrats Chair Steve Baker. “We’ll work until November to organize, mobilize, and turn out voters to elect these candidates along with the rest of the Democratic ticket on the November ballot. Democrats will continue standing up to Glenn Youngkin’s culture wars in our schools, and ensure our students have access to a quality education.”
Congratulations to Zuraya Tapia-Hadley and Kathleen Clark for winning our School Board Endorsement Vote
Thank you to Chen Ling and Larry Fishtahler for running and engaging with voters
Finally we thank all the volunteers who gave their time to Arlington Democrats https://t.co/Va1YIvOcID
— Arlington Democrats (@arlingtondems) May 11, 2024
