Donald Trump did slightly better in Arlington in 2024 than 2020 and 2016. But the difference was slight, the chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee told his party’s rank-and-file.
“Arlington did its job” in turning out the vote for presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Democratic chair Steve Baker said at the committee’s Dec. 4 monthly meeting.
The county electoral gave 78% of its ballots to Harris, down slightly from 80% for Joe Biden in 2020, Baker said.
That approximation is largely accurate, based on Virginia Department of Elections data:
- In 2024, Harris received 77.53% of the Arlington vote to 19.47% for Trump.
- In 2020, the breakdown was 80.6% for Biden, 17.1% for Trump.
Trump’s improvement in Arlington was mirrored across Northern Virginia, where he picked up a larger percentage than in his two earlier races. But the local region remains solidly Democratic in its leanings.
While the upward swing wasn’t enough to put Virginia in play in 2024 — Harris defeated Trump statewide by 5.78 percentage points — Arlington’s Republican leader said the trend was positive.
Arlington Republicans are making progress in Northern Virginia, and we’re making a positive impression with Republicans across the commonwealth,” Arlington County Republican Committee chairman Matthew Hurtt said.
Boosting turnout in Arlington will be a priority for both parties in 2025, when the statewide offices of governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general will be on the ballot.
“We’re going to keep fighting the fight,” Baker told Democrats. “We did a lot of great work this year, and we’ll do a lot of great work next year.”
The message essentially was the same his GOP counterpart.
“Virginia Republicans have a momentous task ahead of us in 2025, and I urge you bring the same energy and enthusiasm to the next election that you brought to this one,” Hurtt said in an email to the party faithful.
Candidate Announcements Wait Until 2025: Prospective Arlington candidates for election or re-election have opted to wait until the new year to formalize their intentions.
No candidate announcements came at the Dec. 4 meeting of the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting. Candidates sometimes get an early start by announcing plans at the party’s final formal gathering of the year.
On the local ballot in 2025 will races for County Board and School Board plus the three House of Delegates seats.
County Board member Takis Karantonis earlier told ARLnow he plans to seek a new term. He originally came to office in 2020 via a special election called in the wake of the death of incumbent Board member Erik Gutshall.
State Dels. Patrick Hope, Alfonso Lopez and Adele McClure would seem likely to seek re-election to new two-year terms. The School Board seat of Mary Kadera also is on the ballot.
Donald Trump’s victory foreclosed the possibility that any Arlington elected officials would be headed into a Kamala Harris administration, which some had suspected could happen. Had any vacancies occurred, special elections would have been required.
Republicans also are on the hunt for 2025 Arlington candidates, but there have been no announcements as yet.
“If you’re considering running for House of Delegates, County Board or School Board in Arlington in 2025, please let me know as soon as you can,” party chair Matthew Hurtt said in a missive to the GOP rank-and-file.
Madison Granger, who was the County Board candidate of the fledgling Forward Party in 2024, on Tuesday (Dec. 10) told ARLnow she hasn’t yet decided whether to make a second run. Another potential name on the ballot is perennial protest candidate Audrey Clement.
Arlington GOP Honors Outstanding Service: The Arlington County Republican Committee recently held its annual volunteer-appreciation dinner.
Honorees were:
- Juan Carlos Fierro received the Delyannis-Finta Award for making successive County Board runs in 2023 and 2024.
- Mike and Pat Hines received the Alice Sayre Commonwealth Club Award for their efforts supporting the Republican Committee and its candidates.
- Frank Lusby, Bob Cambridge, John Sellmansberger and other members of the county GOP’s integrity team received the Hilda Griffith Award for their efforts leading election-integrity efforts.
Party chair Matthew Hurtt praised the efforts of the party’s rank-and-file.
“This committee is an all-volunteer operation, and I am grateful for each and every one of you who chipped in to support our efforts, volunteered your time, or advanced our Republican principles by engaging in the public policy-process here in Arlington,” He said.
Young Democrats Tap 2025 Leadership: Bryant Atkins will serve as president of Arlington Young Democrats for 2025.
Others tapped to serve in elected leadership posts include Austin Locke (vice president), Kaitlyn Goyal (secretary), Phil Kattato (treasurer), Gabe Lynn (political director), Bryan Coleman (membership director), Rhea Simon (community-service directors) and Mark Perlman (diversity and inclusion director).
A host of appointed leadership positions will be filled in coming days.
