Incumbents are advancing after today’s Democratic primary in Arlington.
There were two local races on the ballot — for a County Board seat and for the 1st District House of Delegates seat — and the incumbent candidate is well ahead in both.
Arlington County Board Chair Takis Karantonis has 64% of the vote with all precincts reporting as of 9 p.m. Challenger James DeVita, noted for his prolific placement of wordy campaign signs, has 36% of the vote.
“Voters are looking for stable, predictable, accountable government, focusing on the immediate challenges,” Karantonis told ARLnow at his victory party at Café Sazón on Columbia Pike. “The impact of the Trump administration in Arlington is destabilizing everything, creating an enormous layer of uncertainty ”
Housing, office vacancy, climate, and the social safety net were also issues Karantonis says he heard about from voters during the primary.
Del. Patrick Hope, meanwhile, appears well on his way to returning to Richmond, with 72% of the vote in the three-way House of Delegates race. Challengers Arjoon Srikanth and Sean Phillip Epstein have 19% and 9% of the vote, respectively.
In the statewide races, Arlington voters are nearly split in selecting an Attorney General candidate, with Jay Jones currently edging Shannon Taylor 52-48. In the six-way Lieutenant Governor race, a plurality of Arlington voters have cast ballots for Ghazala Hashmi, with 29% of the vote, while Levar Stoney is second locally, with 28% of the vote.
Today’s total voter turnout in Arlington, with no Republican primary on the ballot, was 14%, according to the Virginia Dept. of Elections. Karantonis is set to face two independent challengers for County Board in the general election on Nov. 4.
Scott McCaffrey contributed to this report
