Arlington’s local elected officials are flexing their fundraising muscles as the sprint to Election Day begins.
Teams of two have paired up to sell the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s “Gold Card,” which provides access to upcoming party events while raising funds needed for get-out-the-vote initiatives.
“We need to sell a record 175 Gold Cards,” Commissioner of Revenue Kim Klingler said at an Arlington Democrats meeting last week.
So far, ticket-selling pairs include Sheriff Jose Quiroz and Clerk of the Circuit Court Paul Ferguson; County Board member Susan Cunningham and School Board Chair Bethany Zecher Sutton; and Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti and Sen. Barbara Favola.
Klingler and County Board Chair Takis Karantonis are competing solo. More teams could be formed, Klingler told the party’s rank-and-file.
“We can have as many teams as we want,” she said. “The more, the merrier.”
The base price of a Gold Card is $200, which provides access to four events:
- Labor Day Chili Cookoff (Monday, Sept. 1)
- Honoring a Distinguished Senior Democrat (Sunday, Sept. 21)
- Arlington Young Democrats’ Knocktoberfest (Saturday, Oct. 4)
- Golden Gala (Saturday, Oct. 18)
The Gold Gala rounding out the schedule is designed to be “a very classy, fun event to send us with energy across the finish line,” said party activist Laura Saul Edwards, who is chairing planning efforts.
Funds raised support printing and mailing campaign materials, a digital-advertising campaign and a text campaign informing voters of early-voting opportunities.
The county’s other major political party doesn’t have quite as robust a set of upcoming events on the horizon, but have not gone dormant.
“Don’t worry — Arlington Republicans aren’t taking the summer off,” party chair Matthew Hurtt said in a recent email blast.
“There will be plenty of campaign and community engagement opportunities over the next two months,” Hurtt wrote.
Next up will be the GOP’s annual summer-cookout fundraiser, slated for Saturday, Aug. 23. Both parties will have booths at the Arlington County Fair.
Political parties and independent candidates are preparing as the race to Nov. 4 informally begins on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at the Arlington County Civic Federation campaign forum.
Precinct-operations leader earns Democratic award: For her efforts leading precinct operations, the Arlington County Democratic Committee will honor Carol Fontein with its 2025 Distinguished Democrat Award.
The award will be presented on Sept. 21 at the home of Treasurer Carla de la Pava.
“We are so excited,” Klingler said in announcing the selection at the Arlington Democrats meeting.
Klingler called Fontein “all-around awesome.”
During her years leading precinct operations, Fontein oversaw a corps of volunteers that engaged with voters at the grassroots level.
She is fond of quoting former President Harry Truman, who often would tell Democrats that his service as young precinct captain was the most important job he’d ever had in politics.
The Distinguished Democrat award is effectively a lifetime-achievement accolade presented by the party while also raising funds in the heart of election season. Some of those honored in recent years have been Peg Hogan, Charley Conrad, Charlene Bickford, Richard and Jean Barton, Sharon Davis, Tom and Mary Margaret Whipple, Marjorie Hobart, Cragg Hines and Madi Green.
