The race is on to succeed State Sen. Adam Ebbin, who announced Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 7) he would resign in February to take a post in the Spanberger administration.
In the hours after his announcement, one current and one former member of the House of Delegates launched bids for the seat.
Ebbin (D-39) has been tapped by the incoming governor as senior adviser at the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. His resignation will take effect Feb. 18, about halfway through the 2026 General Assembly session.
Serving in elected office had been “the honor of a lifetime,” Ebbin said at Wednesday night’s monthly meeting of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
“It’s been a pleasure to represent Arlington,” he said.
The 39th Senate District is centered in the city of Alexandria, with 75% of its voters, according to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP). The district also includes a portion of southeastern Arlington County — including Pentagon City and Crystal City — and a sliver of Fairfax County.
The district is a Democratic stronghold. Kamala Harris won 76.2% of the vote against Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, according to VPAP.
“We share the same values,” Ebbin said of the localities within his district’s boundaries.
As of Wednesday night, it remained an open question when the special election to fill Ebbin’s seat would be held, although mid-February seemed likely. But a field already has materialized.
Just hours after the announcement of Ebbin’s appointment, Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) said she would be running to succeed him.
Speaking to Arlington Democrats, Bennett-Parker said she was running to make the future brighter for her daughter and those of that generation.
“I want her to have the freedom to be who she wants to be,” she said.
Bennett-Parker’s House of Delegates district is entirely within the boundaries of Alexandria. But before redistricting after the most recent federal census, it included portions of South Arlington.
Former delegate Mark Levine also has indicated he will seek the seat as a Democrat.
“In my six years serving as your delegate in the Virginia House, I didn’t just vote the right way. I led the way,” Levine said in a campaign announcement.
Levine served three two-year terms in the House of Delegates before being defeated by Bennett-Parker in the 2021 Democratic primary in what was then the 45th House District. Levine’s prospects may have been hurt by the fact that, the same day, he was vying for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, which he lost to Hala Ayala.
The contested race means Democratic Party leaders of Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax will need to set up a firehouse primary, and quickly, in order to select a candidate.
A vote may need to be held as early as next week to select the Democratic nominee.
“It’ll be a city of Alexandria show — they’re in charge of it,” said Steve Baker, who at the Jan. 7 meeting wrapped up four years of service chairing the Arlington Democratic Committee.
“I’m sure we’ll have an Arlington voting location,” Baker told ARLnow.
As of Wednesday night, Bennett-Parker’s candidacy had already been endorsed by Dels. Patrick Hope, Alfonso Lopez and Adele McClure of Arlington, as well as County Board members Matt de Ferranti, Maureen Coffey and Takis Karantonis and Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti.
Ebbin told ARLnow he anticipated making an endorsement once the field was set.
Ebbin, 62, was elected to the House of Delegates in 2003 and won election to the Senate in 2011. He currently chairs the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology.
Cannabis-reform legislation has long been part of Ebbin’s legislative agenda. In 2020, he led a successful effort to decriminalize marijuana in Virginia, and a year later was a key patron of legislation legalizing it.
Efforts to set up a framework for retail sales of marijuana in the commonwealth were vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) in recent legislative sessions. They are expected to have a more receptive audience in the incoming governor, who takes office Jan. 17.
“I share Gov.-elect Spanberger’s goal that adults 21 and over who choose to use cannabis, and those who use it for medical treatment, have access to a well-tested, accurately-labeled product, free from contaminants,” Ebbin said in a statement released by Spanberger’s office.
Spanberger said she was grateful for Ebbin’s policy expertise. “I look forward to working with him to prioritize public safety and public health,” she said in the statement.
Ebbin’s move to the executive branch will remove another key player in efforts to win more transit funding for Northern Virginia in the 2026 legislative session.
Over the past year, Ebbin chaired a legislative subcommittee that worked to find ways to pay for transit improvements in Northern Virginia. The body recommended allowing local governments to impose new taxes that would provide at least $400 million in additional funding annually.
Another key member of that committee — Del. Mark Sickles (D-17) — was chosen by Spanberger to serve as Secretary of Finance in her cabinet.
In her remarks, Bennett-Parker praised Ebbin as “an exemplary legislator and leader.”
Before being elected to the legislature, Bennett-Parker served on the Alexandria City Council, including service as vice mayor.
Ebbin’s first election victory came in 2003, when he won a five-candidate Democratic primary for what then was the 49th House District that included portions of Alexandria and Arlington.
In 2011, Ebbin moved up to the Senate after defeating Libby Garvey and Rob Krupicka in a Democratic primary. He did not face major threats in the November 2011 general election or in re-election bids in 2015, 2019 and 2023.
In 2014, Ebbin was part of a 10-candidate Democratic field vying to succeed Rep. Jim Moran (D-8). Ebbin finished third behind Hope and the runaway winner, Don Beyer.
Levine also competed in that election, placing fifth.
