The clock continues ticking as Arlington Republicans work to find contenders for County Board and School Board races.
Chris Wright, who heads candidate recruitment for the local GOP, said that so far, efforts have not paid off.
“We came up empty-handed with the possible exception of one person” for County Board, Wright said at the party’s May 26 meeting, held online.
Party chair Matthew Hurtt confirmed Wright’s comments about recruitment efforts.
“At this point, no candidate has come forward as a Republican for County Board or School Board,” he said.
At the meeting, party leaders did not publicly identify the potential County Board candidate, but suggested the candidacy remained a possibility.
Republicans have until mid-June to inform county election officials if they plan to nominate a candidate for County Board, Arlington elections director Gretchen Reinemeyer told ARLnow in late April.
The party also potentially could endorse an independent County Board candidate in lieu of nominating its own. The filing deadline for independents is June 16.
Last month, party leaders floated the idea of endorsing William Bayne, a local business owner who is exploring the idea of an independent bid and has made overtures to the local GOP.
The party also could consider Audrey Clement, a perennial protest candidate who has filed paperwork to run. The GOP has flirted with a Clement endorsement a number of years in the past, but has never taken the plunge.
Last November, Bob Cambridge won 12% of the County Board vote, finishing third behind Democratic incumbent Takis Karantonis (65%) and Clement (15%) in a five-way race.
Despite that poor showing in 2025, there was a desire at the May 24 meeting to have a GOP candidate on the County Board ballot.
“Taxes are completely, totally out of control — and on and on,” said Bruce Levenson, one of four who used the meeting to begin an application for party membership.
County Democrats will decide their County Board nominee in the Aug. 4 primary, with incumbent Matt de Ferranti being challenged by James DeVita and Julia Farnam.
Virginia’s School Board races are nonpartisan in nature. While political parties can endorse candidacies, they can’t formally nominate candidates. Arlington Republicans in recent year have stayed out of School Board races.
County Democrats already have endorsed School Board Chair Bethany Zecher Sutton, who is seeking a second four-year term.
The state filing deadline for School Board candidates is June 16.
Whether the Republican Committee has candidates or not, it will have a presence at the Arlington County Fair in August and Clarendon Day in September, Hurtt said.
