The latest Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) says the incumbent deserves credit for a storied political career, but should now exit the political stage to let others step up.
Jason Knapp is one of several challengers taking on the six-term incumbent in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. A retired U.S. Navy pilot, Knapp kicked off his campaign at Wednesday’s Arlington Democratic Committee meeting, where he said it’s time for Beyer’s long-held congressional seat to change hands.
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Arlington is set to reach a historic milestone in September — the 180th anniversary of its return from the District of Columbia to Virginia sovereignty.
More candidates may kick off campaigns for Virginia’s new 7th Congressional District at this week’s Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting.
A host of aspirants already announced their candidacies at the party’s March and April meetings. But some contenders — including Dorothy McAuliffe and Elizabeth Guzman — have yet to stand in front of the party rank-and-file.
The House Judiciary Committee is targeting all three of Arlington’s main criminal justice agencies over local policies that restrict contact with immigration enforcement.
In separate letters to the Arlington County Police Department, Arlington County Sheriff’s Office and Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the committee took issue with the limits that these agencies have placed on their cooperation with immigration officers, arguing that such policies endanger the public.
The first Republican contender in the redrawn 7th Congressional District made his pitch to Arlington Republicans this week.
Douglas Ollivant, a Culpeper County resident and managing partner of a strategic consulting firm, is for now the only announced candidate in the 7th District as approved by voters on April 21, although more could be on the way.
Arlington stands to be divided into two congressional districts following last night’s statewide referendum, which narrowly passed with overwhelming support from local voters.
The “yes” vote rolled up about 80% of the vote in Arlington, based on preliminary vote totals released last night by the Virginia Department of Elections. This helped the measure squeak by statewide with about 51.5% of the vote — a majority of about 90,000 votes out of more than 3 million cast, according to preliminary figures.
Even before Virginia voters decide on a new congressional map, Democrats are piling in to run for districts proposed under a redistricting plan that is designed to give their party a near sweep of the state’s U.S. House seats.
The latest entrant is Olivia Troye, who was an aide to former Republican Vice President Mike Pence and has become a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. She announced today (Tuesda)y that she’ll run in Virginia’s newly created 7th Congressional District, which would include much of Arlington, joining an already crowded field.
A supporter and an opponent of Virginia’s April 21 congressional redistricting referendum found themselves in agreement on at least one thing during an April 8 forum sponsored by Advance Arlington.
Del. Marcus Simon (D-13), speaking in favor of the referendum, and former Arlington Electoral Board member Richard Samp, who opposes it, both suggested that an ever-escalating national political tit-for-tat on gerrymandering is not the way to run a country.
Four more contenders in a potentially redrawn 7th Congressional District made their pitches to Arlington Democrats on April 8.
J.P. Cooney, Dave Kennedy, Del. Adele McClure and State Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim join a field of Democrats for the 7th District that includes State Sen. Dan Helmer, who spoke to county Democrats in March, and former Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, who has yet to make an appearance. Another contender, Joe Schiarizzi, announced his candidacy today (Thursday).
Backers of ranked-choice voting (RCV) believe this fall’s congressional races may bolster their case for changing the format of statewide elections.
If Virginia voters approve the congressional redistricting constitutional amendment on April 21, crowded ballots in many parts of the state could lead to future representatives being selected by an unusually small sliver of the overall electorate.
A public messaging brawl over Virginia’s upcoming redistricting referendum has gotten even messier with new mailers prominently displaying out-of-context quotes from former President Barack Obama.
The front of the mailers, which some Arlington households received last week, urges residents to vote against redistricting and quotes Obama as saying, “Let voters decide, not politicians.” Obama actually supports redistricting, and his quote is taken from a pro-redistricting ad released a few weeks ago.
A revised version of the House’s aviation safety bill now has the backing of the NTSB, but most of the families of the 67 victims of last year’s midair collision near Washington, D.C., still want to see tougher requirements to ensure the reforms are completed.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the Alert Act now addresses its recommendation to require all aircraft flying around busy airports to have key locator systems that would allow the pilots to know more precisely where the traffic around them is flying. The NTSB has been recommending the systems since 2008.
