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.
New data showing a continued increase in Virginia’s unemployment claims is providing ammunition to Arlington’s Democratic leaders at both the state and national level.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) pounced on figures that the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Friday, which showed that Virginia was the only state to record a statistically significant increase in its jobless rate from May to June.
For Arlington Democrats, the number to beat on Nov. 4 is 51,465.
That’s the difference between the number of votes cast in the county, in 2021, for Democrat Terry McAuliffe (73,013) over Republican Glenn Youngkin (21,548). McAuliffe lost that race, falling short by about 64,000 votes statewide.
The Arlington County Democratic Committee has abandoned a proposal to place major restrictions on who can vote for top leadership positions.
Just a month after the Democratic steering committee floated the idea, party leaders announced at a party meeting yesterday (Wednesday) that they were pulling it from consideration.
Arlington Republicans introduced two candidates for the House of Delegates and one County Board challenger at a Monday meeting.
The party acknowledges that, as always, November will be an uphill battle in Arlington. However, the goal is to put forward “candidates who are well-versed in what’s happening locally” as part of a five-year strategy, party chair Matthew Hurtt said.
Rep. Don Beyer is pursuing another term in office, promising to keep fighting “abuses of power” while his party plots strategies to take back Congress.
The Democrat representing Virginia’s 8th Congressional District, which includes all of Arlington, acknowledged to ARLnow that his party has struggled to resist dramatic policy changes under President Donald Trump while Republicans control the legislature.
They faced off in the summer of 2020, and now Republican Bob Cambridge again will be sharing space on the November ballot with Democrat Takis Karantonis.
Cambridge was announced Monday (June 23) the Arlington County Republican Committee’s County Board nominee. He joins a crowded field that includes Democratic incumbent Takis Karantonis and three independents.
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 voters have been turning out in slightly higher numbers in today’s Democratic primary, tracking with trends statewide.
As of 1:30 p.m., about 4% of registered voters had cast ballots, according to the Arlington Elections Office. That’s slightly more than at the same point last year, when 3.7% of the county had voted in the Democratic primary.
With the filing deadline for candidates only about a week away, the race for one open position on the Arlington School Board has moved into general-election mode.
Democratic endorsee Monique “Moe” Bryant currently faces only one competitor in the Nov. 4 election, returning candidate Major Webb. At least one other candidate is also seeking to qualify before the June 17 filing deadline.
The Arlington County Republican Committee is trying to reinvigorate its precinct operations in the lead-up to November’s general election.
“Arlington Republicans are rebuilding our precinct operations from the ground up, recruiting members and volunteers to take responsibility over organizing neighborhoods, connecting with voters and communicating our Republican principles to thousands of Arlingtonians,” said Frederick Tarantino, who has been tapped by the Arlington Republican leadership to lead the effort.
The Arlington County Democratic Committee is considering potentially significant restrictions on who can vote for top leadership posts.
A proposed change to the party’s bylaws would limit eligible voters for party chair and other leadership positions to members of the county committee. That’s a group of around 200 people that includes top leadership, elected officials, precinct captains and others.
