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Ghazala Hashmi wins Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor

Published June 18, 2025 at 4:05PM

FILE - Virginia State Sen-elect, Ghazala Hashmi speaks to supporters at a Democratic victory party in Richmond, Va., Nov. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The candidates for Virginia’s lieutenant governor are set to make history after Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the Democratic nomination for the position on Wednesday.

Hashmi is the first Muslim and the first Indian-American to be nominated to appear on the ballot for a Virginia statewide office. She defeated five other candidates, including Democrat Levar Stoney by less than a percentage point, to secure the nomination in a razor-thin primary race. Stoney congratulated Hashmi on Wednesday in a concession statement.

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Virginia Democrats round out ticket as Jones wins AG primary

By The Associated Press

Published June 18, 2025 at 8:30AM

A polling place at the Lubber Run Community Center, during the Democratic primary on June 17, 2025 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Del. Jay Jones will look to be the face of legal resistance to President Donald Trump in Virginia after winning Tuesday’s closely watched Democratic state primary for attorney general.

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Arlington Democratic primary sees bump in turnout, following statewide trends

By Dan Egitto

Published June 17, 2025 at 3:45PM

A polling place at the Lubber Run Community Center, during the Democratic primary on June 17, 2025 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

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.

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What to expect with today’s primaries in Virginia

By The Associated Press

Published June 17, 2025 at 11:45AM | Updated June 17, 2025 at 12:16PM

Voting at Arlington Central Library on Nov. 7, 2023 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

By ROBERT YOON Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginia Democrats will settle a crowded six-way primary for lieutenant governor on Tuesday as well as a contested nomination fight for state attorney general. Meanwhile, voters across the commonwealth will choose nominees for the state House of Delegates.

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Democrats squaring off in Virginia primaries say one name a lot: Trump

By The Associated Press

Published June 16, 2025 at 9:15AM

Voting underway at Walter Reed Community Center in June 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Two Virginia Democrats are battling Tuesday to be their party’s nominee for attorney general. Yet, the name mentioned most in their campaigns is not that of their opponent, but rather a man who lives just over the Arlington Memorial Bridge: President Donald Trump.

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County Board candidates condemn Trump’s immigration crackdown, but propose few local changes

By Scott McCaffrey

Published May 30, 2025 at 2:45PM

Candidates Takis Karantonis and James DeVita (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington’s Democratic candidates for County Board are critical of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown but acknowledge limits to how local governments can take him on.

Both incumbent County Board Chair Takis Karantonis, who immigrated to the United States from Greece, and challenger James DeVita, an attorney whose practice includes immigration law, offered similar thoughts at a recent Arlington NAACP forum.

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Del. Hope touts experience, but challenger says that’s not enough

By Scott McCaffrey

Published May 15, 2025 at 5:05PM

1st District candidates Patrick Hope, Arjoon Srikanth and Sean Epstein at a March 5, 2025 Democratic event (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

The familiar political conflict of experience and new blood dominated a debate between Democratic contenders for the 1st District House of Delegates seat.

Incumbent Del. Patrick Hope worked to fend off criticisms by challenger Arjoon Srikanth in the Tuesday (May 13) forum, sponsored by the Arlington County Civic Federation.

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Missing Middle and urbanization remain hot topics in County Board primary

By Scott McCaffrey

Published May 12, 2025 at 8:30AM

Candidates Takis Karantonis and James DeVita (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Debate over housing and urbanization once again took center stage as candidates for the Democratic County Board nomination squared off at a forum last week.

Current County Board Chair Takis Karantonis met his sole challenger, James DeVita, at an Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting that attracted about 150 people on Wednesday.

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Arlington election officials prep for the first day of early voting on Friday

By Scott McCaffrey

Published May 1, 2025 at 9:00AM

Voting at Arlington Central Library on Nov. 7, 2023 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

While election officials in Arlington and Falls Church are not expecting an early rush to vote in the Democratic primary, they’re ready for those who do come.

Arlington elections director Gretchen Reinemeyer told ARLnow she expects a relatively modest first-day turnout when early voting begins on Friday.

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First candidates emerge in race for Falls Church City Council

By Scott McCaffrey

Published April 28, 2025 at 8:15AM

City Council agenda-setting meeting (City of Falls Church)

The race for four seats on the Falls Church City Council is underway.

Incumbents Laura Downs and David Snyder have already qualified for the Nov. 4 ballot. Several other aspirants, including incumbent Marybeth Connelly, have started the process of qualifying, city elections director David Bjerke told ARLnow.

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UPDATED: JD Spain, Sr. wins Democratic County Board primary

By ARLnow.com

Published June 21, 2024 at 8:00PM | Updated June 23, 2024 at 8:26PM

County Board candidate JD Spain at an election watch party in Courthouse in 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington Democrats have nominated JD Spain, Sr. as the party’s candidate for County Board.

A preliminary tally of votes in the ranked-choice contest, conducted Friday evening, showed Spain with an insurmountable lead prior to the counting of provisional ballots.

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DEVELOPING: Spain on top so far in Democratic County Board primary voting

By ARLnow.com

Published June 18, 2024 at 8:00PM | Updated June 18, 2024 at 9:20PM

"Vote Here" sign flanked by campaign placards at Washington-Liberty High School polling station (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Initial results in Arlington’s Democratic County Board primary show a close race at the top.

JD Spain, Sr. leads the first round of vote tallying, with 33%, followed by Natalie Roy with 29% and Tenley Peterson with 23%.