Bennett-Parker wins Senate primary, will face Republican Lineberry in Feb. 10 special election
Delegate dominates four-way race; results announced nearly 8 hours after polls closed
Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker cruised to victory in Tuesday’s firehouse primary for Virginia Senate District 39, capturing 70.6% of the vote, the Alexandria Democratic Committee announced around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Bennett-Parker received 3,281 votes. Former Del. Mark Levine finished second with 807 votes (17.4%), followed by activist Charles Costen-Sumpter with 321 votes (6.9%) and former Vice Mayor Amy Jackson with 238 votes (5.1%).
A total of 4,647 voters cast ballots — about 3.1% of the district’s 151,411 registered voters.
The results came nearly eight hours after polls closed, with volunteers hand-counting ballots at the party’s Mt. Vernon Avenue headquarters.
Bennett-Parker said she was honored to become the Democratic nominee for Senate District 39, thanking voters, volunteers and fellow candidates in a message posted early Wednesday morning.
“I am thankful to Democrats across Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax for placing their trust in me today, and I am excited to get back to Richmond and serve our community,” Bennett-Parker wrote. She said she looks forward to working on shared priorities, including lowering costs for families, funding schools, protecting communities from gun violence, preserving access to health care, and standing up for rights against “Trump and MAGA extremists.”
Bennett-Parker also expressed gratitude to campaign volunteers who knocked doors, made calls, greeted voters at polling places, staffed locations and counted ballots, writing that “our democracy is stronger when more people participate.” She additionally thanked the other candidates in the race for stepping up and for their willingness to serve the community.
What’s next
Bennett-Parker will face Republican Julie Robbens Lineberry in the Feb. 10 special election. The seat carries significant weight — Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the Virginia Senate, and the legislative session began Wednesday morning in Richmond.
Lineberry, a longtime Alexandria resident and realtor, was named the GOP nominee late Monday after Republicans canceled a planned party canvass. Her political roots run deep: she worked on Nixon’s 1972 re-election campaign and in the White House during the Nixon and Ford administrations before becoming a real estate agent in 1977.
She has nearly 50 years of community involvement, including 10 years on the Alexandria Electoral Board, a term as president of TWIG (the Inova Alexandria Hospital Auxiliary), and more than 60 years of Girl Scout leadership. She chaired the Alexandria Republican Committee in the mid-1970s.
Lineberry, in a statement announcing her candidacy, criticized “gerrymandering” and “election manipulation,” saying “the political machine is undermining democracy for our citizens.”
Cascade of elections
Bennett-Parker’s departure from the House of Delegates will trigger another special election to fill her District 5 seat. Alexandria City Councilman Kirk McPike has said he is “strongly considering” a run, which could create a vacancy on City Council.
Update: Friday, January 16 - The Alexandria Democratic Committee announced Friday that it will hold a firehouse primary on Tuesday, January 20, to select the Democratic nominee for House District 5.
