Alexandria Chamber Chair-Elect wins Fairfax delegate seat
McGuire, a former city resident, will represent HD-17 in Richmond as General Assembly session begins
Garrett McGuire, Chair-Elect of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, won a special election Tuesday for a Fairfax County seat in the House of Delegates, giving one of the city’s top business advocates a vote in Richmond.
McGuire, a Democrat, defeated Republican Christopher Cardiff with 80% of the vote in House District 17, which covers Franconia, Rose Hill, and surrounding communities along the Route 1 corridor.
The victory adds a new wrinkle to McGuire’s already busy portfolio. He currently serves as AT&T’s Regional Director for External and Legislative Affairs in Virginia and sits on the Chamber’s Government Relations Committee, which advocates for Alexandria businesses before local, state, and federal officials. He is slated to become Chamber Chair, succeeding Bob Brant of Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh.
It was not immediately clear Tuesday night whether McGuire would remain in Chamber leadership after taking office.
McGuire, who was named to Alexandria’s 40 Under 40 in 2020, previously lived in the city before moving to Fairfax County’s Fair Haven neighborhood. He will serve the remainder of former Del. Mark Sickles’ term, which runs through 2027. Sickles joined Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration as secretary of finance.
Tuesday’s result was the fourth consecutive special election win for House Democrats this month, as the party works to maintain its majority amid turnover caused by members joining the new administration.
Attention now turns to the final special election of the cycle — and the one closest to home. Alexandria Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker faces Republican Julie Lineberry on Feb. 10 for the Senate District 39 seat vacated by Sen. Adam Ebbin, who joined the Spanberger administration as a senior adviser at the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority.
The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.