Bennett-Parker will resign House seat to put District 5 race on Feb. 10 ballot
Move avoids three elections in three months; firehouse primary expected early next week
Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker announced Thursday she is resigning her House of Delegates seat effective Feb. 18 — the same date Sen. Adam Ebbin’s resignation takes effect — a move that will place the special election to replace her on the same Feb. 10 ballot as her Senate race.
“I cannot fathom the possibility of putting our community through three general elections within as many months,” Bennett-Parker wrote in an email to supporters.
The decision triggers a rapid timeline: a Democratic firehouse primary is expected early next week, with the general election just weeks away on Feb. 10. The Department of Elections needs candidate names next week for ballots to be printed in time for early voting, which begins Jan. 31.
Former School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera and City Councilman Kirk McPike announced their candidacies on Wednesday. Others may still join — Bennett-Parker encouraged anyone interested to watch the Alexandria Democratic Committee website for filing deadlines.
Why now?
Under Virginia law, any General Assembly vacancy between Dec. 10 and March 1 must trigger a special election within 30 days, with party nominations due within five days of the writ.
If Bennett-Parker had waited until after winning the Feb. 10 Senate race to resign, the House District 5 election would have fallen in mid-March — a third election on top of the Feb. 10 Senate race and a likely spring vote on the redistricting constitutional amendment.
“Running elections takes a significant amount of resources for Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax — both in financial resources and all of the individuals needed to staff polling locations,” Bennett-Parker wrote. “And the wonderful volunteers who arrive at 4am to serve as poll workers will already be doing this a lot in 2026!”
She cited the precedent set when Sen. Ghazala Hashmi was elected Lieutenant Governor, which triggered a similar cascade of early resignations and led to both Senate and House races on the same January 6 ballot.
A calculated risk
Bennett-Parker acknowledged she is giving up her House seat before securing the Senate seat.
“While only the voters can determine who will win on February 10th and I take nothing for granted, I cannot fathom the possibility of putting our community through three general elections within as many months,” she wrote.
Senate District 39 is solidly Democratic — outgoing Sen. Adam Ebbin ran unopposed in his last two elections, and Bennett-Parker captured 70% of the vote in Tuesday’s firehouse primary. She faces Republican Julie Lineberry on Feb. 10.
Committed to changing the law
Bennett-Parker said the chaotic timeline underscores the need for reform.
“I know that this entire process has been remarkably challenging for the local party committees, for candidates and potential candidates, and most importantly, for voters,” she wrote. “This is not a decision I took lightly and there is no ideal scenario given our legal restraints and election deadlines. We need to change the law around the timing of special elections and I am committed to finding the best way to do that.”
House District 5 is entirely within Alexandria, stretching from Old Town through Del Ray and Carlyle to the Eisenhower Valley corridor.
Key dates for Feb. 10:
Jan. 30 (5 p.m.): Deadline to request mail ballot
Jan. 31 - Feb. 7: Early voting
Feb. 3: Voter registration deadline
Feb. 10: Election Day (polls open 6 a.m. - 7 p.m.)
Correction: Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker announced Thursday she is resigning her House of Delegates seat effective Feb. 18. An earlier version of this story said Wednesday. I apologize for the error and any confusion that this may have caused.