League of Women Voters to host candidate forum Sunday for Senate, House races
Virtual event features all four candidates as early voting begins
The League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria is hosting a virtual candidate forum on Sunday for the two special elections that will appear on the Feb. 10 ballot.
The forum will feature back-to-back sessions for both races:
Session 1 (1:30-2:30 p.m.): Senate District 39 candidates Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D) and Julie Robben Lineberry (R)
Session 2 (2:45-4 p.m.): House District 5 candidates City Councilman R. Kirk McPike (D) and Mason Butler (R)
The forum comes as early voting gets underway. In-person early voting begins Saturday and runs through Feb. 7 at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections, 132 N. Royal St., Suite 100. The office will also be open on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The races
The Senate District 39 race carries significant weight — Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the Virginia Senate. The seat is being vacated by Sen. Adam Ebbin, who is resigning Feb. 18 to join Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration.
Bennett-Parker won a four-way Democratic firehouse primary Jan. 13 with 70.6% of the vote. Lineberry, a retired realtor who served 10 years on the Alexandria Electoral Board, became the Republican nominee after no other candidates filed.
The House District 5 race will fill Bennett-Parker’s current seat. McPike won the Democratic firehouse primary Jan. 20, defeating Eileen Cassidy Rivera, Chris Leibig and Darryl Nirenberg. Butler, who serves as head of precinct operations for the Alexandria GOP, is the Republican nominee.
If McPike wins, his departure from the City Council would trigger yet another special election. Two candidates have already announced bids for the potential vacancy: former Alexandria Democratic Committee chair Sandy Marks and Tim Laderach, chair of the Alexandria Economic Opportunities Commission and two-time president of the Del Ray Citizens Association.
Senate District 39 includes all of Alexandria and portions of Arlington and Fairfax County. House District 5 covers only part of Alexandria. Voters can check which district they live in at whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov.
How to participate
The forum is free and open to the public. Registration is available on Eventbrite. Registrants will receive a Zoom link and can suggest questions for the candidates. Questions can also be emailed to lwvarlingtonva@gmail.com.
Election Day is Feb. 10. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Our coverage
The Alexandria Brief has invited all four candidates to join us for live virtual one-on-one conversations. Last week, we sat down with Lineberry and McPike. We have invited Bennett-Parker and Butler to join us as well and will announce details once confirmed.