Rivera first to announce House District 5 bid ahead of possible vacancy
Former School Board member launches campaign as Bennett-Parker heads to Feb. 10 Senate election
Former Alexandria School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera on Wednesday became the first candidate to formally announce a run for House District 5, launching her campaign hours after Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s commanding win in the Senate primary.
“With the news that Elizabeth will soon be our next State Senator, I am excited to announce I am running in the upcoming primary to represent House District 5 in the Virginia House of Delegates,” Rivera wrote on Facebook.
The seat is not yet vacant — Bennett-Parker must first win the Feb. 10 special election against Republican Julie Robbens Lineberry. But House District 5 is solidly Democratic: presidential and senatorial nominees carried it by double-digit margins in 2024, and Bennett-Parker ran unopposed in her last two elections.
Rivera served on the Alexandria School Board and worked in the Clinton Administration at the Commerce Department and Small Business Administration. She also served as a spokesperson for the Peace Corps.
“Alexandria needs strong representation in Richmond now more than ever,” Rivera wrote. “As your next Delegate, I’ll build on Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s legacy.”
Alexandria City Councilman Kirk McPike announced his candidacy Wednesday afternoon, setting up a contested firehouse primary.
House District 5 covers portions of Alexandria, stretching from Old Town through Del Ray and Carlyle to the Eisenhower Valley corridor.
No date has been set for a firehouse primary. Alexandria Democratic Committee Chair Jon DeNunzio said when the writ of election comes down, the party will hold another firehouse primary to select a nominee.
