Sandy Marks wins Democratic nomination for Alexandria City Council
Former Alexandria Democratic Committee chair and ACPS parent wins Democratic nomination in crowded five-way race
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Sandy Marks, an advocacy communications specialist and two-term former chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee, won the Democratic firehouse primary Saturday for the Alexandria City Council seat vacated when Kirk McPike was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Marks received 1,573 votes (39.6%), according to results released by the Alexandria Democratic Committee. Tim Laderach finished second with 947 votes (23.8%), followed by Roberto Gomez with 876 votes (22.0%), Charles Sumpter with 467 votes (11.7%), and Cesar Madison Tapia with 112 votes (2.8%).
A total of 3,975 voters cast ballots — 1,578 at Beatley Library, 1,206 at Chick Armstrong Recreation Center, and 1,191 online. It was the first Alexandria Democratic firehouse primary to offer online voting, with nearly 30 percent of all votes cast digitally. For comparison, the January 14 Bennett-Parker Senate firehouse primary drew 4,647 voters and the January 20 McPike House firehouse primary drew 2,115.
The Alexandria Democratic Committee congratulated Marks on Instagram and praised the other four candidates for running “excellent campaigns.” The committee also thanked more than 75 volunteers who ran the primary. “You prove again and again that in Alexandria, democracy is vibrant and ready for our next challenge,” the post read.
Delegate Kirk McPike, whose departure from city council created the vacancy, congratulated Marks on social media. “Sandy has the skills, knowledge, and values she will need to succeed in this role,” McPike wrote. He also thanked the other candidates — Tim Laderach, Roberto Gomez, Charles Sumpter, and Cesar Madison Tapia — “for their commitment to our city, our party, and our cause.”
The Alexandria Brief has reached out to Marks for comment.
Background
Marks, 45, ran on a platform anchored by public school funding, housing supply, and immigration protection, arguing that council needed a member with deep institutional knowledge of both city government and ACPS. She is a current ACPS parent with children at George Washington Middle School and Alexandria City High School. She has lived in Alexandria for 23 years and lives in Del Ray.
Where she stood
Among the five candidates, Marks and Tim Laderach were the most consistent across written questionnaires and forum appearances — both voted yes at Wednesday’s AFCA forum on Zoning for Housing, the Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project, Duke Street in Motion, and parking reductions for new developments. YIMBYs of Northern Virginia ranked her second in the race at 4.3 out of 5, noting strong and consistent pro-housing positions across sources.
What’s next
The five candidates on Saturday’s ballot were Sandy Marks, Tim Laderach, Roberto Gomez, Charles Sumpter, and Cesar Madison Tapia. Sumpter previously ran in the January 14 Democratic firehouse primary for the Senate District 39 seat, finishing third with 321 votes (6.9%) behind Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and Mark Levine.
Marks will now face independent Frank Fannon, a former Republican member of the city council, in an April 21 special election, though additional Republican and Independent candidates could still enter the race. McPike said he will work to turn out voters in Alexandria for both Marks and the April 21 redistricting referendum.
One question that remains unanswered Saturday night is when the winner of the April 21 special election would be sworn in — and whether that would occur before the city’s April 29 budget adoption. The Alexandria Brief asked the city about the timeline on Thursday. Mayor Alyia Gaskins responded Thursday, saying she needed to check with the City Attorney and City Clerk before answering. The Alexandria Brief will report on the answer when it is available.