Watch the full conversation below or listen to the podcast version above.
City Councilman Kirk McPike won Tuesday’s House District 5 Democratic firehouse primary with 60.5% of the vote, earning the right to face Republican Mason Butler in the Feb. 10 special election.
Days before his win, McPike sat down with The Alexandria Brief to discuss his priorities, his record, and why he’s the right choice to represent Alexandria in Richmond.
In a statement following his win, McPike said he looks forward to “working to address our housing crisis, the challenge of climate change, and the damaging impacts of the Trump Administration on the immigrant families, LGBTQ+ Virginians, and federal employees who call Alexandria home” — priorities he outlined in detail during our conversation Sunday.
Here’s what he told us.
Hitting the ground running
McPike acknowledged he’ll face a unique challenge: joining the General Assembly after crossover, the point when each chamber stops considering its own bills and begins work on legislation passed by the other body.
“You’re only considering the bills that have passed the other body, which means you need to land with a good knowledge of the bills that have been moving through the General Assembly and understanding of how to work the amendment process to improve legislation as it goes through your body before moving back to conference,” he said.
He pointed to his experience on the City Council’s legislative subcommittee, where he and Mayor Alyia Gaskins meet weekly with city staff during the session to review bills affecting Alexandria.
“I will come in very well versed in the key legislation that is of most importance to the city of Alexandria,” he said.
Protecting federal workers
Asked about his top legislative priority, McPike pointed to legislation supporting federal workers targeted by the Trump administration cuts.
“I would want to look at the sort of playing field of bills that have been filed to help support the federal workers that are being sort of targeted and attacked by Donald Trump, the DOGE project that hit us so hard locally,” he said.
He cited a bill creating hiring preferences for displaced federal workers applying for state jobs and said he’d push for similar support at the local level.
“Providing localities with the same support to provide employment opportunities and soft landing opportunities to the federal workers who have been displaced would be a top priority of mine,” he said.
Immigration and pushing back on ICE
McPike called for the state to take a more aggressive posture against federal immigration enforcement, including banning 287g agreements that allow local police to enforce federal immigration law.
“We should just disallow those at the state level, not allow local governments to make their local police, who should be a resource to everyone in their communities, tools of the Trump administration and its out-of-control ICE agency,” he said.
He also called out racial profiling in enforcement actions.
“They’re not just going after people that they believe are immigrants who aren’t here legally. They are rounding up and arresting, illegitimately arresting people who are immigrants who are here properly and American-born citizens who are here because of the language they speak or their appearance,” he said. “This is a gross violation of their rights.”
McPike said the state should look to California and Minnesota for models on how to resist.
“On the city council, we issue a lot of statements,” he said. “At the state government level, we can take a lot of actions.”
LGBTQ+ protections and continuing Ebbin’s legacy
McPike, who would be the only member of the General Assembly in a same-sex marriage, said he’s eager to campaign for the marriage equality constitutional amendment Democrats are advancing.
“I look forward to getting elected and going out and helping lead the charge to keep my marriage and the marriages of thousands of couples across Virginia legal, even if federal courts decide to pull back from the Obergefell decision that made this all possible,” he said.
His husband, Jason, is the cantor at Bethel Hebrew Congregation on Seminary Road.
McPike said he supports all four constitutional amendments Democrats are pushing — redistricting reform, reproductive freedom, voting rights, and marriage equality — and believes they should all go before voters in April.
“If we’re going to do this, let’s save localities some money,” he said. “Let’s have this election and get these constitutional amendments ratified.”
Protecting trans kids
McPike pointed to the city’s decision to back Alexandria City Public Schools when they refused to adopt Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s education policies targeting transgender students.
“We need to make sure that our state government is doing everything it can to protect our school systems that are doing right by the trans kids that are in their student bodies,” he said. “That we are setting state standards and laws that require recognition of the proper gender identity for these students, guaranteeing them the access they deserve to after-school programs, and guaranteeing that health providers and health programs in Virginia provide the health care access that trans people need.”
Housing
McPike cited the zoning for housing reforms passed during his time on council as a major accomplishment — changes that allow duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes in areas previously zoned for single-family homes.
“We’re already starting to see some housing products come to us for approval at the City Council that integrate into these new changes,” he said.
He also voiced support for legislation giving localities a right of first refusal when affordable housing units are about to expire.
“Legislation that will allow Alexandria to say, okay, that unit’s about to expire, we’re going to re-up it... We’ve been seeking that authority for a while. I think this is the General Assembly session where we can actually get it through and get it signed by the governor.”
Schools
McPike said Virginia’s school funding formula disadvantages Alexandria because it looks at the locality’s wealth rather than the needs of students.
“When the governor goes out and says we’re giving teachers a $10,000 raise, for Alexandria, what that means is the governor saying, I’m throwing $2,000 into this and Alexandria, you need to do the other eight,” he said.
He acknowledged that fixing the formula would be a long-term effort.
“That is not the work of a session, certainly not the work of half a session,” he said. “That is the work of building a coalition across Virginia over a number of sessions.”
Labor
Asked if he supports overturning Virginia’s right-to-work law, McPike didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely. I think that right to work should be called right to work for less,” he said. “The right to work system puts workers at a great disadvantage to their employers.”
He pointed to collective bargaining agreements the city has reached with firefighters, police, and other employees since gaining that authority from the state.
Israel-related questions
McPike was asked about the IHRA definition of antisemitism, the Virginia Israel Advisory Board and ethical investment resolutions — issues that have come before City Council.
He said he’s comfortable with the IHRA definition, noting his personal connection to the Jewish community through his husband.
“I am very close to and active in the Jewish community here in Alexandria,” he said. “I do think that the current IHRA definition of antisemitism is probably one that I am comfortable with because it takes a very clear position on how certain types of political rhetoric can lead to antisemitic outcomes, even if it’s not intended.”
On the Virginia Israel Advisory Board, he said he’d want to learn more about why it exists outside the governor’s general economic development office.
On divestment, he said he supports ethical considerations in investment decisions but would “want to avoid singling out any one nation or group of people in any policies that would be adopted.”
Why him
Asked what distinguishes him from his opponents, McPike pointed to his record.
“Look at my record, Alexandria. You know who I am. I’ve been your city councilman for four years,” he said. “You’ve seen the things I care about. You’ve seen how hard I’ve worked on housing, on climate issues... You’ve seen my votes to improve funding for our schools and support for our first responders and unionized workers.”
He said his 13 years of legislative experience on Capitol Hill — working in both majority and minority — means he won’t need a learning curve.
“I can hit the ground running on February 18 as a member of the General Assembly who won’t need training wheels, won’t need time to learn the ropes, but can get to work immediately,” he said.
Quitting his day job
Unlike most General Assembly members, McPike will have to leave his current job if he wins. The Virginia Constitution bars members from being employed by the federal government.
“I will be leaving my day job if I win this,” he said, adding that his boss, Rep. Mark Takano, has been supportive.
“It’s very gratifying to have my boss’s support as I test this possibility,” he said.
McPike will face Republican Mason Butler in the Feb. 10 special election. Early voting begins Jan. 31.
