Where the five Democratic candidates stand on the issues — in their own words
A review of positions across questionnaires, voter guides, interviews, candidate websites, and three candidate forums ahead of Saturday's firehouse primary
With Alexandria’s Democratic firehouse primary less than 24 hours away, the Alexandria Brief reviewed candidate positions across multiple sources: written questionnaires submitted to YIMBYs of Northern Virginia and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee; candidate responses to the Alexandria Times 2026 Primary Voter Guide published February 18; candidate websites as they appeared on Friday, February 20; candidate interviews conducted this week in collaboration with the Liberally Social podcast; a full transcript of the February 18 Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations forum; and ALXnow’s reporting on two candidate forums held earlier this week.
Three forums were held this week. The Del Ray Business Association hosted the first at St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub on Monday, February 16, for its business community members, as reported by ALXnow. The Departmental Progressive Club and the Alexandria branch of the NAACP hosted a joint debate at the DPC on Tuesday, February 17, for their members — a broader Democratic base audience, also reported by ALXnow. The Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations, an umbrella organization representing 19 civic associations with a focus on transparency, city planning, and fiduciary responsibility, hosted the final forum at Immanuel Church on the Hill on Wednesday, February 18, for its member associations. The Alexandria Brief obtained a full audio recording of the AFCA forum and prepared its own transcript; quotes from the DRBA and DPC-NAACP forums are drawn from ALXnow’s reporting and attributed accordingly.
The five candidates competing for the seat vacated by Kirk McPike's election to the Virginia House of Delegates are Sandy Marks, Tim Laderach, Roberto Gomez, Charles Sumpter, and Cesar Madison Tapia. As of now, the winner will face independent Frank Fannon, a former Republican member of the city council, in an April 21 special election — though additional Republican or Independent candidates could still enter the race.
Editor’s notes: Sandy Marks was previously a co-host of the Liberally Social podcast, which co-produced the candidate interviews referenced in this story. She stepped down from that role to enter this race. The Alexandria Brief conducted these interviews in collaboration with Marta Schantz and Anh Phan of Liberally Social.
Roberto Gomez did not schedule an interview with the Alexandria Brief this week. After the AFCA forum, Gomez contacted the Alexandria Brief to dispute characterizations of his forum answers that had appeared in YIMBYs of Northern Virginia rankings and on the BPAC website. The Brief invited him to respond in writing. As of publication, he has not done so.
Housing supply and Zoning for Housing
All four candidates who submitted written questionnaires to YIMBYs of Northern Virginia expressed support for housing supply and Zoning for Housing, the 2023 legislation that eliminated single-family-only zoning across the city. Tapia did not respond to the YIMBYs questionnaire.
Marks called for Phase 2 to begin “within this Council term” in her YIMBYs questionnaire, listing expanded missing middle housing near transit, reexamined parking requirements, and reduced barriers to adaptive reuse among her priorities. In her Alexandria Brief interview, she said she is “really interested in lowering the scarcity pricing we’ve got going on in Alexandria by creating more supply.” At the DRBA forum, she pushed back on the question of which neighborhoods should bear the development load: “There should be no neighborhood in Alexandria that is exempt from creating more housing. There are some places in Alexandria that haven’t been touched for decades,” per ALXnow. YIMBYs ranked her second at 4.3 out of 5.
Laderach called for Phase 2 to begin “as soon as possible” in his YIMBYs questionnaire, outlining specific reforms: pre-approved pattern books, garden-style apartments in more zones, by-right development, a data-driven approach to parking, and zoning reforms to address childcare deserts. In his Alexandria Brief interview, he cited “standing up for zoning for housing” as part of his record. At the DPC-NAACP debate, he described himself as one of the more YIMBY candidates in the race, per ALXnow. In the Alexandria Times voter guide, he described affordability as “an equation” involving housing, transit, healthcare, and childcare costs. YIMBYs ranked him first at 4.6 out of 5, noting he “has been publicly pro-housing for years, showing our members we can trust him to show up for housing regardless of the audience.”
Gomez called Phase 2 “a priority moving forward” in his YIMBYs questionnaire. In the Alexandria Times voter guide, he wrote: “I will work with Council to continue removing the zoning barriers that make it too expensive to build housing in the first place.” At the AFCA forum, when asked how he would have voted on ZFH, Gomez said he would vote yes — with a caveat about legislative packaging: “I would vote yes on it, but I would have definitely had a discussion about maybe not packaging everything together.” YIMBYs characterized this as hedging. The AFCA transcript shows Gomez said he would vote yes, with the caveat about packaging. YIMBYs ranked him fourth at 3.1 out of 5, noting his score dropped after the AFCA forum.
Sumpter’s YIMBYs questionnaire emphasized tenant protections, anti-displacement, eviction prevention, and legalizing missing-middle housing. In the Alexandria Times voter guide, his top priorities include “expanding housing supply, legalizing missing middle housing, strengthening eviction prevention, and protecting renters.” In his Alexandria Brief interview, he stressed the need for “deeply affordable housing, not just workforce housing.” At the AFCA forum, when asked how he would have voted on ZFH, he said: “Not blanketly, no. No, it has to be more to it than that.” YIMBYs ranked him third, with a score of 3.0 out of 5.
Tapia did not respond to the YIMBYs questionnaire. His website does not mention Zoning for Housing by name. In the Alexandria Times voter guide, he listed “advancing affordability” as his top priority. At the AFCA forum, when asked how he would have voted on ZFH, he declined to give a direct answer, saying it was “harder than more than yes, a yay and a no” and that he would “keep you guys guessing where I lean.” In his Alexandria Brief interview, he acknowledged that much of what he learned about Alexandria’s policy landscape came during the campaign itself.
Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project
The proposed Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project — which would install protected bike lanes along the corridor from Russell Road to West Street, remove most on-street parking between Russell and Mount Vernon, and make traffic and intersection changes — was the most contested issue at Wednesday’s AFCA forum. The city’s parking studies found 105 on-street spaces in the project area between Russell and Mount Vernon, with peak use of 28 cars on weekday evenings and 47 on Sunday mornings, largely due to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. The Traffic and Parking Board is scheduled to vote on Monday, February 23. For a full breakdown of what’s being proposed, see my publisher’s note on the project.
In their BPAC questionnaires, submitted before the AFCA forum, all five candidates expressed support for the project or the Complete Streets approach behind it.
Marks wrote in her BPAC questionnaire that “keeping Alexandrians safe and alive has to be the primary goal.” She voted yes at the AFCA forum. BPAC noted she affirmed her support there.
Laderach wrote in his BPAC questionnaire that the city must “prioritize life over convenience” and that he personally knows people who have had near-miss experiences biking along the corridor. He voted yes at the AFCA forum. BPAC noted he affirmed his support there.
Gomez wrote in his BPAC questionnaire: “I support moving forward with safety improvements on Braddock Road,” citing VDOT’s designation of the corridor as a top statewide pedestrian and bicycle safety priority and community concerns about children walking to George Washington Middle School. At the AFCA forum, he gave no definitive answer: “I think that when we make these decisions, we need to have residents’ voices at the table and fully consider them in a timely manner.” BPAC updated its website on February 18 to state that Gomez had withdrawn his support at the forum. Gomez disputes that characterization. The AFCA transcript shows he gave no definitive answer, rather than a clear no.
Sumpter wrote in his BPAC questionnaire: “I support the Braddock Road Complete Streets project and believe these types of tradeoffs are exactly what responsible, people-centered governance requires.” At the AFCA forum, he voted no. BPAC noted this as a retraction of previous support.
Tapia wrote in his BPAC questionnaire: “I support the Complete Streets approach on Braddock Road and understand that projects like this involve tough tradeoffs.” At the AFCA forum, he initially said no, then said, “Let me retract real quick. Let me keep you all guessing.” The Alexandria Times voter guide table recorded his answer as no. BPAC noted this as a retraction of previous support.
AFCA Chair Carter Flemming closed the forum by telling attendees the federation’s board has voted to oppose the Braddock changes and will submit a letter to the city council. She framed the federation’s opposition primarily around safety concerns related to driveways backing across the proposed bike lane: “I don’t think you’re going to win on parking in this city, but on the safety issue, I think you can.”
Duke Street in Motion
The Duke Street in Motion plan, which would reduce vehicle travel lanes and slip lanes along Duke Street to accommodate bus rapid transit, drew clear answers from Marks and Laderach at the AFCA forum — both voted yes — and either no or inconclusive answers from the others.
Marks voted yes and described transit investment as a way to reduce the burden on car-dependent residents. At the DRBA forum, she noted that widening Mount Vernon Avenue is not realistic and called instead for transit improvements and school renovations as the right capital priorities, per ALXnow.
Laderach’s website explicitly calls for advancing the Duke Street Transitway “from design to construction in 2026 to unlock the West End” and securing long-term funding for fare-free DASH buses. At the AFCA forum, he said the Duke Street Land Use Plan creates opportunities to place services closer to West End residents so they “don’t have to travel from the west to the east for everything.” He voted yes.
Gomez’s website is the most transportation-specific of the five, explicitly calling for construction of the Duke Street Transitway in 2026, long-term funding for fare-free DASH, and a transition to a zero-emission fleet. At the AFCA forum, however, he declined to give a yes or no: “Some things move fast around here, and some things I haven’t had time to fully consider. And I don’t want to promise you something that I can’t keep.”
Sumpter voted no at the AFCA forum. His website calls for “smart growth and real transportation solutions” without referencing the Duke Street plan by name. At the DRBA forum, when asked what single issue he would fix with a magic wand, he named transportation and said: “If anyone has ever been on Duke Street at about two o’clock and you’re coming down Quaker Lane … you’re not moving for a long time,” per ALXnow.
Tapia voted no at the AFCA forum. After moderator Bill Rossello explained the plan, he said: “I love DASH and everything, but I think there’s also a space for people who are drivers.” At the DRBA forum, however, he agreed with Marks’ support for the Duke Street Land Use Plan, per ALXnow.
Parking reductions for new developments
The AFCA lightning round included a question on the city’s policy of reducing parking requirements for new developments, a component of Zoning for Housing and broader city planning direction.
Marks voted yes. Her YIMBYs questionnaire listed reexamining parking requirements as a Phase 2 priority.
Laderach voted yes. His BPAC questionnaire described his approach to parking as “data-driven.”
Gomez declined to give a yes or no. “People living here should have an opportunity to have close proximity to their homes. I think that a blanket solution is never the answer,” he said. His BPAC questionnaire had acknowledged that serious progress on active transportation sometimes means “repurposing a travel lane or removing some parking” and that “if we’re serious about creating transportation options beyond cars, we have to make the space for them.”
Sumpter voted yes. At the AFCA forum, he also said of the broader traffic picture: “What is the crash data? Does it support removing parking? Me personally, I’m not sure it does.”
Tapia voted no. He told the AFCA audience that as a Fox Chase resident, coming home after 7 p.m. often means parking four blocks away. “I think everybody deserves a parking spot,” he said.
Fiscal responsibility and economic development
Alexandria has lost more than 20 percent of the jobs it had in 2007. Residential properties currently provide about 82 percent of the city’s revenue.
Marks described the budget as a “finite pie” and called for lobbying the state legislature to fix the school funding formula. In the Alexandria Times voter guide, she noted that two-thirds of the budget goes to ACPS and personnel. At the DRBA forum, she highlighted the recently released ALX Forward economic development plan as a framework for place-based commercial growth, per ALXnow.
Laderach has made the commercial tax base what he calls the “most existential issue” of his campaign. In the Alexandria Times voter guide, he wrote: “We don’t have a spending problem; we have a commercial revenue problem.” At the DRBA forum, he said: “We can’t expand our land base any longer, so we have to look for our good core commercial development spaces on Eisenhower Avenue and Potomac Yard,” per ALXnow. At the AFCA forum, he referenced a conversation with Clark Mercer, chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, about the absence of a regional development plan and suggested Alexandria stop treating commercial development as a zero-sum competition with neighboring jurisdictions.
Gomez at the AFCA forum discussed AI-related job pipelines and workforce training. In the Alexandria Times voter guide, he called for pairing “housing reform with real economic opportunity.” At the DRBA forum, he said “economic development isn’t just about landing the next big employer” and emphasized protecting small businesses alongside attracting new investment, per ALXnow.
Sumpter at the DRBA forum called for an audit of city services — “Are there things that we shouldn’t be spending money on currently?” — and pushed for regional and public-private partnerships before raising local taxes, per ALXnow. He also spoke about tax incentives around the green economy and a youth climate corps as potential revenue strategies.
Tapia at the AFCA forum said he wants to preserve the city’s identity while managing growth: “Let’s not build so much to the point where we lose our identity as a city.” At the DRBA forum, he said the city should compete with Arlington and Fairfax for commercial development, per ALXnow.
Public safety and community policing
Marks said at the DPC-NAACP debate: “I think that distrust of police in many of our communities is a rational reaction to what they’ve seen on the news, elsewhere, and sometimes at home.” She called for more community networking with police rather than increased officer numbers, per ALXnow.
Laderach said at the DPC-NAACP debate that the chief of police needs to maintain communication with community groups and neighborhood organizations, per ALXnow. His website calls for Alexandria to be a “Safe Harbor” city committed to not facilitating ICE actions.
Gomez has made public safety a central theme of his campaign. At the DPC-NAACP debate, he said one of the reasons he entered the race was that one of his teenage apprentices had recently been shot: “I’m in favor of community policing, building relationships with the communities who need the help. We need to start building trust in communities that traditionally do not trust police for systemic reasons,” per ALXnow. His website calls for fully funding police staffing and expanding youth intervention programs and mental health co-response teams.
Sumpter founded Safe Space NOVA partly in response to connections he observed between housing instability, mental health, and safety outcomes. At the DPC-NAACP debate, he said: “This is the work I’ve been doing for years behind the scenes that doesn’t get talked about,” referencing his HIV/AIDS work and mental health referrals through Safe Space NOVA, per ALXnow.
Tapia’s website focuses primarily on economic security — job stability, fair wages, worker protections. His Alexandria Times voter guide response listed transportation, youth, and family services as budget priorities.
Immigration and ICE
All five candidates oppose the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office cooperating with ICE — a position confirmed in the Alexandria Times voter guide and at all three forums this week. Here is where each candidate went further.
Marks said at the DRBA forum: “I no longer recognize ICE as an authority or a valid institution in the United States,” per ALXnow. At the DPC-NAACP debate, she said she had spoken directly with Sheriff Sean Casey and that the path to change is through changing the law he has sworn to follow, per ALXnow.
Laderach at the DPC-NAACP debate said he agreed with the city council in asking Sheriff Casey not to collaborate with ICE, per ALXnow. His website commits to ensuring Alexandria remains a “true Safe Harbor where local resources are used to build trust and safety, not to facilitate ICE actions that tear families apart.”
Gomez said at both the DRBA and DPC-NAACP forums that residents should call 911 if they see ICE in their neighborhood and that police officers “should be a shield to our citizens and protect our civil rights, our constitutional rights,” per ALXnow.
Sumpter at the DPC-NAACP debate agreed with Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s executive order directing Virginia law enforcement to end agreements with ICE and called for Sheriff Casey to appear before council to explain his views publicly. At the DRBA forum, he said of ICE agents: “They’re not afraid to kill people. They’re a federal agency, they’re here, but we don’t have to help them do their damn job,” per ALXnow.
Tapia, who was born in Mexico, said at the DPC-NAACP debate that ICE is “the most unpatriotic organization I have ever seen in my life” and that Casey should not turn residents over to federal officials regardless of what warrants are presented, per ALXnow.
ACPS and public education
Marks has made education the lead item on her platform. As a current ACPS parent, she argues the council needs a member who can bridge the gap between the city council and the school board. Her website calls for leveraging state relationships to fix the funding formula, partnering on aging buildings, and expanding performing arts, sports, and career programs. At the AFCA forum, when asked whether council should compel ACPS to cut central office positions, she pushed back: “The School Board makes decisions about Central Office. I mean, how would you like me to compel them?” She said her focus is on increasing state funding and noted that the current governor’s openness to public schools makes now the right time to push Richmond. At the DPC-NAACP debate, she pushed back on Fannon’s suggestion to cut school spending: “You think we’re spending too much on children? It costs $2,500 extra to educate each English language learner in our system, who we want to have here,” per ALXnow.
Laderach addresses education through an economic mobility lens, arguing that wraparound services — addressing food insecurity, providing reliable transportation, expanding after-school recreation — allow teachers to focus on teaching. In the Alexandria Times voter guide, he said the council should act as “connective tissue” between workforce programs and schools.
Gomez’s nonprofit work centers on connecting youth to careers in the skilled trades. He serves on the ACPS CTE Advisory Committee. In the Alexandria Times voter guide, he said he would push for expanding CTE programs and clearer apprenticeship-to-employment pipelines.
Sumpter’s platform includes a public schools pillar focused on whole-child support, mental health services, and workforce pathways. In the Alexandria Times voter guide, he listed workforce development tied to apprenticeships as a top priority alongside housing.
Tapia, a current teacher, lists education as a top priority across all sources. He calls for city council to be “a better partner” to the school board. In his Alexandria Brief interview, he acknowledged learning about many of Alexandria’s specific policy issues for the first time during the campaign.
Where the candidates agreed — and differed — in the Alexandria Times voter guide
The Alexandria Times 2026 Primary Voter Guide asked all five candidates seven additional yes-or-no questions. All five agreed on four of them: no to Sheriff Casey cooperating with ICE; yes to more shared services between the city and ACPS; yes to the Robinson Terminal North redevelopment; and yes to expanding car-free blocks in Old Town.
Where they differed: on the proposed pump house location in Waterfront Park, Marks, Laderach, and Gomez said yes while Sumpter and Tapia said no — consistent with their AFCA forum answers on the same question. On banning gas-powered leaf blowers, Gomez was the only candidate to say no; the other four said yes. When asked on a scale of one to ten how much resident input influences their positions, Laderach, Sumpter, and Tapia each answered 10, Gomez answered 9, and Marks answered 6 or 7 — the only candidate below 9.
AFCA lightning round — February 18, 2026
Each candidate was asked to vote yes or no on six specific policies. Table compiled by AFCA Secretary Erin Winograd and cross-referenced against the Alexandria Brief’s full transcript of the event.
YIMBYs of Northern Virginia rankings
YIMBYs of Northern Virginia scored and ranked the four candidates who responded to its questionnaire. The group’s process notes describe its 1-to-5 scale as “good to great, not bad to good,” and note that all four respondents submitted strong pro-housing answers in writing. Scores were updated after AFCA forum responses came in during the final hours of the member voting window on February 18.
Listed in ballot order, not by score:
Sandy Marks: 4.3 / 5
Tim Laderach: 4.6 / 5
Roberto Gomez: 3.1 / 5
Charles Sumpter: 3.0 / 5
Cesar Madison Tapia: Did not submit a questionnaire response
Full rankings and process notes are available at yimbysofnova.org.
Primary details
The Democratic firehouse primary is Saturday, February 21, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. In-person voting is at Beatley Library (5005 Duke St.) and Chick Armstrong Recreation Center (25 West Reed Ave.). Online voting is available at alexdems.org. Voters must be registered in the City of Alexandria and sign a loyalty pledge. As of now, the winner will face independent Frank Fannon in the April 21 special election to fill the remainder of McPike’s term, though additional candidates could still enter the race.
Sources
YIMBYs of Northern Virginia candidate questionnaire and rankings
Alexandria Times 2026 Primary Voter Guide, published Feb. 18, 2026
Candidate websites as of Feb. 20, 2026: Sandy Marks • Tim Laderach • Roberto Gomez • Charles Sumpter • Cesar Madison Tapia
Alexandria Brief / Liberally Social podcast candidate interviews, week of Feb. 16, 2026
Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations candidate forum, Feb. 18, 2026
AFCA lightning round table compiled by AFCA Secretary Erin Winograd, distributed to a Wakefield Tarleton Civic Association on Feb. 19, 2026
Alexandria Brief publisher’s note: Understanding the Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project
Cesar Madison Tapia and Charles Sumpter also did interviews with Alexandria for Palestine about the genocide in Palestine, ethical investment, and Sheriff Casey's collaboration with ICE:
1) Cesar: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUib5ZykQpv/
2) Cesar: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUi52cHkZTa/
3) Charles: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUrqvixEc1s/
4) Charles: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUrsBRSEXhe/
Blown away by the quality of work you continue to deliver to Alexandria. Thank you.