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The Alexandria Republican City Committee has nominated Mason Butler for House District 5, setting up a Feb. 10 special election matchup with the winner of Tuesday’s Democratic firehouse primary.
Butler, a business executive and federal contractor who ran for Alexandria City Council in 2024, was the sole applicant for the nomination. The party canceled a planned canvass Sunday after no other candidates filed.
“I want to represent Alexandria’s District 5 in the House of Delegates for two reasons,” Butler said in a statement. “First, the cost of living has skyrocketed for many Alexandrians who simply can’t afford to live here. It’s time someone start to change the flow of money from one way only to having some Richmond treasury come back to Alexandria to help with our infrastructure projects to support affordable housing.
“Second, I’m running because Alexandria deserves to have a two-party system and leaders who bring common sense and drive economic prosperity for our city.”
Butler said he would “demand accountability for how we spend our tax dollars and keep Virginia’s tax rates low” and pledged to represent all Alexandrians, “not just one party.”
ARCC Chairman Chris Howell endorsed Butler’s candidacy.
“The voters deserve an alternative to whatever candidates the local Democrat machinery chooses for our area,” Howell said. “When Mason is elected he will represent all Alexandrians, not just the liberal fringe. He shares our values and can unite conservatives as well as moderates who feel ignored by today’s Democratic Party.”
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Butler has lived in Northern Virginia for more than 20 years and in Alexandria for more than a decade. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University and has led teams of engineers at three federal agencies as a federal contractor. He currently serves as head of precinct operations for the Alexandria GOP.
His volunteer work includes The Campagna Center, the Alexandria Rotary Club, Jones Point Park Gardens and Founders Park. He lives in Old Town with his wife Kristin, a native Alexandrian, and their two Samoyed dogs, Derby and Lily.
The move mirrors what happened last week with the Senate District 39 nomination — Republicans canceled a planned Jan. 13 canvass and named realtor Julie Lineberry as their nominee after she was the sole applicant. Butler and Lineberry will appear together on the Feb. 10 special election ballot.
House District 5 encompasses 18 of Alexandria’s 32 precincts and is considered solidly Democratic — Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, who is resigning to run for Senate, ran unopposed in her last two elections.
Four Democrats are competing in Tuesday’s firehouse primary: City Councilman Kirk McPike, former School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera, Greg Darrall and criminal defense attorney Chris Leibig. Voting takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Beatley Library and Charles Houston Recreation Center.
