Alexandria City Councilman R. Kirk McPike won Tuesday’s Democratic fire primary for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Mr. McPike, who is openly gay, is chief of staff to Representative Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who won 60.5% of the vote in the four-way race among Democrats in the 5th Congressional District.
Former Alexandria City Schools Commissioner Eileen Cassidy Rivera came in second, ahead of criminal defense attorney Chris Liebig and openly gay teacher and labor leader Gregory Dalal.
Tuesday’s contest marked the first time in recent memory that two openly gay men faced off for a seat in the Virginia General Assembly.
Mr. McPike will face Republican candidate Mason Butler in a special election on Tuesday, February 10th, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Representative Elizabeth Bennet Parker (D-Alexandria) on February 18th.
Bennett Parker is running in another special election on Feb. 10 for the soon-to-be-vacant 39th State Senate District seat held by openly gay Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), who is leaving the Legislature to become senior adviser to the Virginia Cannabis Regulatory Authority under Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
Early voting for the special election begins January 31st and runs through February 7th. The last day to register or update your voter registration to become eligible to vote is Tuesday, February 3rd.
Mr. McPike was first elected to the Alexandria City Council in 2021 and was re-elected in 2024. In the 2024 presidential election, 78.2% of voters in the district supported former Vice President Kamala Harris, giving McPike an advantage in the general election. He is also supported by Ebbin, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), and the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund.
If McPike wins, under Virginia law he would be required to resign from his regular job at the Capitol and his current City Council seat, and another special election would be held.
In a statement posted to his Blue Sky account, McPike thanked voters for their support and vowed to fight for Democratic values.
“If I win on February 10th, I look forward to addressing the housing crisis, climate change challenges, and the Trump administration’s negative impacts on immigrant families, LGBTQ+ Virginians, and federal employees who call Alexandria home,” McPike wrote.
“More than 20 years ago, Adam Ebbin made history by becoming the first openly gay Virginia state representative,” McPike continued. “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to continue his legacy of LGBTQ+ representation from Alexandria. I will always be a strong advocate for the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ people, as I have done on the City Council.”
Citing efforts begun last year to repeal the Virginia Constitution’s ban on same-sex marriage, which the House is expected to vote on later this session, McPike emphasized the importance of having a pro-marriage equality representative in Richmond, one of the few districts in Northern Virginia with a large LGBTQ community.
If the bill repealing the marriage ban passes, a referendum will be held in November requiring a majority of voters in the Commonwealth to approve the constitutional amendment. Democratic lawmakers are expected to campaign for a “yes” vote in the referendum, which would guarantee LGBTQ Virginians to remain married if the Supreme Court overturns the 2015 ruling. Obergefell vs. Hodges Decision to temporarily override state-level marriage bans.
“I look forward to campaigning to ensure that the federal Constitution protects my marriage to my husband, Jason, and the marriages of thousands of LGBTQ+ couples across Virginia,” McPike said.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
