FCDC 2023 Endorsements

Concluding May 20th, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) has administered a first-of-its-kind endorsement caucus to select its endorsees for the Fairfax County School Board.

For the first time since FCDC started endorsing candidates in 1995, non-member Democratic voters were able to help make our endorsement decision. During the caucus, we saw more than 3,300 voters throughout Fairfax County join us in choosing a slate of candidates who will be prepared to return a Democratic majority to the School Board this November.

Regarding the endorsement caucus, FCDC Chair Bryan Graham states “We thank everyone who voted in the endorsement caucus this year. Public education is vitally important to the families of Fairfax County and to the businesses that choose to locate here. We are excited to see our endorsees deliver a strong message and affirmative vision to voters throughout the summer and into the fall.”

The Democratic-endorsed candidates for Fairfax County School Board are:

○ At-Large: Ilryong Moon, Ryan McElveen, Kyle McDaniel
○ Hunter Mill District: Melanie Meren

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to the other candidates for participating in the process. As our slate of candidates has been completed, we move forward to speaking with our voters and engaging in preparation for the fall elections.

Lasagna Dinner Tickets Are Available Now!

Join us for our 47th Annual Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee Lasagna Dinner on May 13. Our Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee is our signature event of the year and a very important fundraiser to help support our Democratic candidates. Our format will follow previous years with a reception and a dinner program. The Lasagna Dinner is an excellent opportunity to invite local democrats who might not be familiar with our committee and interact with our elected officials. It is the biggest political event of the year along the Dulles Corridor.  As always, we will be awarding two awards during the ceremony: the Ed Herlihy Activist Award and the Martha Pennino Community Service Award. These awards denote exceptional service both within the Democratic Party and throughout our Hunter Mill District community. 

Buy your tickets today! It is crucial that we have the resources to support our candidates and voter outreach into the community. This work is especially important as we support our candidates from the onslaught of Governor Youngkin’s ambitions.  Our committee will support our state and local Democratic candidates with a vibrant voter outreach program. The Hunter Mill Democrats Lasagna Dinner is a volunteer lead operation and we are still looking for some volunteers. If you are interested in lending your talents or donating some food, you can sign up here. We will be adding some updates about the Lasagna Dinner over the next weeks so be on the lookout and we hope you are able to join us.

Click here to buy an ad in our event program, and get your campaign or organization recognized within the event program.

Primary Season is Heating Up

The cherry blossoms are blooming, the daffodils are popping, and as March prepares to go out like a lamb, primary season is roaring into Hunter Mill District like a lion. We are currently in the midst of the filing season for candidates in many state and local races, and in the face of all the high-profile retirements, whether you prefer to Pick Your Pony or press the flesh at the 2023 Lasagna Dinner, it is looking like an exciting year to be a Hunter Mill Democrat!

Primaries are funny things because, like any other election, you have to be all in for your candidate and give everything you can as a volunteer and a supporter. But unlike in a general election, when the dust settles and a candidate is either nominated or endorsed, we will only succeed if we rally to elect the nominee/endorsee—regardless of whether it’s the one we would have chosen. In the end, we all want to keep Fairfax County a special shade of deep sapphire, and the only way we can do that is for candidates and their supporters to be enthusiastic and respectful. The press loves a “Dems in disarray” story, and Republicans will go to great lengths to turn us against each other. 

Also, primaries are a great opportunity to engage our neighbors and friends in the civic process. Invite your friends to get engaged with the candidates and our local committee during this time. As the saying goes “democracy is not a spectator sport”.  

We are fortunate in Hunter Mill to expect such a great selection of candidates, and to have such a deeply engaged and committed group of activists who back them. Let’s look forward to some real democracy in action, and select the best candidates we can for November.

Hunter Mill District Campaigns 2023

This is a listing of the current elections impacting the Hunter Mill District for 2023:

Elected OfficeCandidate Name
SheriffStacey Kincaid
SheriffKelvin Garcia
Commonwealth AttorneySteve Descano
Commonwealth AttorneyEd Nuttall
Clerk of the CourtChris Falcon
State Senate – SD 38Jennifer Boysko
State Senate – SD 36George Barker
State Senate – SD 36Stella Perkarsky
State Senate – SD 37Chap Petersen
State Senate – SD 37 Saddam Salim
House of Delegates – HD 8Irene Shin
House of Delegates – HD 12Holly Seibold
House of Delegates – HD 6 Rip Sullivan
House of Delegates – HD 7Karen Keys Gamarra
House of Delegates – HD 7Paul Berry
House of Delegates – HD 7Shyamali Hauth
House of Delegates – HD 7Mary Barthelson
House of Delegates – HD 11David Bulova
Chairman of Board of Supervisors (At-Large)Jeff McKay
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn
Fairfax County School Board (Hunter Mill)Melanie Meren
Fairfax County School Board (Hunter Mill)Paul Thomas
Fairfax County School Board (At Large)Kyle McDaniel
Fairfax County School Board (At Large)Lawrence Webb
Fairfax County School Board (At Large)Ilryong Moon
Fairfax County School Board (At Large)Ryan McElveen
Fairfax County School Board (At Large) Hamid Munir
Northern Va Soil & Water Conservation District DirectorMary Paulet
Northern Va Soil & Water Conservation District DirectorChris Koerner
Northern Va Soil & Water Conservation District DirectorRhonda Bitterli
Northern Va Soil & Water Conservation District DirectorDana Barakat

2023 Non-Partisan Endorsement Process (SCHOOL BOARD & SOIL AND WATER)

Whether you are a candidate or a voter, be sure to read the rules! FCDC maintains a page with the relevant links and information

Qualified voters who are not members of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee will need to preregister between April 10 and May 5.

There will be a period of online voting from May 13 to May 20, with in-person voting on May 20 available at multiple locations. Those locations are not yet announced but will be announced no later than April 22.

The candidate filing deadline is April 6.

Primaries can be challenging for parties with passionate members like ours. We encourage everyone to fully support their preferred candidates, but that engagement should not involve using any official FCDC or Hunter Mill title. If democracy is going to prevail, party officials must remain neutral in their official capacities and keep their thumbs off the scales. 

For our part here at the Hunter Mill Democrat, our publication standards remain neutral as well, which means that we will publish events and announcements that are submitted to us and are salient to the Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee. We encourage candidates to let us know about their events so we make Hunter Mill Democrats aware and give them the opportunity to engage.

Delegate Ken Plum Announces Retirement

Del. Ken Plum, who has been an elected representative in Reston and Fairfax County since 1977, and whose formidable career as a Democratic legislator is rivaled only by his remarkable capacity as an auctioneer at Hunter Mill Democrats’ Lasagna Dinners over the years, plans to announce his retirement and will not run for reelection in 2023.

Del. Plum has been a fixture of Democratic politics in Fairfax County for going on half a century. As a legislator, Del. Plum has had a strong Democratic voting record on virtually every Democratic priority and has consistently been a voice for Hunter Mill values. He has been a frequent attendee and participant at Hunter Mill Democrat meetings, keeping our members abreast of developments in Richmond and offering valuable perspectives on the issues we care about most. Those who attend meetings regularly have no doubt gotten to know Del. Plum and his signature warmth and affability. Before becoming a leader in Fairfax County, Del. Plum was a teacher and school administrator. 

We are grateful to have had such a consistent, respected voice representing us and our values in Richmond for such a long time. We hope you will join the Hunter Mill Democrats and the Fairfax County Democrats in thanking Del. Plum for an incredible career of service to Hunter Mill District, Fairfax County, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

We expect multiple candidates will vie for the opportunity to replace Del. Plum in the House of Delegates. The primary will take place on June 20, 2023. The deadline for candidates to file for the primary is April 6.

Democrats Nominate Holly Seibold for Open Delegate Seat

Voting has concluded in the HD-35 Democratic Caucus, and voters have chosen Holly Seibold as the Democratic nominee to fill the vacancy following Mark Keam’s appointment to the Biden-Harris Administration. In announcing the results, Fairfax County Democratic Committee Chair Bryan Graham released the following statement:

“We are pleased to announce that Holly Seibold will be the Democratic nominee for the January 10, 2023 Special Election for the existing 35th House District.

“Holly works day-in and day-out to make our community a better place for everyone. While our absentee Governor and his lackeys in the legislature attack public education, the LGBTQ+ community, environmental protections, and even democracy itself, we need candidates like Holly to lead the fight to protect the progress we’ve made and forge a path to move Virginia forward when we retake the House of Delegates next year.

“Two excellent candidates sought the Democratic nomination for serving the remainder of the Honorable Mark Keam‘s term in the House of Delegates. Thousands of Democratic voters from the existing 35th House District participated in our nomination caucus earlier this week and today. Both campaigns should be commended for their ability to organize and mobilize voters in a compressed timeframe.

“Now that the caucus is over, Democrats are united behind our nominee and the next Delegate from House District 35, Holly Seibold.

Holly is a mother, public school teacher, and non-profit leader. From the classroom to the boardroom, Holly has been a champion for women and children. Voters can learn more about Holly’s impressive background and committment to her community by visiting her website, HollySeibold.com. Voting information, including how to vote early and by mail, for the January 10th Special Election will be available at FairfaxVotes.org once details are confirmed.

Hunter Mill Democrats Volunteers

Volunteers are needed for early voting, inside poll observers, and election day work.

Help Hunter Mill Democrats staff our Early Voting presence table at the North County Governmental Center in Reston between September 23rd and November 5th.

It’s a great opportunity to get out in the community and see your neighbors. You’ll provide voter information, answer questions, and give our voters the support they need to cast their ballots.

==>Election Day Polls in Reston / Herndon

==>Election Day Polls in Vienna  

==>Early Voting at North County Governmental Center:  

Special Election Alert – House District 35

We’ll start our post-Labor day political mad dash with some big local politics news: per a letter, he circulated to friends and colleagues, long-time Hunter Mill Democrat Del. Mark Keam says he will be leaving the Virginia House of Delegates to pursue a new job opportunity. Del. Keam, who lives in Hunter Mill’s very own Vienna, has been in the Virginia Legislature since 2010. He was the first Asian-born immigrant and the first Korean American elected to state office in Virginia.

In the Virginia House of Delegates, Keam has been a practical, steadfast, and busy Democrat, drafting and introducing over 200 bills. He is credited with a significant role in passing over 120 measures into law. Keam has been a champion of government accountability, education, civil rights, healthcare, and myriad other Democratic priorities. It’s safe to say Virginia is a better place to live because of Del. Keam’s 12 years in the Virginia House, and we are thankful for his service to the Commonwealth.

In addition to Keam’s legislative accomplishments, he has been a mainstay at meetings of the Hunter Mill Democrats and of the Fairfax County Democrats. We have always appreciated his attendance at meetings, often giving us insight into the latest legislative and political developments. Sometimes, he just comes by to say hello and check in with friends and constituents. We’re sure we will continue to see him here in the Hunter Mill community, and we wish him all the best on his next career adventure.

In order to fill Del. Keam’s seat, the Speaker of the House, Republican Todd Gilbert, will need to call a special election. We will keep you updated with information on a special election when there is more information to provide, so we can do everything possible to fill Keam’s big shoes with another Democrat.

Update: House Speaker has set the special election date for January 10, 2023