The 30th District state Senate race now has a clear set of Democratic candidates. Those contenders, however, still don’t know exactly what they’re contending for, since the upcoming state redistricting process could change the district’s boundaries.
We’ve heard rumors that the redistricting plan currently under consideration by Senate Democrats would push the 30th District further into Fairfax, Alexandria or both. Already, the 30th encompasses most of Alexandria, part of Fairfax and part of South Arlington.
A redistricting plan that subtracts from the already small Arlington portion of the district could be bad news for Arlington School Board Chair Libby Garvey, who just captured the endorsement of retiring 30th District state Sen. Patsy Ticer.
“I’ve worked with Libby for years,” Ticer said in a statement earlier this week. “She is a fast study and is committed to the issues important to me.”
The kind words from the well-liked Ticer is a big boost for Garvey, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s an Arlingtonian running in a minority Arlington district.
The rumored redistricting plan could help Rob Krupicka, an Alexandria City Councilman who has been positioning himself as the clear Alexandria candidate. Krupicka picked up the endorsement of Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille last week and the endorsement of former Alexandria City Manager Vola Lawson this week.
“Before he was on Council and his children were born Rob worked hard to increase citizen and parent participation in our public schools,” Lawson said in a statement. “As the proud father of two daughters at Mount Vernon Elementary School, he continues to fight for quality education throughout the Commonwealth.”
Del. Adam Ebbin, who currently represents parts of Arlington, Fairfax and Alexandria in the House of Delegates, has an opportunity to bridge the gap between the three communities. Over the past week Ebbin formally announced his candidacy and won a straw poll in the Mt. Vernon section of Fairfax County, at the southern end of the 30th District.
“In these difficult times, our community needs an effective, progressive voice in Richmond, one who knows the legislative process and who will be ready to hit the ground running on day one,” Ebbin said in a press release announcing his candidacy. “I’m running to continue that tradition, and to ensure that citizens of Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax have a Senator who will not allow their priorities to be overlooked.”
Garvey, Krupicka and Ebbin will face off in the Democratic primary on Aug. 23. The winner will face a theoretical Republican nominee in November. No formal announcements have been made on the GOP side, but Alexandria businessman Michael Maibach has said that he’s considering a run.