Prince William Times: “Deshundra Jefferson, whose upset win in the Democratic primary unseated incumbent Prince William County Board Chair Ann Wheeler, was propelled to victory by big leads in the western parts of the county most impacted by data center development. Wheeler, meanwhile, won by slimmer margins in eastern Prince William precincts.”
“The Gainesville and Brentsville districts both showed a higher turnout in the June 20 primary and voted for Jefferson, 47, by wider margins, according to updated county election results that track the more than 14,000 absentee ballots cast in the Democratic and Republican primaries back to the voters’ precincts.”
Insidenova.com: "Down just two votes, Maria Martin announced Tuesday she intends to request a recount in the Republican primary for the District 29 State Senate seat, even as opponent Nikki Rattray Baldwin declared victory in the contest."
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The Center Square: "With his Republican opponent still to be determined, Democratic Sen. Jeremy McPike is a winner in Virginia's District 29, accepting a concession on Sunday from Del. Elizabeth Guzman."
"The Republican race from last Tuesday remains too close to call. In the most recent announced tabulation, only two votes separate candidates Nikki Rattray Baldwin, the leader, and Maria Martin."
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Delegate Elizabeth Guzman conceded in her primary race with Senator Jeremy McPike. A total of 53 votes separated the two Democrats.
Guzman conceded her effort to unseat McPike from the 29th Senate District on Saturday, June 24, 2023, four days past the Tuesday, June 20 Primary Election.
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The Center Square: "Clear winners and losers emerged from Tuesday’s state Senate primaries, except for Virginia Senate District 29, where Democratic and Republican candidates are locked in races too close to call."
"With more than 95% of votes in and only provisional and mail-in ballots left to be tallied, the races of Democrats Sen. Jeremy McPike and challenger Del. Elizabeth Guzman, and Republicans Maria Martin and Nikki Baldwin are headed toward a recount."
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WRC-TV: “Data center expansion in Northern Virginia may have led to a stunning upset in Tuesday’s primary, when a political newcomer defeated the Prince William County Board of Supervisors chair.”
“Democrat Ann Wheeler has been the driving force behind a massive change in the county’s comprehensive plan, opening the door to data center development even in rural areas of the county.”
“Last year, she led a majority on the Board of Supervisors that approved the Prince William Digital Gateway, a plan to rezone more than 2,000 acres of farmland to accept data centers, which house the computer servers and hardware required to support modern internet use. The plan – approved despite vocal opposition from residents concerned that the data centers are noisy, ugly and consume massive amounts of electricity that require the addition of high-voltage transmission lines – prompted one of the region’s biggest land-use disputes in decades.”
Prince William County Republican Committee: “As Chairman of the Prince William Republican Committee, I would like to offer my most enthusiastic congratulations to the winners in the June 20 Republican primaries, including Jeanine Lawson for County Chair, Bill Woolf in the 30th State Senate District, and John Stirrup in the 21st District of the House of Delegates.”
“I also would like to commend those Republican candidates that did not prevail, including Josh Quill and Robert Ruffolo; they demonstrated their courage and commitment to the principles of the Republican Party by undertaking all the ardors and difficulties of a political campaign.”
“We still do not know who has won in the 29th Senate District but the close race between Nikki Rattray Baldwin and Maria Martin demonstrates that the qualities of the candidates made it a difficult decision for Republican voters.”
“It is now time for Republican voters to rally behind their Prince William County candidates in the general elections this November. If the candidates are willing to lay their time, their effort, and their money on the line to save this county, can we do less?”
The primary race for Republicans and Democrats in Virginia’s 29th Senate District (portions of Prince William and Stafford counties) remains too close to call.
Incumbent Democrat Jeremy McPike is trying to hold on to his seat but faces tough competition from challenger and current House of Delegates member Elizabeth Guzman.
A total of 46 votes separates McPike and Guzman in the party’s primary challenge. McPike has held the seat since 2016. Guzman was elected to the House of Delegates in 2017.
Incumbent Democrat Jeremy McPike is trying to hold on to his seat but faces tough competition from challenger and current House of Delegates member Elizabeth Guzman.
A total of 46 votes separates McPike and Guzman in the party’s primary challenge. McPike has held the seat since 2016. Guzman was elected to the House of Delegates in 2017.
For Republicans, Maria Martin is challenging Nikki Rattray Baldwin for the party’s nomination. Only 10 votes separates the two candidates.
Martin has sought state-level office since 2019, first in the House of Delegates and now in the Senate.
Martin and Baldwin live in Prince William County. Martin is a Bolivian immigrant and Marine Corps wife and homemaker. Baldwin is a Navy veteran, a wife of a U.S. Marine of 13 years, and the mother of a 9-year-old boy.
The Center Square: "In three key commonwealth attorney election primary races in northern Virginia, voters rejected the challengers in favor of progressive incumbents."
"In Loudoun County, Democratic incumbent Buta Biberaj defeated challenger Elizabeth Lancaster by more than 10%. Biberaj was thrust into the national spotlight when she came under fire for her handling of sexual assault cases at two county high schools."
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Democracy only works if you exercise it. Talk is cheap, but votes are powerful.
In the past 20 months, county residents have been encouraged to push back against a government that rode roughshod over its express wishes. That encouragement paid off on June 20 with the upset defeat of Board of County Supervisors Chair Ann Wheeler in the Democratic primary.
The ousting of Chair Wheeler is a thunderclap that will reverberate far beyond Prince William County and whose effects will become clearer in the weeks ahead. At a minimum, it sends a powerful message that communities will fight back against reckless development that threatens their quality of life and that public servants who do not serve will be held accountable.
The cliches are irresistible. Truth is powerful. Justice prevailed. Right made might.
What does this stunning rebuke mean for the future of Prince William County Government? For starters, it ought to shine a bright light on the public’s disdain for the “pay for play” politics that has been ruling this county for too long. Ditto for divisive leadership, obstructing transparency, neglect of due diligence, and suppression of public input.
Congratulations to Deshundra Jefferson, who had the courage to stand up to a Democratic organization that had doubled down on a flawed status quo. It’s time to start making over that organization in the image of the principles it is supposed to stand for. It is the people, not the money, that sustains it.
Democracy in. Wheeler out.
Bill Wright
Gainesville
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