Just when you thought election season was over for a hot minute or two, the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s “Beyond Arlington” brigade is gearing up to help out downstate.
A Jan. 10 special election has been called to fill the state Senate seat of Republican Jen Kiggans, who in November defeated U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria (D-2nd) – one of the relatively few bright spots for the GOP as the anticipated “red wave” turned into a trickle on Election Day.
Kiggans’ seat could go either way, given the political composition of the district, and a Democratic pickup would give the party 22 seats in the 40-member state Senate, up from its current 21.
That could be important to Democrats for a number of reasons, including the possibility that it would give the majority party more seats on Senate committees.
“If we turn out the vote, we in fact will win it,” predicted state Sen. Barbara Favola (D-Arlington-Fairfax-McLean), encouraging those in the Democratic rank-and-file to help the effort in any way they can.
Arlington Democrats will be phone-banking in support of Democratic nominee Aaron Rouse, an ex-NFL football player and current member of the Virginia Beach City Council. On Dec. 11 and again on Jan. 7-8, Northern Virginia Democrats will be traveling to the district to knock off doors and provide additional support.
“Everything’s going to help,” Favola said.