Skip to main content

State Senate

Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below State Senate races on your ballot.

  • Incumbent Democratic Senator George Barker was first elected to the Virginia Senate in 2007. He moved to Northern Virginia 35 years ago and has been active in a number of civic and community organizations ever since. He is married with two grown children and has multiple grandchildren.

    Senator Barker has two degrees from Harvard University, including a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Public Health and a master's degree in Health Policy and Management. For three decades he worked for the Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia. He currently consults on health care issues.

    Barker was rated 100% by Virginia ACL-CIO due to his suport of legislation that supports unions and workers and 100% by NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia because of his strong support of reproductive rights. He has also supported commonsense gun laws, including one that would penalize anyone who left guns unattended around minors. He also voted for Medicaid expansion and to raise Virginia’s minimum wage.

    S. W. Hillenburg is the Republican candidate and a disabled veteran. Hillenburg is anti-choice and opposes commonsense gun laws. He has prioritized transportation improvements in his campaign.

    Senator George Barker is the progressive choice in this race.

    Last updated: 2023-04-05

    George Barker

    Incumbent Democratic Senator George Barker was first elected to the Virginia Senate in 2007. He moved to Northern Virginia 35 years ago and has been active in a number of civic and community organizations ever since. He is married with two grown children and has multiple grandchildren.

    Incumbent Democratic Senator George Barker was first elected to the Virginia Senate in 2007. He moved to Northern Virginia 35 years ago and has been active in a number of civic and community organizations ever since. He is married with two grown children and has multiple grandchildren.

    Senator Barker has two degrees from Harvard University, including a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Public Health and a master's degree in Health Policy and Management. For three decades he worked for the Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia. He currently consults on health care issues.

    Barker was rated 100% by Virginia ACL-CIO due to his suport of legislation that supports unions and workers and 100% by NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia because of his strong support of reproductive rights. He has also supported commonsense gun laws, including one that would penalize anyone who left guns unattended around minors. He also voted for Medicaid expansion and to raise Virginia’s minimum wage.

    S. W. Hillenburg is the Republican candidate and a disabled veteran. Hillenburg is anti-choice and opposes commonsense gun laws. He has prioritized transportation improvements in his campaign.

    Senator George Barker is the progressive choice in this race.

    George Barker

    Incumbent Democratic Senator George Barker was first elected to the Virginia Senate in 2007. He moved to Northern Virginia 35 years ago and has been active in a number of civic and community organizations ever since. He is married with two grown children and has multiple grandchildren.

No Good Choices

Delegate Todd Pillion was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2015 and is now running for the State Senate. Delegate Pillion and his wife, Amanda, currently reside in Abingdon with their four children. Delegate Pillion has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association and has voted against commonsense gun laws, including mandating background checks for gun buyers. He also voted against allowing cities in Virginia to raise their local minimum wage. He opposed the establishment of sanctuary cities in Virginia, which would force localities to use their resources to do the job of the federal government and puts immigrant families at risk of separation. He has consistently opposed reproductive rights and abortion access.

Ken Heath is the Director of Community and Economic Development for Marion. He was previously elected twice to the Town Council. He is a graduate of Marion Senior High School, Wytheville Community College, and East Tennessee State University. Heath is running as an Independent and opposes commonsense gun laws. Little information is available about his platform.

We encourage you to write in a candidate of your choice. Regardless, get out and vote. Please remember that there are other races on the ballot as well.

Todd Pillion Ken Heath

Delegate Todd Pillion was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2015 and is now running for the State Senate. Delegate Pillion and his wife, Amanda, currently reside in Abingdon with their four children.

House of Delegates

Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below House of Delegate races on your ballot.

No Good Choices

Delegate Terry Kilgore (R) has been a member of the House of Delegates since 1993. He is the Chairman of the House Commerce and Labor Committee. As a Delegate, Kilgore has voted against raising the minimum wage. He has also voted in favor of bills that would prohibit the establishment of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented immigrants and to limit abortion access.

Kilgore is running unopposed. There is no progressive choice on the ballot. However, we still encourage you to show up to vote and write in a name for this race and cast your vote in the other races on your ballot.

Terry Kilgore

Delegate Terry Kilgore (R) has been a member of the House of Delegates since 1993. He is the Chairman of the House Commerce and Labor Committee. As a Delegate, Kilgore has voted against raising the minimum wage.

  • Virginia’s new House of Delegates 2nd District encompasses parts of Arlington County. With over 65,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Democratic.

    Incumbent Democratic Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy was elected to the House of Delegates in 2017. She fought to pass Medicaid expansion to 400,000 Virignians. She also voted for a pay raise for Virginia teachers. Delegate Carroll Foy co-patroned a bill to increase the grand larceny threshold from $200 to $500. She supports legislation to increase abortion access, affordable public transportation, and criminal justice reform. Delegate Carroll Foy has proven to be a true progressive champion in her short time in the House of Delegates.

    Carroll Foy’s opponent is Republican Heather Mitchell. Mitchell is centering her campaign on lowering taxes and transportation solutions, but she is silent on issues including raising the minimum wage, ensuring abortion is affordable and accessible, and redistricting reform.

    Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy is the more progressive choice in this race.

No Good Choices

Republican James Morefield has been a Delegate from the 3rd District since 2010. He is anti-choice. He is also opposes commonsense gun violence prevention measures. Thanks in part to his support for polluting fossil fuels, he has received an F rating from the Virginia Sierra Club.

Delegate Morefield is running unopposed. There is no progressive choice on the ballot. However, we still encourage you to show up to vote and write in a name for this race and cast your vote in the other races on your ballot.

James Morefield

Republican James Morefield has been a Delegate from the 3rd District since 2010. He is anti-choice. He is also opposes commonsense gun violence prevention measures. Thanks in part to his support for polluting fossil fuels, he has received an F rating from the Virginia Sierra Club.

  • Katie Cristol is a community advocate and public policy professional. She was elected to the Board in November 2015 and served as Chair of the County Board in 2018. Cristol is the co-Chair of Arlington’s Project PEACE, an interagency collaboration to address domestic and sexual violence in our community. Cristol has been an advocate for women’s issues, including reproductive health, political representation and support for survivors of sexual assault.

    Cristol is prioritizing economic development in her campaign and wants to ensure Amazon is taxed adequately to restore Arlington’s tax base while protecting housing affordability in the county as Amazon moves in. Cristol plans to combat climate change by increasing public transit options in the county, restore Metro’s reliability, premium bus service on Columbia Pike, and new transit opportunities for Lee Highway. She wants to improve education in county by building more schools and supporting student ridership on the county’s public bus system. Cristol wants to make childcare more affordable in the county and support victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. She also vows to continue making inclusion, economic justice and racial equity a priority.

    Cristol is the progressive choice for the Arlington Board due to her demonstrated track record and commitment to affordable housing.
     

    Last updated: 2023-04-05

    Katie Cristol

    Katie Cristol is a community advocate and public policy professional. She was elected to the Board in November 2015 and served as Chair of the County Board in 2018.

    Katie Cristol is a community advocate and public policy professional. She was elected to the Board in November 2015 and served as Chair of the County Board in 2018. Cristol is the co-Chair of Arlington’s Project PEACE, an interagency collaboration to address domestic and sexual violence in our community. Cristol has been an advocate for women’s issues, including reproductive health, political representation and support for survivors of sexual assault.

    Cristol is prioritizing economic development in her campaign and wants to ensure Amazon is taxed adequately to restore Arlington’s tax base while protecting housing affordability in the county as Amazon moves in. Cristol plans to combat climate change by increasing public transit options in the county, restore Metro’s reliability, premium bus service on Columbia Pike, and new transit opportunities for Lee Highway. She wants to improve education in county by building more schools and supporting student ridership on the county’s public bus system. Cristol wants to make childcare more affordable in the county and support victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. She also vows to continue making inclusion, economic justice and racial equity a priority.

    Cristol is the progressive choice for the Arlington Board due to her demonstrated track record and commitment to affordable housing.
     

    Katie Cristol

    Katie Cristol is a community advocate and public policy professional. She was elected to the Board in November 2015 and served as Chair of the County Board in 2018.

  • A graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Christian Dorsey has been a resident of Arlington since 1993 and is married with two children. Dorsey is the Director of External and Government Affairs at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) in Washington, D.C. Dorsey is a frequent commentator on cable news networks having appeared on CNN, CNBC and Fox.

    Dorsey was elected to the Board in 2015 and is the current Board Chair. Dorsey believes that the best way to tackle housing affordability in Arlington is by increasing housing stock. He is focused on fixing the county’s budget problems by examining what changes need to be made to the county’s property tax rate. As a member of the Metro Board, Dorsey wants to look at innovative ways to encourage ridership on the Metro system. He also wants to study structural inequalities in county policies so that more tools can be developed to bring more equity to Arlington. Finally, Dorsey supports changing the name of Jefferson Davis Highway.

    Incumbent candidates Dorsey and Cristol are being challenged by independents Arron O’Dell and Audrey Clement. O’Dell is focusing his campaign on housing affordability in the county while Clement wants to address school overcrowding and the lack of green space in Arlington.

    Dorsey is the progressive choice for the Arlington Board due to his demonstrated track record and commitment to affordable housing.
     

    Last updated: 2023-04-05

    Christian E. Dorsey

    A graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Christian Dorsey has been a resident of Arlington since 1993 and is married with two children. Dorsey is the Director of External and Government Affairs at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) in Washington, D.C.

    A graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Christian Dorsey has been a resident of Arlington since 1993 and is married with two children. Dorsey is the Director of External and Government Affairs at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) in Washington, D.C. Dorsey is a frequent commentator on cable news networks having appeared on CNN, CNBC and Fox.

    Dorsey was elected to the Board in 2015 and is the current Board Chair. Dorsey believes that the best way to tackle housing affordability in Arlington is by increasing housing stock. He is focused on fixing the county’s budget problems by examining what changes need to be made to the county’s property tax rate. As a member of the Metro Board, Dorsey wants to look at innovative ways to encourage ridership on the Metro system. He also wants to study structural inequalities in county policies so that more tools can be developed to bring more equity to Arlington. Finally, Dorsey supports changing the name of Jefferson Davis Highway.

    Incumbent candidates Dorsey and Cristol are being challenged by independents Arron O’Dell and Audrey Clement. O’Dell is focusing his campaign on housing affordability in the county while Clement wants to address school overcrowding and the lack of green space in Arlington.

    Dorsey is the progressive choice for the Arlington Board due to his demonstrated track record and commitment to affordable housing.
     

    Christian E. Dorsey

    A graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Christian Dorsey has been a resident of Arlington since 1993 and is married with two children. Dorsey is the Director of External and Government Affairs at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) in Washington, D.C.

  • Parisa Dehghani-Taft immigrated to the United States as a child with her parents. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she obtained a B.A. in Philosophy and Comparative Literature, and the New York University School of Law, where she obtained a Juris Doctorate. She has lived in Arlington for 12 years with her husband, a civil rights lawyer and law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and two children. Dehghani-Taft is a member of the Arlington branch of the NAACP and serves on its Criminal Justice Committee.

    Dehghani-Taft wants to use her office to fight mass incarceration in Arlington by reforming the cash bail system, creating diversion programs that prioritize treatment over jail for offenders suffering from substance abuse and mental health problems. She wants to make the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney more transparent and accountable to the Arlington community. Dehghani-Taft supports the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana. She also wants to lobby for criminal justice reform in the state legislature and focus on prosecuting serious crimes while supporting victims and their families.

    Dehghani-Taft is running unopposed and is the progressive choice in this race.
     

    Last updated: 2023-04-05

    Parisa Dehghani-Tafti

    Parisa Dehghani-Taft immigrated to the United States as a child with her parents. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she obtained a B.A. in Philosophy and Comparative Literature, and the New York University School of Law, where she obtained a Juris Doctorate.

    Parisa Dehghani-Taft immigrated to the United States as a child with her parents. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she obtained a B.A. in Philosophy and Comparative Literature, and the New York University School of Law, where she obtained a Juris Doctorate. She has lived in Arlington for 12 years with her husband, a civil rights lawyer and law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and two children. Dehghani-Taft is a member of the Arlington branch of the NAACP and serves on its Criminal Justice Committee.

    Dehghani-Taft wants to use her office to fight mass incarceration in Arlington by reforming the cash bail system, creating diversion programs that prioritize treatment over jail for offenders suffering from substance abuse and mental health problems. She wants to make the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney more transparent and accountable to the Arlington community. Dehghani-Taft supports the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana. She also wants to lobby for criminal justice reform in the state legislature and focus on prosecuting serious crimes while supporting victims and their families.

    Dehghani-Taft is running unopposed and is the progressive choice in this race.
     

    Parisa Dehghani-Tafti

    Parisa Dehghani-Taft immigrated to the United States as a child with her parents. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she obtained a B.A. in Philosophy and Comparative Literature, and the New York University School of Law, where she obtained a Juris Doctorate.