For the fifth consecutive election, Democrats swept Alexandria’s races for City Council and mayor. It’s been more than 15 years since the city has elected a Republican or independent candidate, three of which ran for City Council this election and lost by a wide margin.
Alyia Gaskins, who ran unopposed, was elected mayor. She takes the spot of Justin Wilson, who has served since 2018 but decided late last year not to run again.
“Because of you, we are going to deliver the most progressive council,” Gaskins told attendees of the Alexandria Democratic Committee’s watch party at Pork Barrel BBQ in Del Ray. “You are going to see a council that is going to deliver for you, on housing, on transportation, on climate change, on the issues that matter most to this community.”
Gaskins will be Alexandria’s first Black female mayor.
“Our city is the first tonight to break that barrier, to shatter glass ceilings, to show the country what happens when you believe in strong Democrats and progressive leadership,” she said. “I could not be more humbled and more excited to serve you.”
Jacinta Greene, who was elected to City Council, said she is happy for Gaskins, but disappointed it’s taken so long to achieve diversity in the office.
“This is ‘her-story,’” Greene said. “It’s absolutely amazing. But you’d think in 275 years, we would have already had our first female mayor of color.”
At press time, the race for vice mayor is still too close to call. Traditionally, the vice mayor is the City Council candidate who received the most votes. Incumbents Sarah Bagley and John Chapman currently lead the pack. The two other incumbents, Canek Aguirre and Kirk McPike, were also reelected to the City Council, in addition to current school board members Abdel Elnoubi and Greene.
“I’m truly grateful for the fact that Alexandria voters are entrusting me to govern the city,” Greene said. “It is a feeling like no other.”
Greene said her main priorities are ensuring city employees, including teachers and emergency responders, can afford to live in the city.
“If we were able to put something in place where they could afford to live and work here, it would very much benefit our city,” Greene said. “It would help with morale as well.”
Greene previously told Theogony and the Alexandria Gazette Packet that she would support a housing allowance for city workers.
Aguirre also shared gratitude towards Alexandria’s voters.
“Winning this election is extremely, extremely humbling,” Aguirre said. “This was a difficult cycle, and I’m extremely humbled that the residents of Alexandria have the confidence to put me back in office one more time.”
According to Aguirre, the top city issues remain the same, but his strategies for how to approach them may change.
“I am excited to go back and tackle some of the same issues that we've been dealing with, like equity, transportation and infrastructure,” Aguirre said. “But at the same time, if there's anything that we need to take a different approach on, I am totally open to it.”
On election day, voters said that their decisions were rooted in issues like housing, quality of life and global warming. Pushing her newborn daughter, who was decking a “future voter” sticker, in a stroller at the Mount Vernon precinct, resident Sarah Wagner said her daughter “had a lot to do with” how she voted — fully Democratic.
“My key issues are climate things,” Wagner said, while her husband Alex Wagner nodded in agreement. “But also, just everything on the ballot.”
Wagner said that opposition from the Republican and independent candidates toward Zoning for Housing, which lifted restrictions on where multi-family homes can be built, also swayed her vote.
“I am definitely pro-having zoning that allows for more housing,” she said. “Washington D.C. is a growing city, and Alexandria, which is basically a suburb of D.C., needs to help by providing more housing.”
Outside of the Beth El precinct, resident Charles Grace said he was on the opposite side of the spectrum.
“They have their agenda,” Grace said, exhibiting frustration towards Democrats on the City Council. “They believe that we should set aside automobiles to ride the bus or ride bicycles. Zoning for Housing wouldn’t be appropriate for a neighborhood like this.”
But ultimately, voters across Alexandria approved of the Democratic vision for the city.
“This is very exciting,” said Sandy Marks, who leads the Alexandria Democratic Committee. “I watched all of us out there today with kindness and courtesy for one another. … I think that's why we win and that's why we box out our opposition at every turn.”
Theogony Staff Writers Rozalia Finkelstein and Noah Sternberg contributed reporting. This article was published in Theogony, Alexandria City High School’s student newspaper, on Nov. 6.