This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
Republican Heather Mitchell announced her candidacy Thursday to run in January’s special election for the 2nd District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.
The seat is being vacated by Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, who announced Tuesday she is resigning to focus on her run for the Democratic nomination for governor.
Carroll Foy, first elected to the House in 2017, defeated Mitchell for the seat in 2019 with 61% of the vote to Mitchell’s 39%. The 2nd District consists of portions of eastern Prince William County and northern Stafford County.
Mitchell, who lives in Stafford, is the spouse of an active duty prior-enlisted Marine Corps officer and has three children. She previously worked as an aide to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors chairman.
“I once was a single mom who held three jobs, so I understand the radical uncertainty – and difficult trade-offs – COVID-19 has brought upon families and our community,” Mitchell said in a news release. “Yet instead of committing themselves to the fight against this unprecedented global health crisis, Democrats in Richmond have turned their backs against our frontline workers, our heroes in blue, by working to defund our police.”
Two Democratic candidates have announced plans to run for the seat: Woodbridge resident Pamela Montgomery and Dumfries resident Candi King.
The parties are expected to select their nominees this weekend, as the slate of candidates will be finalized Monday. The special election will be Jan. 5 so the winner can be seated for the 2021 session of the General Assembly, which begins Jan. 13.
The winner will have to run for re-election in the fall to a full two-year term, although the boundaries of the district may change if a statewide redistricting plan is adopted in the meantime.
