By Katie Gorka
This week we saw disappointing results in the two special elections in Loudoun County. The Democrat candidates beat their Republican challengers by over 22 points, with fewer than 19% of voters turning out. At the same time, we have even more evidence that our Democrat politicians are failing us. The Fairfax County Democrat-led Board of Supervisors is projecting a budget shortfall of nearly $300 million for 2026, yet they think a COVID memorial is a worthy expenditure. They already increased their own salaries and our real estate appraisal rates, and now they want a meals tax as well. And on Tuesday, our 11th District Congressman, Representative Gerry Connolly, voted against the Laken Riley Act, which would require the detention of undocumented aliens charged with certain crimes. To be clear, Rep. Gerry Connolly believes that aliens who commit a crime by crossing into the country illegally and who then commit another crime once here should be allowed to wander freely in our communities. He clearly does not care about us.
The fact that fewer than 19% of voters turned out for the special election in Loudoun County says the majority of people don’t believe that local elections impact them. Our challenge as Fairfax Republicans is therefore two-fold. To help our fellow citizens understand that voting gives them a voice on the issues that impact their lives every day—their safety, the quality of their schools, and their taxes, and that Democrat policies are failing them. With the Democrats in charge, Fairfax County schools have declined, crime has increased, and our taxes ever only continue to go up.
How can we turn Fairfax County around? The Daily Signal published a good analysis of how Republican Dave McCormick unseated Democrat incumbent Bob Casey in the recent Senate race in Pennsylvania. First, McCormick’s team did a very good job of exposing Casey’s radical policies and his alignment with the failed policies of the Biden/Harris administration. McCormick also communicated well his values and his love for our country. Importantly, with the help of several NGOs and an army of volunteers, thousands of new voters were registered and many more signed up for the permanent absentee list.
This is the task before us. For those of us who love Fairfax County and who love living here, we have a big job to turn it around. The results from Tuesday’s election in Loudoun County suggest that it will not be an easy task, but Dave McCormick’s win in Pennsylvania shows us a path to winning in Fairfax County. We’ll have to work hard and work smart to achieve it, and the Fairfax GOP is committed to doing exactly that.