The following was written by Mena Yousef, a small business owner and a lifelong resident of Fairfax County. He has a deep appreciation for and is committed to the well-being of this vibrant community.

The Democratic party’s implosion on the national stage in recent years has been well-documented—extreme positions, tone-deaf policies, and a refusal to engage with dissenting voices have alienated millions. But while the spotlight shines on Washington, a quieter disaster has been unfolding in Northern Virginia, where local Democrats like Delegate Holly Seibold (D-12) embody the same failures that have eroded trust in the party. Seibold, who represents parts of Fairfax County in Richmond, has become a poster child for the Democrats’ inability to address pressing local concerns—particularly the controversial transgender policies in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)—while pushing divisive agendas that leave constituents frustrated and ignored.

Seibold swept into office in 2023 with promises of affordability, rights protection, and a brighter future for Virginia families. Yet, her tenure has been marked by a troubling disconnect from the real issues plaguing Northern Virginia. Nowhere is this more evident than in Fairfax County’s schools, where Democratic-endorsed leadership has doubled down on radical transgender policies despite growing public backlash. Parents and taxpayers are furious, and Seibold’s silence—or worse, tacit approval—ties her directly to the broader failures of her party.

Take the ongoing U.S. Department of Education investigation into FCPS and four other Northern Virginia school districts, launched in February. The probe targets policies allowing transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identity—policies that critics argue violate Title IX and prioritize ideology over safety. Fairfax County, under its Democrat-dominated school board, has clung to these rules despite incidents like the January case of a registered sex offender, identifying as transgender, allegedly exposing himself in a girls’ locker room at Washington Liberty High School in nearby Arlington. The fallout has spilled into Fairfax, where similar policies remain in place, yet Seibold has offered no meaningful response. Her inaction mirrors the national Democrats’ habit of dodging tough questions on transgender issues, leaving families to fend for themselves.

This isn’t just about bathrooms—it’s about a broader pattern of Democratic overreach in Fairfax County schools. Under Superintendent Michelle Reid and a school board backed by Seibold’s party, FCPS has pushed gender ideology into classrooms at increasingly younger ages, often without parental consent. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration has highlighted public discontent with these moves, but local Democrats like Seibold seem oblivious. Instead of addressing constituents’ concerns, she’s been busy railing against a proposed Tysons casino—a distraction that, while divisive, pales in comparison to the daily realities of parents navigating a school system they feel has been hijacked by extremists. Seibold’s February letter in Patch decrying the casino project reads like a masterclass in missing the forest for the trees, a trait all too familiar to anyone watching the Democratic party flounder nationally.

Then there’s the budget mess. Fairfax County officials recently proposed slashing $60 million in spending, including eliminating high school crossing guards, while raising property taxes—a move that’s sparked outrage among residents already stretched thin. Seibold, a supposed champion of affordability, has been conspicuously quiet as her party’s local allies squeeze taxpayers to fund their priorities. It’s a microcosm of the Democrats’ national failure: promising relief while delivering burdens, all while ignoring the voices of those they claim to represent.

Seibold’s alignment with this agenda isn’t just a personal failing—it’s a symptom of the Democratic Party’s collapse in Northern Virginia. The same extremists who tanked the party’s credibility on transgender rights and cultural issues at the federal level have entrenched themselves in Fairfax County, and Seibold is their willing accomplice. Her refusal to challenge the school board’s radicalism or advocate for pragmatic solutions reflects the same arrogance that cost Democrats dearly in the 2024 elections. Nationally, the party’s obsession with progressive purity has driven away moderates; locally, Seibold’s inaction has left Northern Virginians questioning who’s actually fighting for them.

Voters in Fairfax County aren’t blind. They see the chaos in their schools, the rising taxes, and the unaddressed safety concerns—and they see Seibold doing little about it. Her tenure is a stark reminder that the Democratic party’s failures don’t stop at the Beltway. In Northern Virginia, they’re playing out in real time, with Holly Seibold as a glaring example of a party that’s lost its way—both in Richmond and beyond.

Mena Yousef is a small business owner and a lifelong resident of Fairfax County. He has a deep appreciation for and is committed to the well-being of this vibrant community.