Democrat Rachna Sizemore Heizer has been elected to represent the Braddock District on Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors.
Sizemore Heizer, who represents Braddock on the Fairfax County School Board, has secured nearly 67% of the vote once all precincts began reporting results, leading Republican Ken Balbuena (29.91%) to concede the special election today (Tuesday).
Independent Carey Campbell finished a distant third with 2.85% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
A swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 16, with Sizemore Heizer then officially taking office. She will serve the remainder of the term vacated by James Walkinshaw, who was elected to Congress earlier this year.
Her victory retains the seat for local Democrats, who have held the seat since flipping it away from the Republican Party in 2020.
Sizemore Heizer, who secured an overwhelming victory over three other candidates in October’s party primary, prioritized addressing affordability concerns throughout her campaign.
“We need to diversify our tax base and diversify our economy,” she said at a candidate forum on Oct. 15. “I have a vision and a plan to build our own smart local economy that takes advantage of the businesses we already have here and the strengths of our federal workforce.”
Sizemore Heizer also assured community members that, if elected, she would advocate for the preservation of Lake Accotink, calling it “a treasure to our community.”
“My goal is to preserve the lake as much as possible, because it is a resource,” she said. “One of the things that we need to make sure we do with Lake Accotink — whatever the solutions we propose — is have robust community engagement, because at the end of the day, it’s not my lake, it’s your lake, and we need to make sure your voice is heard in this process.”
Following her election win, Sizemore Heizer will be required to leave her position on the school board — setting up a special election for that seat as well.
Under Virginia law, the remaining school board members will have to petition the Fairfax County Circuit Court to set an election date. The primary process will be determined by local party committees.
Two candidates have already announced that they will campaign for Sizemore Heizer’s seat. Former Terra Centre Elementary School Parent Teachers Association president Tom Dannan and Woodson Orchestra Boosters president Alexa Krezel will both be seeking endorsements from the Democratic Party.
