Despite decisive wins by Donald Trump and John McGuire, Charlottesville and Albemarle County overwhelmingly voted blue on November 5. Photo by Eze Amos.
After a turbulent and historic Election Day, most results are in across the commonwealth. From the White House to Town Council, here’s the Virginia Department of Elections’ unofficial results for how locals voted in the 2024 election.
Amid a disappointing night for Democrats, Virginia’s 13 electoral votes went to Vice President Kamala Harris. Voters in Charlottesville and Albemarle leaned heavily blue across the board, with roughly 84 percent and 66 percent of the respective electorates casting their ballots for Harris. Surrounding counties generally leaned toward Donald Trump.
While Harris won Virginia with 52 percent of the vote, she fell short of Biden’s 2020 performance of 54 percent in the commonwealth. Her underperformance in Virginia mirrors the broader results of the election, with Trump sweeping all seven swing states.
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine won reelection to a third term in the U.S. Senate, receiving 54.3 percent to challenger Hung Cao’s 45.5 percent. Support for Kaine was down 2 percent statewide compared to 2018, but the incumbent still had ample support in metro areas, including Charlottesville. Almost 85 percent of Charlottesville voters cast their ballot for Kaine, alongside approximately 66.5 percent of the Albemarle electorate.
Voters in both the 5th and 7th congressional districts have new congressmen, with incumbents in neither district on the ballot November 5.
In the 5th District, Republican up-and-comer John McGuire bested Democrat Gloria Witt by roughly 14 points, winning 56.7 percent of the vote. The result was expected despite Charlottesville and Albemarle both leaning heavily toward Witt. The district spans much of the south central part of the state to the North Carolina border, and heavily favors Republican candidates despite the inclusion of Charlottesville. Incumbent Rep. Bob Good will vacate the seat in January 2025.
A small portion of Albemarle and surrounding counties are in the 7th District, which narrowly chose Eugene Vindman (D) over Derrick Anderson (R). While Vindman received approximately 51.1 percent of the vote, the Albemarle portion of VA-7 leaned heavily Republican this election cycle.
At press time, party control of the House of Representatives was still too close to call.
Looking down-ballot, localities largely stuck with the status quo. In the Rio Magisterial District, Albemarle voters elected appointee Chuck Pace to serve out the remaining year of now-Del. Katrina Callsen’s term on the school board. The seat will be back on the ballot next fall for a regular election.
Orange County had multiple Town Council races this year, with Emily Winkey and Stevean Irving II elected to council in Gordonsville and James Cluff and Delmer Seal Jr. elected to council in the town of Orange.
In Scottsville, the mayoral race was still too close to call at press time, with current Mayor Ron Smith ahead by two votes in the deadlocked race. Results are expected in the coming days, with the statewide deadline for certification on November 15.
Beyond the handful of uncontested elections across the commonwealth, Virginians also found common ground on the constitutional amendment on the ballot. Roughly 93 percent of voters approved for the state constitution to expand a tax exemption to surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty.
Unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections were collected by C-VILLE at 2:30pm on November 11. Exact data may continue to change until results are formally certified.
University of Virginia students gathered on Grounds last week to protest climate change and strategize ways to protect reproductive, LGBTQ+, and workers’ rights. Photo via Dan Addison / UVA Communications.
Looking ahead
In the days after President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory, Charlottesville progressive groups organized to process results, bolster community, and strategize.
For those focused on combating climate change, Trump’s promises to support the fossil fuel industry and pull out of the Paris Agreement have garnered concern. Dozens of University of Virginia students gathered with the Sunrise Movement, a national organization advocating for political action on employment and climate change, in a November 8 walkout. Leaders called Trump’s victory “a massive threat to our generation” in a press release the day before the protest.
Sunrise UVA also joined a wider call among Democrats for the party to rebuild trust with the working class. Exit polls show Trump resonated with larger numbers of voters without a college degree, as well as those concerned about the economy, among other groups.
“The wealth gap in our country is increasing, and working people cannot afford living essentials for themselves and their families,” said Kelsey Levine, Sunrise UVA leader and a UVA graduate student, in an email to C-VILLE. “In this election, the Democratic party moved toward the center when it needed to put forward policies with bold changes.”
Another student group, the UVA chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America organized November 7 to strategize on protecting reproductive rights, the LGBTQ+ population, workers’ rights, and liberation movements across the globe.
In the post-Roe era, the Harris campaign made abortion access a primary issue. It’s unclear what moves Trump, who shifted his abortion policy throughout his campaign, will make on the issue, although he has consistently said abortion rights decisions should fall to the states.
“Now is the time to start building a collective future, because if anyone is going to do it, it has to be us,” YDSA posted in a written statement.
Del. Amy Laufer said the election results were “disappointing,” but “there is still work to do.” Photo by Eze Amos.
This position aligns with releases from both Albemarle County and Charlottesville Democratic committees. Charlottesville Dems hosted a November 8 potluck to “build the bonds that make us strong and resilient,” per an Instagram post. Albemarle Democrats offered three events hosted by Del. Amy Laufer, who represents the 55th District in the House of Delegates.
“The results … were disappointing, but there is still work to do,” Laufer wrote. “Let’s try to gear up for next year’s election cycle, as it is so important to keep Democrats in the House of Delegates and the State Senate.”
Never forget
The University of Virginia will honor Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry on November 13, the second anniversary of the fatal shooting on Grounds, which resulted in their deaths and the injury of two more students. Community members are invited to join in remembrance at the UVA Chapel at 1:55pm, when the chapel bell will ring the first verse of “Amazing Grace,” followed by three chimes.
Change over
University of Virginia Vice Provost for Global Affairs Stephen Mull has begun his work leading the State Department transition between the Biden and Trump administrations. Mull was tapped for the job in late September, regardless of the outcome of the election, and started work on October 28. His assignment is expected to last through January 2025.
Naming rights
Residents have until November 15 to submit preliminary names for this year’s Downtown Mall Christmas tree. The tree will be lit at the Grand Illumination at the Ting Pavilion on December 6. Last year’s Christmas tree was named Spruce Willis, though some fans are campaigning for a return of the Oatmeal dynasty (for those unaware, see: c-ville.com/the-big-picture-4).
Last year’s Downtown Mall Christmas tree was named Spruce Willis. Photo by Stephen Barling.
Albemarle County school board candidates Chuck Pace (left) and Jim Dillenbeck (right). Supplied photos.
It’s election season, and presidential candidates aren’t the only ones vying for your vote. From the federal to the local level, here are some of the other candidates Charlottesville-area voters will see on their ballots.
Federal
In addition to selecting a U.S. senator (see pg. 10), Virginians will elect their next batch of congressional representatives.
Following redistricting in 2022, area residents will vote in either the 5th (Charlottesville, Nelson, Fluvanna, and most of Albemarle) or 7th (Greene, Orange, a portion of northern Albemarle) district races. In the 5th, John McGuire (R) and Gloria Witt (D) are running to replace incumbent Bob Good, who was knocked out of the race in the June Republican primary. With Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s decision to run in the 2025 gubernatorial election, either Derrick Anderson (R) or Eugene Vindman (D) will be elected the next representative of VA-7.
State
Across the commonwealth, voters will also weigh in on an amendment to Virginia’s property tax exemption for veterans and surviving spouses. The proposed amendment would change language in the state constitution from “killed in action” to “died in the line of duty.” Changing the wording would extend the current tax exemption to all surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty, including those killed in action who are already eligible.
Local
Albemarle County
In Albemarle County’s Rio Magisterial District, ballots will be cast in a special election for either Jim Dillenbeck or Chuck Pace to serve the remaining year of now-Del. Katrina Callsen’s term on the board. Pace was appointed to the position by the school board last year, and is seeking formal election to the body.
Scottsville
Albemarle and Fluvanna residents in the Town of Scottsville will cast their ballots in mayoral and Town Council elections. Current Scottsville Mayor Ronald Smith is seeking reelection, with Vice Mayor Edward Payne also tossing his hat in the ring. This year’s election is abnormal as there are three seats open on the Scottsville Town Council, but only one candidate on the ballot—current council member Alex Bessette.
Outside of Scottsville, Fluvanna County has no local races on the ballot this year.
Nelson
In Nelson County, Neely Hull is the sole candidate in the special election for treasurer.
Greene
A special election for treasurer is also on the ballot in Greene County, with Dawn Marshall the lone candidate.
In the Stanardsville District, voters will elect a Board of Supervisors member, with Stephen Catalano the only non-write-in candidate. In Stanardsville proper, there is a special election for a Town Council term expiring at the end of 2026.
Orange
In Gordonsville, residents are voting in several local races, with the mayorship and two seats on Town Council up for grabs. Town Councilor Ron Brooks III is the only candidate for mayor, with current Vice Mayor Emily Winkey, planning commission member Stevean Irving II, and Mary “Cyd” Black running for council.
The Town of Orange also has two Town Council seats on the ballot. Four newcomers are running for the positions: James Cluff, JL “Jeff” Crane, Delmer Seal Jr., and Rita Carroll.
For more information on local elections or to view sample ballots, visit elections.virginia.gov or your respective city or county website.
Candidates Tim Kaine (left) and Hung Cao (right). Supplied photos.
Virginia is one of 33 states with a U.S. Senate seat up for grabs this November. Two-term incumbent Tim Kaine (D) faces a challenge from former navy Captain Hung Cao (R). In the lead-up to Election Day, C-VILLE reached out to both candidates via email.
C-VILLE: What are your top priorities if elected to the Senate?
Tim Kaine: The economy, affordable housing, and health care are issues I hear about all across Virginia.
I’ve proudly helped pass legislation to create good-paying manufacturing jobs, supercharge the green energy sector, and rebuild our infrastructure, but we must do more. Our American Rescue Plan ushered the strongest jobs recovery on record and expanded the child tax credit. … I’m working to bring that tax cut back and make it permanent. To grow our economy, we must also pass a comprehensive immigration reform package to both secure our border and enable companies to hire more skilled workers.
In 2017, I cast a deciding vote to preserve the Affordable Care Act, protecting the health care coverage of 1.3 million Virginians with pre-existing conditions. In 2022, I helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act to slash prescription drug costs. In the aftermath of the Dobbs decision, I have introduced the only bipartisan bill in Congress that would guarantee all women the freedom to make their own reproductive choices.
I have spent my entire career, including 17 years as a fair housing attorney, fighting for fair housing and working to lower housing costs in Virginia. My LIFT [Low-Income First-Time Homebuyers] Act would help first-time, first-generation homebuyers accelerate wealth-building through homeownership. We need to get this passed and signed into law.
Hung Cao: Securing our open border. In fact, everything that’s going wrong in our country right now stems from our wide-open southern border, and Virginians across the commonwealth know it. … Our wide-open southern border is a huge national security threat.
How does your platform align with and support the best interests of Virginians?
TK: My campaign motto is “Standing Up for Virginia” because my entire campaign is entirely about Virginia. … If I continue to have the great honor of serving my commonwealth, I’ll keep building on my work and keep listening to Virginians and what’s on their minds.
I want to continue lowering costs for Virginia families by cutting the cost of child care and slashing taxes for working families.
Communities across the country, but especially northern Virginia, are facing rising housing costs. I introduced the Fair Housing Improvement Act, which would protect veterans and low-income families from housing discrimination, the Low-Income First-Time Homebuyers Act, and am one of the lead sponsors of the bipartisan Housing Supply and Affordability Act. I support an expansion of the low-income housing tax credit, responsible for increasing the supply of affordable rental housing.
HC: We have to make the cost of living, goods, gas, and groceries more affordable. Under Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Tim Kaine’s radical agenda, Americans and Virginians are hurting from the increased cost of goods and prices, making the American dream no longer what it was when my family and I immigrated to this country. But we have to start with securing the border. That’s step one. … We need to put the American people and Virginians first and that begins with closing our border.
How do your policy positions differ from your opponent? How, if at all, do they overlap or intersect?
TK: Unlike my opponent, I trust Virginia women to make their own health care decisions. After the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision, I got to work and introduced the only bipartisan bill in Congress that would codify the core holdings of Roe v. Wade and related Supreme Court cases to protect access to abortion and birth control.
I proudly helped pass legislation that is expanding high-speed internet, rebuilding roads and bridges, rail and public transit, ports and airports all over Virginia. I also worked to pass legislation that is bringing manufacturing back to America and easing supply chain issues. My opponent opposed all of these investments and the good-paying jobs they are bringing, and would vote against the reauthorization of our bipartisan infrastructure law in 2026.
… I believe health care is a right, which is why I’ve introduced a Medicare-X plan that which would give all Virginians access to a plan similar to Medicare. Furthermore, I will always fight to defend Social Security and Medicare and ensure that these programs are sustainable for generations to come.
HC: I am running for U.S. Senate to save the country that saved my life. I spent 25 years in Navy Special Operations with combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, while Tim Kaine spent 30 years in elected office. … In the U.S. Senate, I will always put Virginia first and protect the commonwealth.
If elected to the Senate, will you certify election results regardless of party outcome if the election is deemed free and fair?
TK: Of course!
HC: Yes.
What, if any, concerns do you have with your opponent, his campaign, or his platform?
TK: My opponent has insulted and talked down to the Virginians that he hopes to represent in the U.S. Senate. … He has also continued to insult Virginians by failing to show up for them, when he skipped 12 of 13 candidate forums in his Republican primary election. My favorite part of my job is traveling and meeting Virginians in every corner of the commonwealth. If someone won’t show up for you, they won’t stand up for you.
HC: After 25 years serving our country in the Navy, I’ve been all over the world. I’ve seen communism first-hand and know what it’s like to lose your country. We’re losing ours today and trust me, there’s nowhere else to go. I’ve spent my life trying to repay my debt to America, and I’m not done fighting for us. Tim Kaine is a weak man in a dangerous world and along with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, he is destroying Virginia’s way of life.
Democratic candidate Gloria Witt grew up in Amherst County, which is located in Virginia’s 5th District. Supplied photo.
Voters in Virginia’s 5th District will choose a new congressional representative come November 5, with Democrat Gloria Witt and Republican John McGuire vying for the seat. Ahead of Election Day, C-VILLE reached out to both candidates to learn more about their local and national priorities.
C-VILLE: What are your top priorities if elected to Congress?
Gloria Witt: My top priorities are rooted in making sure that the people of the 5th District have opportunities to thrive. This includes ensuring access to quality health care, protecting Social Security and Medicare, addressing the affordable housing crisis, and expanding economic opportunities through job creation and workforce development. I also prioritize preserving democracy by protecting voting rights and accepting the outcomes of our elections.
On the national level, I am focused on safeguarding democracy, addressing income inequality, and expanding access to health care and affordable child care. I want to restore reproductive rights, strengthen mental health care, and ensure our veterans get the support they deserve.
Locally, I want to focus on revitalizing our small towns and rural communities by addressing the housing shortage, supporting farmers, and increasing infrastructure investments, especially in broadband access. Public education is a top priority. I will push for vastly expanded career and technical education programs.
How does your platform align with and support the best interests of constituents in the 5th District?
GW: My platform is based on the everyday needs of families, workers, and small-business owners in the 5th District. We need practical solutions for affordable health care, better-paying jobs, and ensuring our children receive the education and skills they need. We are failing our youth; they have to leave or they are stuck making a starvation wage. My goal is to lead the charge to make sure that our career and technical programs are producing enough workers for existing business and attracting new businesses with a skilled workforce.
How do your policy positions differ from your opponent?
GW: My opponent and I have very different visions for the future of this district. I believe in expanding access to health care, investing in public education, and making sure working families have the support they need. In contrast, my opponent supports policies that roll back social programs like Medicare and Social Security. I also support a woman’s right to choose, while my opponent wants to restrict reproductive rights. Fundamentally, I believe in building a fairer, more free, inclusive future, while my opponent is focused on policies that benefit the wealthy and big corporations and restrict individual freedoms. I also accept that Trump lost the 2020 election.
How, if at all, do they overlap or intersect?
GW: We may overlap in wanting to create more jobs and spur economic growth, but we differ in how to achieve that.
Party control of the House of Representatives is anticipated to be decided by a narrow margin this year. How would Democratic control of the House benefit 5th District constituents?
GW: Democratic control of the House will ensure we continue to make progress on critical issues like health care affordability, protecting Social Security, and addressing income inequality. It also means ensuring that democracy and voting rights are protected from those who want to undermine them. A Democratic House will work toward policies that lift up all Americans, not just the wealthy few.
If elected to Congress, will you certify election results regardless of party outcome if the election is deemed free and fair?
GW: Absolutely. Our democracy is built on the foundation of free and fair elections. It’s critical that all elected officials respect the will of the voters. … Refusing to do so threatens the very fabric of our democracy.
What, if any, concerns do you have with your opponent, his campaign, or his platform?
GW: My main concern with my opponent is his alignment with far-right extremists who undermine our democratic values. He has shown a willingness to support dangerous conspiracy theories, and that worries me greatly. He has also supported policies that strip people of their health care and phases out Social Security. … His opposition to common-sense gun reform and his stance on reproductive rights are extreme.
Why should Virginians choose you to represent the 5th District?
GW: Virginians should choose me because I’m focused on real solutions that put people first. I grew up on a small farm carrying water and canning food, I know this district, and I’ve lived the challenges many of us face. I’m committed to creating a future where every family has access to health care, where seniors don’t have to worry about their Social Security, and where our children receive the education and skills they need to succeed. I’ll fight for everyone, not just the wealthy or well-connected, and I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work.
As of press time, John McGuire had not responded to any of C-VILLE’s requests for comment. This interview has been edited for length.
Tania Israel (left) and Miles Coleman (right) acknowledge the expansion of political polarization. Supplied photos.
With Election Day less than a month away, political tension and stress abound both locally and nationally. Polarization is definitely a contributing factor to the anxiety, but two experts with Charlottesville ties say we may not be as divided as we think.
Now a faculty member at the University of California Santa Barbara, Tania Israel credits growing up in Charlottesville for shaping her work to bridge the political divide.
“I got into this work in Charlottesville,” she says. After organizing a discussion of pro-choice and pro-life locals in the ’90s, Israel was inspired to continue exploring ideological divides. “It didn’t change anything about how I felt about reproductive rights, but it changed so much about how I felt about people who disagreed with me.”
Rather than taking the political science approach, Israel’s examination of polarization draws on her expertise as a doctor of counseling psychology. Her last two books, Beyond Your Bubble and Facing the Fracture (published this August), have focused on understanding and approaching political polarization.
In her work, Israel has found that “we are not nearly as divided as we think we are, our views are not as far apart as we imagine them to be,” but affective polarization remains a critical issue for American democracy and interpersonal relationships.
Diversity of opinion is an important element in maintaining a healthy democracy, but increasing affective polarization—a positive association with one’s own political party and negative feelings toward the opposing party—diminishes the ability for productive dialogue and solution-making.
In a 2022 study, the PEW Research Center found “increasingly, Republicans and Democrats view not just the opposing party but also the people in that party in a negative light. Growing shares in each party now describe those in the other party as more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent than other Americans.” Further, the amount of respondents holding a negative opinion of both major parties has sharply risen, sitting at 27 percent at the time of the survey.
Miles Coleman, an associate editor for Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, has also noted an increase in both partisan and affective polarization.
“There used to be … more people willing to entertain either side, give their votes to either side. That is not as much a thing anymore,” he says. “Coalitions are more firm now, there are fewer moderate to conservative Democrats or liberal Republicans, so you tend to have more people being … locked into either side.”
Split-ticket, swing, and undecided voters still exist, but misunderstandings around these voters and their positionality is rampant, according to Coleman.
“You do have some voters in the middle who are still willing to vote for either side, but that segment, I feel, is increasingly a smaller and smaller segment of the electorate,” he says. Rather than a moderate portion of the constituency evenly positioned between Democratic and Republican political platforms, numerous swing voters have varying policy positions that contrastingly align with either party.
Conversely, the key undecided group to watch this election cycle is the “double haters,” says Coleman. “These are voters who have unfavorable views of both Harris and Trump. … Those voters who maybe don’t like the high prices, the inflation that we see under Biden, but might not want to go back to the days of Donald Trump.”
Coleman attributes some of the current political climate to media ecosystems. “I blame a lot of this on asocial social media,” he says. “It’s increasingly easy for one side to get kind of their own media ecosystem, their own facts. Both sides, really, to some extent, aren’t even on the same page.”
In her work to bridge this political chasm, Israel has also argued that media and tribal politics have exaggerated and exacerbated polarization.
By design, media are created to attract and maintain engagement, frequently employing tactics to amp up consumer emotions to increase and keep interest. Social media in particular relies and thrives on algorithms, which feed users curated content based on prior activity. Consumers receive and interact with content that incites either strong positive or negative feelings, resulting in ideological “bubbles” of media echoing existing beliefs and combative presentations of opposing viewpoints.
“It’s really hard for us to even think about or want to approach people who have different views, if we have skewed perceptions about who they are,” Israel says. “Study after study for decades has shown that we exaggerate the other side’s views, thinking that they are more extreme than they are, thinking that they are hostile.”
For many Americans, having a political conversation with family and friends across the aisle can be a daunting inevitability, but there are ways to have a civil and meaningful dialogue, according to Israel.
“One of the main reasons people tell me they’re interested in having a conversation with someone who is on the other side of the political divide is because they have somebody who they’re close to, a family member or a friend who they want to stay connected with or repair a relationship with, but it’s really challenging because of the different views,” she says. “Approach with the intention to create a warm and caring connection, where your goal is to understand the other person.”
Through her work, Israel has found listening and trying to understand someone’s perspective to be a key step in holding a productive conversation.
“We think that what we should do is lay out all of the facts and figures and arguments to show the other person that we are right and that they are wrong. It turns out people don’t respond very well to that,” she says. “If we’re listening with the intention to understand, rather than the intention to respond … if we can share our stories … how we came to care about an issue, or if there was somebody or something that shifted our view about it, that’s a much more effective way to share our perspective.”
After speaking with UVA law students, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff
attended a fundraiser hosted by John
and Renee Grisham.
File photo.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff made a campaign stop in Charlottesville on September 25, speaking to a crowd of more than 200 University of Virginia law school students at the Kimpton Forum Hotel.
“It’s good to be talking to law students again,” said Emhoff, who is a practicing attorney and instructor at Georgetown Law. “I’m not teaching this semester because I’m spending full time campaigning so my wife can be the next president of the United States.”
Emhoff was met with raucous applause from attendees who’d gathered for a voter protection training organized by the UVA Law Democrats. Voter disenfranchisement is a chief focus for the Harris-Walz campaign amid increasing barriers instituted by Republican leaders under the guise of election integrity.
“As a practicing lawyer for over 30 years, I cannot tell you how important it is for what our profession does to protect democracy,” said Emhoff. “We are literally on the front lines protecting the rest of our fellow citizens from what could happen when the rule of law is ignored, abused, and taken advantage of, and that’s why lawyers have to be vigilant and prepared and ready for anything during this election season.”
Beyond preparing for the legal challenges anticipated post-election, UVA Law Democrats are also rallying behind voter protection and efforts to get out the vote.
The Virginia Democratic and Republican parties are both running major poll-watching campaigns for the November General Election. While similar in theory, the impetus and rhetoric around the volunteer drives diverges.
On the Republican side, state and national leaders are calling for poll watchers to protect election integrity and continue to peddle the claim that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from former president Donald Trump. The Virginia Democratic Party has also committed to election integrity, but does not deny the outcome of the last presidential election. The VDP Voter Protection Team, which includes poll watchers and phonebankers, emphasizes the importance of ensuring that voters are able to exercise their legal right to vote and combat misinformation and disinformation around the election.
“We’re going to continue to have these voter protection and election events through November 4 … and we’re going to be getting out the vote,” says Kirk Wolff, a second-year law student and vice president of UVA Law Democrats.
The student organization—which relaunched five weeks prior to the event with Emhoff—has rapidly rallied support on Grounds. According to Wolff and Law Democrats President Miles Cooper, more than 230 students have joined the group and there was a lengthy waitlist for the September 25 event.
“We [Cooper and Wolff] have a lot of close friends who are Republicans, and we saw that they were organizing Law Republicans, and we just couldn’t believe that there was nothing happening on Grounds for Democrats,” says Cooper.
While Cooper is excited by the energy around Law Democrats and the Harris-Walz campaign, he also hopes to rally more energy for 5th District congressional candidate Gloria Witt in the weeks leading up to the election.
“I think there’s a really, really great chance to send Witt to the House,” he says. “You can make a huge difference here. … If [Harris and Walz] don’t have the House and the Senate, it will impede their ability to execute the New Way Forward agenda. … It’s a team effort. That’s the way our founders envisioned it, and so we have to make sure that we send a really good team.”
Candidates Chuck Pace and Jim Dillenbeck. Supplied photos.
It’s election season, but the presidential and congressional races aren’t the only contests on the ballot November 5. Albemarle County is holding a special election for now-Delegate Katrina Callsen’s remaining year as the Rio District’s school board representative.
The district, which spans from just north of the city into Earlysville, includes Agnor, Broadus Wood, and Woodbrook elementaries, Lakeside Middle, and Albemarle High School.
The candidates—Chuck Pace and Jim Dillenbeck—are both longtime Charlottesville-area residents with backgrounds in local education, having previously coached football together at Albemarle High School in the ’90s. Pace and Dillenbeck find common ground in their desire to increase support for teachers and improve student outcomes, but differ on other issues.
Appointed to the seat last December, Pace says he has “a pretty positive outlook on the schools right now. When I go into them, I do see pretty cool stuff going on, really, and that doesn’t matter if it’s elementary school or middle school or high school.”
“No question that we have things that we’re struggling with,” he adds. “That’s always true.”
Academic achievement, attendance, and behavior have emerged as challenges—locally and nationwide—since returning to in-person instruction following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve seen deficits, kids who are just coming to the next grade level, but not knowing what they would expect them to at that grade level,” says Pace. “They have created pacing guides for our teachers … tests that are given quarterly to help track progress of students—and that’s making a difference. … We have to figure out where the deficits are so we can address them.”
In addition to pacing guides, ACPS is currently working to implement a new reading curriculum. Pace is excited about the materials, but concerned that the rapid implementation required by Gov. Glenn Youngkin is contributing to teacher burnout.
“Once teachers get through the stressful period of mastering the tools … their lives will probably get easier over the long haul,” he says. “I know it’s really stressing some of our teachers out.”
Teacher and staff support is top of mind for Pace, who has worked as an educator and science coordinator for almost three decades. The school board is Pace’s primary job as he was in the midst of a health-related career pause at the time of his appointment.
Dillenbeck is less optimistic about the current state of education in Albemarle County.
“As a former teacher and having raised four kids and seeing them through school … my concern is for the kids in the neighborhood and the kids in our community who don’t have some of the opportunities that we had,” says Dillenbeck, who was inspired to run after a conversation with former school board candidate Meg Bryce last year.
While he’s been out of the education system for more than 25 years, Dillenbeck believes his two-plus decades in business could benefit the board. “In the business world, we talk a lot about measuring success and addressing areas of weakness in business,” he says. “I’m afraid that if we apply the same standard of success or failure to the schools, what we would see is that the schools are failing.”
Dillenbeck, who works as a financial advisor for Northwestern Mutual in Charlottesville, is concerned about low test scores and achievement gaps at several of the elementary schools in the Rio District. Scores at Woodbrook Elementary are consistently below both district and state averages, with significant achievement gaps for Black students, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities.
Katrina Callsen resigned from the Albemarle County School Board last fall to focus on her campaign for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. Supplied photo.
According to data from the Virginia Department of Education, only 46 percent of Woodbrook students passed state English assessments last school year, compared to a pass rate of 75 percent in Albemarle County and 73 percent statewide. The pass rate for state English assessments at Woodbrook has also declined over the last three years, decreasing from 53 percent in the 2021-22 school year to 48 percent in 2022-23.
Beyond academic achievement, Dillenbeck also wants to improve teacher and staff support, school safety, career preparation, and communication between teachers, families, administrators, and the school board. In each of these areas, he supports increasing resources, with particular emphasis on retaining teachers through salary increases and additional support and safety personnel.
“I believe that the teachers … they’re the front line workers, and if they feel supported by the administration and empowered to enforce the rules on behavior, rules on cell phone use, then the school system is going to be operating at a good level,” says Dillenbeck. “We need to have a school resource officer, in my opinion, in every high school and in every middle school in the county.”
Regardless of which candidate wins, the Rio District school board seat will be up for grabs again next fall. More information about the Rio District candidates can be found on their campaign websites.
Counter-protesters, including former Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy, demonstrating on A12.
Photo by Eze Amos.
Since August 11 and 12, 2017, Charlottesville has become a national political talking point. With the seven-year anniversary of A12 just around the corner, discussion of Charlottesville continues to be deployed by both national media and political campaigns, especially in the 2024 presidential election.
“We are living through a battle for the soul of this nation,” wrote President Joe Biden in an op ed for The Atlantic on August 27, 2017. This statement would go on to define Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, which centered on defending democracy by defeating then-President Donald Trump’s bid for reelection.
“Aside from January 6, Charlottesville 2017 may be the most concrete image the Democrats have in illustrating the idea of ‘threats to democracy,’” said Sabato’s Crystal Ball Associate Editor Miles Coleman in a comment via email.
During the June 27, 2024, presidential debate, Biden once again mentioned Charlottesville as his impetus for running and condemned comments made by Trump after A12.
While Trump disputed media interpretations of the comment, he did say there were “very fine people on both sides” but went on to clarify he condemned neo-Nazis and white nationalists “totally” during the infamous August 15, 2017, press conference. He drew comparisons between right-wing extremists and counterprotesters and has more recently called the events of A12 a “peanut” in comparison to “anti-Israel protests” in April.
Biden has since dropped his bid for reelection, but upholding democracy continues to be a central theme for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
The vice president has not directly discussed the events of A12 during her current campaign, but she has emphasized the importance of opposing anti-democratic policies like those proposed in Project 2025—a more than 900-page-long conservative agenda that includes policy proposals that massively increase the powers of the presidency and reduce checks and balances. (Trump has said he does not support Project 2025, but a significant number of officials from his former administration was involved in the creation of the policy plan.)
“At this moment, we face a choice between two visions for our nation: one focused on the future and the other on the past,” shared Harris on X/Twitter on August 2. “With your support, I am fighting for our nation’s future.”
Beyond Harris, the National Democratic Party has made the protection of democracy a major part of its platform and will likely continue to use “Charlottesville” as a shorthand for A12 in the coming months.
“As long as the Republican Party is dominated by Trumpism—which seems likely to be the case until the man literally drops dead, and probably afterwards too—pro-Democratic groups will probably suggest that Trump’s sympathy, or at least his indifference, towards the white supremacists is evidence of a growing illiberal trend within the GOP,” said Coleman.
On the Republican side, discussion of Charlottesville has focused on assertions that Trump’s “both sides” comment was not accurately reported and that left-leaning media have intentionally misrepresented the former president and his allies. A recent op ed shared in The Washington Times highlights how right-leaning media use Charlottesville as an example of media manipulation.a
“Newly minted vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance just had his Charlottesville moment and again the public is getting played,” said Newsmax host Tom Basile in the August 3 article. “We must appreciate [that] those telling us marriage and family don’t really matter are the same ones who told us Donald Trump is Hitler, President Biden was fit to serve, Ms. Harris had nothing to do with the open border, having boys in girls’ locker rooms is just fine, and J.D. Vance is weird.”
President Joe Biden was first elected to public office in 1970. File photo.
In an unprecedented move, President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he is ending his bid for reelection. The president has endorsed his former running mate and current Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination, but much is still up in the air ahead of the Democratic National Convention next month.
Since entering the Senate more than 50 years ago, Biden’s political and personal careers have been defined by his perseverance.
“I thought that his mentality was, ‘Okay. I could get through this just like I got through everything else in the last 50 years,’” says Miles Coleman, associate editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia. “He was obviously talked out of that.”
While doubts about Biden’s candidacy have plagued the entirety of his 2024 bid for reelection, it was the June 27 debate against Donald Trump that likely shifted the Democratic Party’s calculations, according to Coleman.
“You could very plausibly argue that that is the most consequential presidential debate in our history,” he says. “The coalition of voters he had, I would argue, wasn’t as much of a pro-Biden coalition as it was anti-Trump. I think that was part of it. He was thinking, ‘Okay, well, am I the one who can best beat Trump?’ … I think one of the big favors he did was right off the bat he endorsed Harris.”
A recent article from Sabato’s Crystal Ball—published on July 18, three days before Biden’s announcement—details the president’s declining polling numbers and increasingly “grim electoral future for Democrats.”
In the article, Coleman and Crystal Ball managing editor Kyle Kondik assert that increasingly shaky polling around Biden, especially in crucial swing states Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona, makes the gamble of switching to Harris more attractive.
“Harris, to me, is a little untested in terms of being on the national stage and having to actually win votes,” says Coleman. “I’m really not sure if she is going to play in the Midwest, which, in my mind, that’s probably going to be the region that’s going to decide the election.”
Existing polling on Harris shows the vice president slightly outperforming Biden with Democratic core groups, specifically women and minorities. Her numbers are slightly lower with men, but the aforementioned core groups have the real potential to make or break Democrats’ bid for the presidency, according to Coleman.
While another member of the party could mount a rapid campaign against her for the position, the vast majority of the Democratic establishment has quickly gotten behind Harris.
A number of state and local Charlottesville Democrats have expressed their support for Harris and respect for Biden, including Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, state Sen. Creigh Deeds, and Del. Amy Laufer.
“As I have been saying for weeks, President Biden is a patriotic American who has always put the needs of our country ahead of himself. … His decision today reflects the same patriotism that George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt demonstrated when they selflessly put their country above their own political ambitions,” shared Kaine in an official statement shortly after Biden’s announcement. “I’m looking forward to working with my friend Kamala Harris and a great ticket mate to keep Virginia blue so that we can continue to build on our progress.”
Vice President Kamala Harris broke the all-time single-day fundraising record, garnering $81 million for her campaign. File photo.
With Harris now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, the question of her running mate remains. At press time, a formal selection for the Vice President spot on the ticket has not been made, but a few names and trends have emerged.
“Something that we talk about often when it comes to picking the vice president is the idea of balance,” says Coleman. “At this point, I think it would be a big shock if [Harris] doesn’t end up picking another white male to replace Biden.”
Among the most likely contenders for the job are North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. All four are white men with good electoral track records in politically purple states.
Cooper has quickly emerged as a potential frontrunner for the VP pick, having won twice in a state that went for Trump in 2016 and 2020. The governor is also at the end of his eligibility, presently serving his second consecutive term in office, which removes pressure to keep him in his current role to oppose state-level Republican efforts.
Moving to Kentucky, Beshear stands out as a younger contender for the running mate position. The 46-year-old won his bid for reelection to the governorship last year, winning 52.5 percent of the vote against Republican challenger Daniel Cameron.
Beshear also has local ties, having earned his law degree from UVA in 2003.
In Pennsylvania, Shapiro recently came into the national spotlight in the wake of the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump at an outdoor rally. “He won some bipartisan praise about how he handled the assassination attempt on Trump last week, at least how he set the tone for the aftermath of the assassination attempt,” says Coleman.
Republicans and Democrats praised Shapiro for his quick response, intentional and prompt release of information, conversations with state representatives, and call to the family of Corey Comperatore in the aftermath of the assassination attempt. Comperatore was killed in the shooting, sitting in the section immediately behind Trump.
Cooper, Beshear, and Shapiro have all served as state attorney general at some point in their careers, something the three share with Harris. Coleman highlighted that Democrats could potentially use a ticket with two former attorneys general on it to push back against Republican law and order appeals.
Kelly is also a potential contender for the VP spot but a less likely pick compared to the aforementioned governors. While he could help turn out voters given his popularity in his home state, Kelly is also only in his first term as a senator.
Looking more locally, Coleman says it’s unlikely either Virginia senator will be named as Harris’ running mate. “The biggest strike against Kaine (or Warner) is that Youngkin would appoint a replacement,” he says. “A Virginia pick is just a lot less attractive to Democrats this time around compared to 2016.”
Regardless of who ends up as Harris’ running mate, Coleman speculates that the election is still going to be close. “To me at least, in terms of the electoral map, the Democrats are going to have to win those three midwestern states (Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin).”
Though switching to Harris might be a gamble this late in the election cycle, the move and its timing have several potential upsides for Democrats.
“For much of this year, the Trump campaign had been preparing to run against Biden, and now that’s kind of shuffled up,” says Coleman. “Had Biden announced this time last year that he wasn’t running, then this whole last year the Republicans would have turned their fire on Harris. I’m sure they are going to still very much be going after her now, but they only have four months.”
“One of the biggest criticisms of Biden, not just from Republicans, but from Democrats as well, is his age,” says Coleman. “Now the oldest person to ever run in a presidential general election is going to be Donald Trump because he’s older right now than Biden was in 2020.”
Trump’s recently announced running mate J.D. Vance was also selected with a Biden ticket in mind. Rather than choosing a more moderate VP candidate or someone with different potential selling points, Trump “doubled down and went for Vance.”
Looking ahead, the next month will be especially crucial for Democrats. A divided Democratic Party come August would spell disaster, says Coleman, but that seems increasingly unlikely. “At least theoretically, [Harris’] biggest contenders for the nomination would have been people like Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer; they’ve kind of ruled that out,” he says.
“In terms of getting names on ballots … the point of no [return] is going to be more like late August, early September,” says Coleman. “That’s when the first few states start to print their ballots. There are some states, like Virginia, that give people 40 plus days to go vote early.”
Early voting for the November general election starts on September 20, 2024.
