Candi King, of Prince William County, will try to do something her husband twice failed to do — win the 2nd District House seat and go to Richmond to represent Prince William and Stafford counties.
King won a firehouse primary today, besting four other Democrats to win her party’s nomination to run in a January 5 Special Election to replace the outgoing Jennifer Carroll Foy (D), who last week resigned the seat to focus on her 2021 campaign for Virginia Governor.
A spokeswoman for King issued a statement late Sunday.
“Our schools, small businesses and working families are struggling. Our children deserve to be safe and educated, and no family should ever have to make a choice between the two. Our family has balanced work and virtual learning with three children, including one with special needs. As we work to safely re-open schools, teachers deserve more than just thanks and praise. They are experts who need to be a part of the solution with a meaningful seat at the table. That means collective bargaining rights.
“Our working families deserve to have good jobs right here in District 2, and workers that have to commute deserve convenient and affordable transportation options This pandemic has also showcased the need to explore common-sense policies like paid sick leave that make sense for workers and for their employers. This area has been hit hard by the pandemic, but I believe we can emerge better than before, with no one left behind.
“I don’t have any illusions that this will be easy, or that there won’t be obstacles in my way. But I’ve never been afraid of hard work, and I pledge to fight for the people of this district every day. I live here, my children go to school here, and my husband commutes to Fairfax to protect and serve as a Deputy Sheriff. I know this is a community worth fighting for.
She’ll face Heather Mitchell, a Republican of Stafford County, who ran for the House of Delegates seat in 2019 and lost to Carroll Foy. Mitchell today issued a statement.
“I am honored to be the GOP nominee. I know these are trying times for all of us, and I promise that if elected I will do everything that I can to serve the people of the 2nd House District. The Democrats in Richmond have turned their back on frontline workers, our heroes in blue and have made our communities less safe by releasing violent felons and sexual predators back into our communities. I will always be there for the community, and I will have no greater priority than the health and safety of our police and frontline heroes, small businesses, teachers and essential workers. It’s time to bring sanity back to Richmond.”
PLN was first to report Mitchell would make a second run at the seat. Before her current marriage, Heather worked three jobs as a single mother to provide a better quality of life for her young daughter. Mitchell worked as the senior aide to former Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman At-large Corey Stewart during his final year.
Carroll Foy won the seat in 2019 by 22 points in a year that saw resounding statewide wins for Democrats. Mitchell says things have changed since then, as residents grow tired of mounting coronavirus restrictions from Gov. Ralph Northam (D), and parents grow angrier that their children have been prevented from going to a public school for in-person learning.
King’s husband, Josh, first ran for the 2nd House District seat in 2015 and lost to Mark Dudenhefer, who now sits on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. King ran again for the seat in 2017 but lost to Carroll Foy in a Primary Election, in which he demanded a recount.
Most recently, in 2019, King, a Fairfax County sheriff’s deputy, ran for Prince Willaim County Sheriff and lost to incumbent Glen Hill, despite a $50,000 donation from Democrat mega-donor George Soros.
You can click here to find out if you live in the 2nd House District and to see the names of your state legislators. The majority of the district lies in Stafford County, while a sliver of the district in the Woodbridge section of Prince William County, east of Route 1.
The 2nd District was relocated from Southwest Virginia to Northern Virginia as part of the 2010 redistricting process, as the population in Northern Virginia grew. The seat has changed hands and parties multiple times and was first held by Mark Dudenehfer (R), of Stafford, who now sits on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors.
In 2013, Micheal Futrell (D) of Woodbridge was elected to serve one term. Dudenehfer retook the seat and served another term, and opted not to seek reelection to the post. Carroll Foy won the seat in 2017.
