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Arlington voters will choose among candidates for three Virginia House of Delegates districts on Nov. 4, 2025, in an election that could shape the commonwealth’s direction on reproductive rights, education funding, housing costs, gun laws and other major issues.
Democrats are seeking to retain their narrow House majority and win the governorship, which would give the party control of the executive branch and both legislative chambers. The state Senate, already held by Democrats, is not on the ballot this year. Republicans hope to prevent unified Democratic control, while Libertarian and independent voters can influence the broader political debate.
Arlington’s results also could be viewed as a measure of local sentiment toward federal policies in Washington.
Depending on their address, voters will see one of three delegate contests:
- House District 1: Democrat Patrick A. Hope and Republican William J. “Bill” Moher III
- House District 2: Democrat Adele Y. McClure and Republican Wendy K. Sigley
- House District 3: Democrat Alfonso H. Lopez, who is unopposed
Virginia voters may leave an individual contest blank. Such a choice is recorded as an undervote, including in an uncontested race, and may reflect disapproval, indifference or another reason for declining to select a candidate.
Arlington voters also will decide statewide races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. Local contests include two County Board seats and an at-large School Board seat. Ranked-choice voting will be used for the County Board election.
House District 1
Patrick A. Hope
Hope, a Democrat seeking an eighth term, is a health care attorney with more than 20 years of experience working on Virginia issues. He has represented the 1st District in the General Assembly for 16 years.
He chairs the House Courts of Justice Committee and serves on the Public Safety and Health and Human Services committees. Hope earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, a master’s degree in congressional studies from The Catholic University of America and a law degree from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law.
Hope’s priorities include advancing proposed state constitutional protections for voting, reproductive freedom and same-sex marriage. He also supports expanding background checks for firearm purchases, protecting access to vaccines and revising Arlington’s County Manager Plan.
The changes he proposes for Arlington government would allow the popular election of the County Board chair, expansion of the board and consideration of district-based, at-large or hybrid representation.
Hope identified federal layoffs and contracting cuts, along with reductions in Medicaid eligibility, as major challenges for residents. His proposed response includes raising unemployment benefits by at least $100 per week and allowing recently displaced federal workers to end residential leases without a penalty. He also wants Virginia to assess federal funding losses and consider using its Rainy Day Fund or Revenue Reserve Fund to preserve Medicaid coverage.
On data centers, Hope supports regulations requiring facilities to help generate the energy they consume. He also calls for more investment in renewable power to meet demand sustainably.
Hope says Virginia underfunds public schools by billions of dollars and should revise its Standards of Quality formula to reflect actual costs. His proposals include higher per-pupil funding, recognition of local labor expenses, more support for students with greater needs and state funding for transportation and central-office positions without requiring a local match. He also favors paying teachers above the national average and giving localities such as Arlington more authority to raise money for school construction.
Hope does not consider a casino a viable economic-development strategy for Arlington, arguing that the county already attracts businesses and residents.
“I am proud to have served the commonwealth for 16 years and am running for re-election to continue making positive changes for all Arlingtonians,” he said.
William J. “Bill” Moher III
Moher, the Republican challenger, is a software engineer and entrepreneur who has spent 25 years in business. He joined a Northern Virginia software startup as a consultant in 1997 and trained at Carnegie Mellon University.
A native of North Guilford, Connecticut, Moher has not held public office but has previously been a candidate. He describes himself as an engineer and optimist who looks for creative answers to complex problems instead of relying only on partisan approaches.
Moher said reductions in the federal workforce are reverberating through Arlington’s economy, affecting contractors, small businesses and future investment. He proposes relaxing permitting rules to encourage hiring and using the unemployment program to fund bonuses for employers who bring displaced federal workers onto their payrolls.
Under his plan, bonuses would be forgiven after a former federal employee remains in a full-time position for two months. He also wants the governor to offer tax incentives to participating employers, with full forgiveness for workers retained for two years.
Moher suggests placing data centers in basements of unused residential and commercial properties. He says their heat could warm nearby buildings, following an approach used by the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, while geothermal cooling could help manage summer electricity expenses.
Asked about school funding, Moher focused on facilities for transgender students. He supports a compromise modeled on Loudoun County that would make individual multigender toilets, showers and changing spaces available. He argues that continued conflict over the issue threatens federal funding and produces legal bills that could instead pay for facility renovations.
Moher would oppose a straightforward proposal to build a casino in Arlington but might consider a more detailed plan that protects residents and delivers benefits to small businesses proportionate to the project’s effects.
“The only thing that matters is how effective the tax dollars we raise are at solving the problems we are facing,” he said.
House District 2
Adele Y. McClure
McClure, the Democratic incumbent, previously served as executive director of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and policy director for former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax. She is the first Black person since Reconstruction and the first Asian person to represent Arlington in the General Assembly.
She serves on the House General Laws, Transportation and Public Safety committees. McClure earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011 and was the first person in her family to attend college.
Born in Yuma, Arizona, and raised in Fairfax County and Alexandria, McClure is the daughter of an early-childhood educator and a Filipino immigrant veteran. Now a new mother, she has spoken about experiencing hunger and periods of homelessness during childhood.
Her priorities include affordable housing and child care, reproductive justice, maternal health, education, environmental protection and workers’ rights. She identifies steep housing and child-care costs, as well as federal workforce cuts and shutdowns, as leading pressures on Arlington families.
McClure wants Virginia to shield residents from federal disruptions. Her proposals include an Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program supported by matching contributions from employers and increased funding for the Housing Trust Fund to expand housing supply and financial assistance.
She says data-center growth must be balanced against environmental risks. Facilities should not overburden the power grid or shift unreasonable costs to consumers, she said, and Virginia should pursue economic development without weakening its response to climate change.
McClure also calls for an updated Standards of Quality formula and a broader modernization of school funding. She says the state budget should correct chronic underfunding, pay fully for mandates and distribute money according to student needs.
On casinos, McClure says any project should undergo close scrutiny, provide living-wage jobs and benefit the surrounding community. She plans to consider economic data, public comments and evidence about social and financial effects during the next legislative session.
“I will continue to work with the community to pass meaningful legislation that breaks down barriers, expands human rights, and improves access to critical services for all Virginians,” she said.
Wendy K. Sigley
Sigley, the Republican candidate, is a homemaker and former small-business owner. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a psychology minor from Sacramento State University.
An Arlington resident, Sigley was born in Augsburg, Germany, into a military family and moved frequently while growing up.
Her legislative priorities include incentives for farmers to produce what she describes as purer crops and livestock, with the goal of eliminating food additives permitted by the Food and Drug Administration but banned in other countries. She also wants to expand help for Virginia veterans living below the federal poverty line while maintaining strict budget oversight.
Sigley identifies housing and health care costs as residents’ greatest challenges. She says financial pressures are forcing young couples to delay having children or purchasing starter homes.
Her proposed response includes lowering taxes and urging the Arlington County Board to reduce zoning, permitting and other expenses for builders. She also wants lawmakers to encourage construction of more modest houses ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 square feet.
Sigley says data-center policy should balance employment and tax revenue against environmental and community costs. She supports early consultation with residents, strict efficiency standards and planning that addresses aesthetics, noise, water use and strain on infrastructure.
To tackle unequal school funding, Sigley proposes a detailed comparison of District 2’s funding with that of other communities. She wants to assemble a nonpartisan coalition of affected districts and parent groups, publish a data-based account of disparities and press state lawmakers to change the funding formula.
Sigley opposes a casino as an economic-development tool. She says the long-term risks of gambling addiction, crime and household financial instability could outweigh the revenue, even if some proceeds supported public schools.
“My priorities lie with the men, women and children of Arlington County, District 2,” Sigley said. “Although I am proud to be a conservative leader, I am most committed to serving the socioeconomic and related needs of our community.”
House District 3
Alfonso H. Lopez
Lopez, a Democrat, is unopposed in the district covering parts of Arlington and Alexandria. A seven-term delegate, he was the first Latino Democrat elected to the Virginia General Assembly.
Lopez works as a federal advocate at a public and government relations firm. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and a law degree from Tulane University. He also completed the Political Leaders Program at the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.
His public career includes service as an Obama administration political appointee and a cabinet-level appointee under then-Gov. Tim Kaine. Lopez founded the Virginia Environment and Renewable Energy Caucus and the Virginia Latino Caucus.
He is a senior member of the House Labor and Commerce and Public Safety committees and chairs the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee. He has served as patron, chief co-patron or co-patron of more than 150 measures enacted into law.
Lopez lists the cost of living, threats to democracy, K-12 education, small-business support, immigrant protections, environmental policy and renewable energy among his top concerns.
He says housing costs have been worsened by the broader housing shortage and federal job cuts. Lopez proposes removing supply-chain barriers, expanding the variety and supply of housing, addressing occupational-licensing rules, increasing labor options and making child-care services easier to obtain. He also wants policies aimed at lowering income inequality and home prices.
Lopez says data centers provide economic benefits but consume enormous amounts of power and can create environmental costs. He supports requiring operators to pay the expenses their facilities impose instead of shifting them to residential customers. He also wants the industry to invest in energy efficiency and clean power.
For public schools, Lopez calls for an overhaul of Virginia’s funding formulas. He notes uncertainty surrounding federal pass-through money for programs such as Title I, school meals, special education and Medicaid. Because lower-income localities have less ability to replace lost funds, he says state formulas should account for different student needs from the outset.
Lopez does not oppose casinos categorically. He says a casino should proceed only when requested by the locality and approved by voters in a referendum. He also wants protections for employees, including the right to unionize, and dedicated funding to address problem gambling.