Democrat Libby T. Garvey won a special election Tuesday to fill the Arlington County Board seat of state Democratic Sen. Barbara Favola, who left the post to serve in the General Assembly.
The win preserves the party’s monopoly on the five-member board.
Ms. Garvey, a longtime county school board member, won 49 percent of the vote, beating Republican Mark D. Kelly, who got 43.5 percent, and Green Party candidate Audrey Clement, who received 7 percent, according to unofficial results.
Mr. Kelly, deputy chief of staff for Rep. Tim Huelskamp, Kansas Republican, unsuccessfully ran against county board member Chris Zimmerman in 2010. Ms. Clement lost in a race last fall against incumbents Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada.
Ms. Garvey will have to run again Nov. 6 if she wishes to keep her seat, and faces a Democratic primary on June 12. Turnout on Tuesday was especially light. About 12 percent of the county’s 122,882 active registered voters cast ballots.
“I think the voters are worn out,” said county Treasurer Frank O’Leary, a longtime observer of local elections.
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David Sherfinski covers politics for The Washington Times. He can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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