In Virginia, political parties are responsible for determining who will be on the ballot for the June primaries that will subsequently decide which candidate will represent them in the November general election.
That process began wrapping up at April 3 at 5:01 p.m. when the window closed for candidates who seek to be on a primary ballot. Party committees across the state have until April 8 at 5:01 p.m. to submit slates to the Virginia Department of Elections.
The process is complete for statewide officers, setting up a gubernatorial race in the fall between Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. Neither candidate will face a challenger in the June 17, 2025 primary after at least two Republicans failed to qualify.
At the local level, there will once again be a Democratic primary for Charlottesville City Council for the two nominations for the general election.
The two incumbents, Brian Pinkston and Juandiego Wade, announced reelection to a second term in December. The pair is running as a ticket and will face Jen Fleisher in the primary election. Fleisher is a program manager with the Blue Ridge Health District who announced her candidacy on March 17.
This will be the first election in Charlottesville to be decided by ranked choice voting at the ballot box. At least one candidate forum has been scheduled. The Greenbrier Neighborhood Association has invited all three to participate in a virtual forum on May 14.
Albemarle County
There will also be a Democratic primary election on June 17 in the Jack Jouett District race in Albemarle County to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Supervisor Diantha McKeel. Both Sally Duncan and David Shreve have filed paperwork seeking the Democratic nomination.
McKeel faced an opponent in her first election in 2013 but was the sole person on the ballot in 2017 and 2021. So far no Republicans or independent candidates have filed for the Jack Jouett seat.
Samuel Miller District Supervisor Jim Andrews is also retiring after one term. There will not be a primary for this race but so far this is the only contested general election race.
Fred Missel, the current chair of the Planning Commission, announced his candidacy in February. He is the sole Democrat to file for the seat.
A person named Scott Smith has filed to run for the seat as a Republican in the Samuel Miller District. A request for additional information has been sent out.
Andrews was elected as a Democrat in 2021 in an uncontested election. He succeeded fellow Democrat Liz Palmer who defeated Republican candidates in 2013 and 2017.
Supervisor Ned Gallaway is in his second term representing the Rio District seat on the Board of Supervisors and has not yet responded to multiple requests about his electoral future. No new paperwork appears in the Virginia Department of Election database of organization statements.
Gallaway ran unopposed as a Democrat in 2017 and 2021. The last time this seat was contested was in 2013 when Democrat Brad Sheffield defeated Republican incumbent Rodney Thomas. There are no other current candidates.
There is a contested primary for both major political parties for Lieutenant Governor. Three Republicans are vying for the position as are six Democrats according to the Virginia Public Access Project. On May 8, the Albemarle County Republican Committee will host a candidate forum on May 8 at the Hillsdale Conference Center for their side.
Incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares will not face a challenger from within the Republican party. Democrats Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor are vying in the June 17 primary election.
Early voting will begin on May 2 with hours set by each registrar across the Commonwealth. The last day to register to vote in the primary is May 27. The last day to request a ballot be mailed to you is June 6, 2025. All of that information comes from the Virginia Department of Elections website.
Independents also have until June 17 to get on the general election ballot. According to that bulletin, candidates must file:
- A certificate of candidate qualification
- A statement of economic interests
- A declaration of candidacy
- Enough signatures from qualified voters
Other area counties
Let’s turn now to other localities in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.
There will be no party primaries for the three seats open on the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors. According to VPAP, all three incumbents are currently unopposed. They are John Michael Sheridan of the Columbia District, Chris Fairchild of the Cunningham District, and Tony O’Brien of the Rivanna District.
There also do not appear to be any party primaries for the four seats open on the Louisa County Board of Supervisors. According to VPAP, all four incumbents are currently unopposed. They are Rachel Jones of the Green Springs District, Duane Adams of the Mineral District, Tommy Barlow of the Mountain Road District, and Fitzgerald Barnes of the Patrick Henry District.
No primaries in Greene County either with two out of five seats on the ballot. The incumbents are Marie Durrer of the Midway District and Steve Catalano of the Stanardsville District.
There are also three seats on the ballot in Nelson County and VPAP does not list more that one candidate for the Central District and the East District and both are incumbents. That is Democrat Ernie Reed for the Central District and Republican Jesse Rutherford for the East District.
Two candidates are listed in the North District including incumbent Thomas Harvey. Harvey is frequently absent from meetings and a candidate named Cam Lenahan has filed paperwork with the Virginia Department of Elections. Lenahan is running as an independent.
Before you go: This is one of five stories from the April 7, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. If you have any additional information you think is missing, please leave a comment.
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