Miranda Turner Wins School Board Endorsement From Arlington Democrats

ARLINGTON, VA — Miranda Turner won the school board endorsement vote held by the Arlington County Democratic Committee over the past week, receiving 1,004 votes, far more than fellow candidate Angelo Cocchiaro, who received 332 votes, Arlington Democrats said Saturday night.

The endorsement vote featured in-person voting hours last Sunday, on Wednesday and on Saturday at Washington-Liberty High School. Voting in the endorsement process ended on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Turner, a lawyer, was a founding member of the Drew PTA in 2019. She was also a founding member of Arlington Parents for Education, an advocacy group that favored a return to in-person education in the fall of 2020, six months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If elected in November, I will have a laser focus on instruction and provide an excellent education for all students,” Turner said in a statement. “I will advocate for measures to help close the achievement gap, address the needs of our diverse student population, and promote policies that support the well-being and academic achievement of all students in APS.”

Cocchiaro offered his "full-throated and unequivocal endorsement" of Turner after the votes were counted on Saturday.

"It is critical that Arlingtonians elect a candidate this November who will uphold, defend, and advance the progress achieved by this School Board, and who will advocate for every student," Cocchiaro said in a statement. "Miranda Turner is that candidate. I look forward to doing all I can to support her campaign, and our full Democratic ticket this summer and fall."

While school board races in Virginia are officially nonpartisan, political parties can endorse candidates in local school board races.

As the endorsed candidate, Turner will be identified as a Democrat on Arlington Democrats' sample ballot for the November general election. The official ballot will not have a party affiliation next to candidates’ names.

Turner also ran in the spring 2021 Democratic school board caucus, losing to Mary Kadera, who went on to win the general election in the fall of 2021.

Also on the November ballot will be James "Vell" Rives, who announced in April that he had qualified for the general election for Arlington School Board.

The winner of the November general election will replace Arlington School Board Chair Reid Goldstein, who decided not to seek re-election.

The voting process in the Arlington Democrats’ endorsement process was open to any registered Arlington voter who signed a form pledging not to campaign against the candidate who won the school board endorsement vote. Voters were also asked to provide their names and addresses.

Earlier this year, Arlington Democrats approved a set of rules governing filing requirements, voting and eligibility. Candidates who participated in the candidate selection process agreed not to run in the general election as independents if they lost.

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