Karen Keys-Gamarra Officially Announces Candidacy In District 7 Race

RESTON, VA — Karen Keys-Gamarra made it official on Wednesday. She is running for the open House of Delegates seat in District 7.

Patch originally reported on March 1 that Keys-Gamarra had filed to be the fifth candidate looking to fill the seat vacated by Ken Plum, who has represented Reston in the House of Delegates for 44 years.

Keys-Gamarra will face fellow candidates Mary Barthelson, Paul Berry, Shyamali Roy Hauth, and John Farrell in the June 20 Democratic Party primary. No Republican has announced their candidacy in District 7.

Patch broke the news on Feb. 22 that Plum, who has been Reston's delegate for a total of 44 years, was not seeking re-election in November.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Patch received the following statement from Keys-Gamarra about her decision to run for the open house seat:

"I want to thank Delegate Plum for his leadership and service to our community. He's always stood up for our shared Democratic values, and I plan to honor his legacy in the General Assembly. I am grateful for the opportunity to represent families in HD-7 in a new capacity.

"In the House of Delegates, I will advocate for a world-class public education system that attracts business and builds a thriving economy for all. I will use my leadership skills and strong voice to champion our reproductive rights, climate change issues, affordable housing, gun safety, DEI policies, LBGTQIA+ rights, workforce development, justice system reform, and transportation concerns.

"I have first-hand experience defending against Governor Youngkin and his team's assault our public schools. Republicans want to censor books, rewrite history, ban AP African American Studies, marginalize students and parents, and defund our public schools. Now, more than ever, we need a leader who has been in the trenches, on the front lines protecting our students, families, and community. As your next Delegate, I will fight to stop their extreme agenda.

"I want to put my collective experiences as a lawyer, former planning commissioner, and local elected official and my dedication to public service to work in the General Assembly. I will be ready on Day One to fight for our families."

An Oakton resident, Keys-Gamarra has been a Fairfax County school board member since August 2017 and received the most votes for re-election to the school board in 2019, according to her campaign release.

In addition to being a mother of three graduates of Fairfax County Public Schools, Keys-Gamarra is an attorney and has served as a court-appointed guardian.