McKay Claims Win Over Downing In Fairfax County Chairman Primary Race

Updated at 11:12 p.m.

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Chairman Jeff McKay claimed a win over Lisa Downing in the Board of Supervisors chairman primary election Tuesday, although Downing had not conceded by 11 p.m. Tuesday. The race was not yet called by the Associated Press or Washington Post.

McKay is seeking a second term as chairman and faced Democratic primary challenger Downing, a retired CIA employee. With 261 of 266 precincts and early voting reporting, McKay has 56.51 percent of the vote and Downing has 43.49 percent.

"I want to thank Fairfax County Democrats for choosing me once again as the nominee for Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. On to November!" McKay said on his campaign Facebook page.

The winner of the Democratic primary will go on to the Nov. 7, 2023, election. Arthur Purves, the president of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance, will run as a Republican candidate in the general election.

See live election results for local races at the bottom of this story.

Other Democratic primaries in Fairfax County include Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney and sheriff, Dranesville, Mason, Mount Vernon and Springfield Board of Supervisors districts, and select Virginia House and Senate districts. No Republican primary elections are being held in Fairfax County.

McKay is a Fairfax County native of the Richmond Highway corridor first elected as chairman in 2019. He previously served as supervisor of the Lee District (now Franconia District) from 2008 to his election as chairman. McKay's top issues he identified in his candidate profile are supporting Fairfax County Public Schools, investing in county services, multimodal transportation and public safety, meeting the affordable housing goal of 10,000 new units by 2034, tackling mental health, meeting climate goals, protecting health care access for women, and strengthening the economy.

Downing, a Dunn Loring resident and Temple Rodef Shalom board member, wants voters to have a choice in the Board of Supervisors' top race. Her top issues identified in her candidate profile are fully funding education and public safety, workforce housing, and environmental and equity impacts of policies.

SEE ALSO:

• 2023 Candidate Profile: Jeffrey McKay For Fairfax County Chairman
• 2023 Candidate Profile: Lisa Downing For Fairfax County Chairman

As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Fairfax County Office of Elections reported an estimated 9 percent turnout, with 4.6 percent from early voting and 4.4 percent from polling Unofficial election results will start to come in after polls close at 7 p.m. on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

View unofficial election results for Fairfax County below. Be sure to refresh this page for the latest.