Candidates in next Tuesday’s Democratic presidential primary in Virginia are zeroing in on Northern Virginia, including Falls Church directly, as their campaigns reach a fever pitch this weekend. With 14 “Super Tuesday” primaries around the U.S. Tuesday, the logistics of all the campaigns are being pressed to the max, with plenty of last-minute changes included.
Shortly before press time Wednesday, the campaign of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced a rally at Falls Church’s iconic State Theatre at noon tomorrow, Friday.
This is following what turned into a mass rally for former Mayor Pete Buttigieg in North Arlington last Sunday that drew almost 9,000, nearly identical to the number that showed up for him in Colorado the night before.
The campaign of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders also announced late yesterday that a rally originally scheduled for Loudoun County has been moved to the St. James Sports Complex in Springfield at 4 p.m. this Saturday to, the campaign says, accommodate a larger crowd.
The campaign of former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced yesterday that its candidate will participate in a Northern Virginia rally Saturday morning titled, “Women for Mike Get Out the Vote” at 9 a.m. at a location yet to be determined. Bloomberg’s campaign says it has seven offices open around the state and over 80 staffers on the ground here.
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has her Virginia campaign headquarters on W. Broad in the City of Falls Church, but the News-Press has received no information about public events set for the next few days, although she drew over 4,000 at a rally in the Wakefield High School gym in Arlington on Feb. 13.
Joe Biden announced late Wednesday that he will make a campaign stop in Norfolk Sunday.
According to the City of Falls Church Voter Registrar’s office, all 12 of the candidates who qualified for the Democratic primary ballot here in December will appear on Tuesday’s ballot, although a number have since dropped out of the race.
On the ballot will be Cory Booker, Julian Castro, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson, Michael Bennett, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Tulsi Gabbard, Deval Patrick, Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg.
The Registrar’s Office at City Hall, 300 Park Avenue, will be open through Saturday for in-person absentee voting for the Tuesday primary.
The high-profile endorsement in this region came for Pete Buttigieg last summer from U.S. Rep. Donald S. Beyer, Jr. Beyer, who had been one of the earliest to endorse Barack Obama for president in 2007, hosted a lively event for Buttigieg at his townhouse home in Old Town Alexandria following the 9,000 rally Sunday night. Also present there was State Del. Mark Keam. State Sen. Adam Ebbin has also endorsed Buttigieg as has the Falls Church News-Press.
At the event in Beyer’s home, attended by 120 donors at $1,000 and up, Beyer said that Buttigieg’s brains (“He knows six languages, was a Rhodes scholar and likes James Joyce”), his story of military service, turning around a languishing midwestern town as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and character, remaining calm, even smiling, in the debates and demonstrating “the gifts of a healer.” Beyer said, “He may be the least wealthy and youngest of the candidates, but he’s the richest and most mature.” A guest of Buttigieg was State Del. J.A. Moore of Charleston, South Carolina, where the Democratic primary is scheduled to be held this Saturday.
On Election Day Tuesday, the City’s three voting locations will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
