Despite the fact that Fairfax county is 42% minority, there are very few minorities holding office or running for office in the county. Almost all of the candidates who filed to run by Thursday’s deadline are white and male. [read_more]Two exceptions are Latino Republican John Guevara, running in Sully district for Supervisor, and Sang Yi, a Korean American who is also Republican, running for the House of Delegates against incumbent David Bulova. As we reported earlier, Latino Republican Danny Vargas is running to replace Tom Rust in the 86th district of the House of Delegate.
Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia addressed his concern for the need for minorities in our political parties when he issued a statement of support for John Guevara. Currently only one person of color sits on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Kathy Hudgins, an African American. If John Guevara is elected he would be the first Latino to serve on the board. Chairman Whitbeck is trying to promote more diversity in politics,
When I see candidates that I feel like are the future of the Republican Party, I have to recognize them,”
I do think the Republican Party is not doing minority engagement to the fullest extent possible if it’s not eventually nominating candidates that don’t look like me, a white male,” Whitbeck said. “We really need to have an open enough party where we’re nominating people from all communities.”
More on the lack of diversity among candidates and officials in Fairfax, here.
