Both the Republican and Democratic primaries in the 29th District state Senate races were too close to call as of midnight Wednesday.
In the Democratic primary, incumbent state Sen. Jeremy McPike was leading his challenger, Delegate Elizabeth Guzman, by just 46 votes. McPike had garnered 6,204 votes compared to Guzman’s 6,158, according to still unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.
The Republican primary is even closer. In that race, Woodbridge resident Maria Martin was just 10 votes ahead of Nikki Baldwin. Martin had 2,594 votes in her column compared to Baldwin’s 2,584.
At about midnight Tuesday, Guzman’s campaign issued a statement saying she would wait until all the votes are counted before conceding the race.
“Given the narrow margin in a race in which more than 12,000 votes were cast, the campaign of Delegate Elizabeth Guzman will wait for every vote – including provisional ballots and absentee ballots that were postmarked by June 20 – to be counted in the race for Senate District 29,” the statement said.
“Democracy is worth waiting for,” said Guzman campaign adviser Zach Marcus. “We look forward to allowing the process to play out, including the canvassing of the votes and the counting of provisional and outstanding absentee ballots.”
Baldwin said late Tuesday that a canvass of the votes would be conducted at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning at the Prince William Office of Elections.
The process entails checking provisional ballots — those cast by voters who had an issue with their registration or lacked proper identification — to see if they can be “cured” before the vote is certified on Friday.
The district “leans Democratic,” according to the Virginia Public Access Project. The district straddles Stafford and eastern Prince William County and stretches from northern Stafford to Bristow.
During an interview at the First Mount Zion Baptist Church polling place on Tuesday, McPike said he would attribute a win in the race to his “longtime community relationships” and “being an effective legislator and delivering for Prince William.”
Guzman, meanwhile, predicted she would have a strong performance because of her effort to reach voters, many of whom she represented in her 31st District state delegate district. Because of redistricting, Guzman was drawn into the same district as incumbent Del. Luke Torian, who is unopposed in the now 24th District.
“I will reach out to every single corner of my district,” Guzman said in a recent interview with The Prince William Times. “We have had a strong field program where we have knocked over more than 55,000 doors, and that shows that we care about (29th District voters) and we are here to listen to their concerns, and I promise to be their voice in Richmond. I have taken the toughest fights in the House of Delegates, and I will be taking the toughest fights in the State Senate as well.”
Guzman, 50, immigrated from Peru in the 1990s with only $300. As a single mother, she worked three minimum-wage jobs. During this time she also earned her associate’s degree from Northern Virginia Community College.
From there, Guzman earned a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees from American University and the University of Southern California.
Guzman was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2017 from the former 31st District, which included parts of Prince William and Fauquier counties. She defeated eight-term Republican incumbent L. Scott Lingamfelter to flip the district.
Restoring collective bargaining rights for teachers and other public employees was one of Guzman’s key legislative accomplishments. As a result, she was named “Legislator of the Year” in 2020 by the Virginia Education Association.
McPike, 47, was first elected to the Virginia State Senate in 2015 after incumbent Charles Colgan decided not to seek reelection. McPike defeated Republican nominee Harry Parish by 7 points. McPike was reelected in 2019 without opposition.
In his pitch to voters, McPike underscored effectiveness and experience as his greatest strengths.
“This really is about the future of investments in Prince William County and having a leader that has a proven track record and experience in getting things done for our working families and in the state Senate,” said McPike.
McPike was born and raised in Prince William County. He worked in construction to pay his way through college, earning his bachelor’s degree in political science from George Mason University. He went on to receive a master’s degree in public administration also from GMU.
For the last 22 years, McPike has worked for the City of Alexandria, where he is currently the Director of the Department of General Services. He has also volunteered with the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department for the past 20 years, where he is currently an assistant chief.
In the state House, McPike has been a major advocate for mental health services, having lost a brother to suicide. As a legislator, he authored the bill creating Virginia’s 988 suicide and crisis lifeline.
Jill Palermo contributed to this report. Reach the writers at news@fauquier.com
