Democrat Announces Run for 42nd District

Parent activist, PTA mom and retired military officer Joana Garcia will run for the Virginia’s 42nd House of Delegates District seat, according to a news release from the candidate.

Garcia points out that Republican incumbent Del. David Albo has been in the House of Delegates for 20 years, having first been elected in 1993. Garcia is the only Democrat to file for the District, so she will move directly to a General Election contest.

“The Republican majority in the House of Delegates has shown that they are not willing to work for the people of Virginia who are frustrated with the lack of progress on important, key issues,” Garcia said in her statement. “We need fewer politicians and more leaders in Richmond and I know that I can bring solutions and work with fellow legislators to get things done.”

Garcia has been active as a community volunteer, founding and leading a grassroots effort that led to the complete implementation of Full Day Kindergarten throughout Fairfax County. She has also been active in the PTA and her neighborhood homeowner’s association. Joana and her husband, Mike, have been Fairfax residents for nearly a decade and have two boys both attending Fairfax County Public Schools.

Virginia’s 42nd District covers part of West Springfield, Lorton, and Fairfax Station, as well as the Gunston area South of Fort Belvoir. Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe won the district with 51% of the vote and Attorney General Mark Herring by 53%, Garcia’s campaign points out.

Garcia’s campaign describes her as a person raised with deep, working-class values. Her father, who came to America from Mexico seeking opportunity, worked hard as a janitor to give his only child a better life while her mother worked in a factory to help the family make ends meet, the campaign notes.

The campaign also points out that her family at times relied on public assistance that allowed them to get back on their feet, eventually building a small business. “ Hard work and a fair shot” are values of the Democratic Party and the cornerstone of her campaign, the candidate notes.

Garcia is a retired Naval Aviation Maintenance Officer with over 20 years on active duty. During that time she deployed to the Persian Gulf twice leading hundreds of troops coordinating aviation maintenance aboard aircraft carriers, she points out.