Adam Ebbin Gay Candidate Wins Virginia Senate Primary

By Phil Reese    Washington Blade

Expected to be the biggest hurdle on the way to the Virginia Senate, gay member of the House of Delegates, Adam Ebbin, 

defeated both of his primary opponents in Tuesday’s primary in the heavily Democratic 30th district.

Ebbin said he can be more effective in the Senate than in the lower chamber.

“I think that I can do a great job, and be even more effective,” he explained about making the jump to the Senate. “There’s an opportunity to be in an even smaller body — hopefully in the majority — and I think I’ll get more legislation passed, more done.”

Ebbin has represented the 49th District in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2004, and has been a progressive voice in state politics during his time in office. Ebbin has received numerous endorsements recently including from Equality Virginia, Virginia Partisans Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and the Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Associations.

Ebbin, Arlington School Board member Libby Garvey and Alexandria City Council member, Rob Krupicka were vying for the seat being vacated by 16-year incumbent Patsy Ticer. The race was unusually expensive for a primary with the three candidates raising well over $500,000.

A 5.8-measured earthquake earlier Tuesday forced some polling locations in Virginia to move voting outside, and several more were closed briefly as polling workers left the buildings for safety. According to State Board of Election officials, the longest such delay was 30 minutes. The State Board, however, chose to keep all polling locations open and to maintain regular voting hours and chose not to postpone primaries, nor extend voting times.

Some Virginia precinct captains in the 30th, used to relying on cellular phones, reported having to locate a landline to make calls out related to the election as cellular service in most of the Washington D.C. area was temporarily disrupted due to system overload following the earthquake.

According to the Del Ray Patch blog site, the polling location in the Alexandria City Hall was closed and relocated to Tavern Square.

Ebbin’s top legislative priorities in the Senate will make his progressive constituents very happy, saying, “renewable energy, transit, and non-discrimination in state hiring would be among the first.”