New Data Reveals Republican-Coordinated Resistance to Reform

FAIRFAX STATION -- Newly available voter data shows that of the approximately 70,000 votes that decided Fairfax County’s open Democratic primary for Commonwealth’s Attorney, 8,000 were cast by likely Republicans hoping to influence its outcome. Composing more than 10% of the votes, this represents a doubling of local Republican involvement in Democratic primaries since 2009.

“It’s gratifying to know that we were successful in securing the Democratic nomination in spite of Republicans placing their finger on the scale. However, although we won our primary, it’s troublesome to see how close conservatives came to blocking our movement for criminal justice reform,” said Steve Descano.

These revelations come on the heels of Fairfax County resident and Trump Attorney General William Barr’s recent attacks last week on “progressive prosecutors” running for local office. Those same comments were parroted by Descano’s Republican opponent Jonathan Fahey the very next day.

Descano continued, “The real take-away here is that Republicans are paying attention, are organizing, and are committed to resisting the progressive reforms that match Fairfax County’s forward-facing values. We now have a full picture of the opposition we’re up against and that’s why, ahead of this critical election on November 5th, we won’t take a single vote for granted — what’s at stake is far too important not to.”

Steve Descano not only has the clear support of Fairfax County’s Democratic party, but also the backing of grassroots, progressive groups such as New Virginia Majority and Casa In Action as well as trusted local leaders like former Governor Terry McAuliffe, state Senators Barbara Favola and Adam Ebbin, and most recently Congressman Don Beyer.

Steve Descano is the Democratic nominee for Fairfax County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney; his plan for criminal justice reform is Progressive Justice. Steve is an Army veteran and former federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice under the Obama Administration.

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