At Last: A Republican Win

Congratulations are in order.

Yesterday, Republican Frank Fannon IV won a city council seat in Alexandria, Virginia. Alicia Hughes, an independent candidate supported by the local GOP, won a seat as well on the six member council. Together, these two span>have broken the Democrats' stranglehold on the city.<

In November, 72% of Alexandrians supported Barack Obama. For the city council election, the underdog Republicans ran with a simple message. One-party rule hurts the city, as is evident by the failure to reign in spending and determination to again raise property taxes. With good candidates to communicate the message, and Republican Chairman Chris Marston’s aggressive strategy of reminding Republican voters to span>vote only for the GOP supported candidates< (each voter can cast a ballot for six candidates and the top six vote-getters are elected), the Republicans were able to make important inroads in a deeply blue part of the country.

While it might not garner the national interest of New York’s special congressional election, these victories are important in their own right for the GOP. They show the importance of playing everywhere and of sound candidate development. The GOP is energized by this election and the Democrats demoralized. Yesterday's victories will have a positive downstream effect for the GOP in Alexandria and throughout Northern Virginia. They will energize Republicans, provide a platform for articulating fiscally conservative governing ideas, increase participation and fundraising, and provide a necessary launching pad for the redevelopment of the GOP in Northern Virginia.

All in all, not a bad day.