FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, May 11, 2024
Zuraya Tapia-Hadley and Kathleen Clark Emerge as Winners of School Board Endorsement, Move on to November General Election Ballot
ARLINGTON, VA – Today, the Arlington Democrats announced that they are officially endorsing Zuraya Tapia-Hadley and Kathleen Clark for the Arlington County School Board. Throughout late April and May, Arlington Democrats held in-person and online voting opportunities to select two of the four candidates running to fill two vacancies on the School Board. Any registered Arlington voter was able to participate in the committee’s endorsement vote after pledging they are a Democrat and supporting all endorsed candidates in the next General Election.
The May 2024 School Board Endorsement Vote was Arlington Democrats’ first-ever implementation of a commercial online voting platform. Tapia-Hadley won Round 1 of the Democratic School Board Endorsement vote with 44.41% of the overall vote. She received 862 votes. Clark also won in Round 1 with 39.57% of the vote. She received 768 votes. To win outright, a candidate needed to receive more than 33% of the vote, or more than 647 votes to pass the threshold.
“I am so grateful to the voters of Arlington County who supported me and all who came out to vote. I'm particularly grateful for my team and my family as integral to this moment,” said Zuraya Tapia-Hadley. “As an APS parent, I appreciate the significance of this endorsement and look forward to continuing to advocate for students and educators as the centerpiece of our system. I'm thrilled for the opportunity to continue the campaign with fellow Democrats and expand our Democratic base as we work towards a Blue victory this November.”
“Thank you to everyone who volunteered, contributed, showed up, spoke up, voted, and participated,” said Kathleen Clark. “I am honored to be chosen by the Dems after having so many heart to heart conversations with new people, and I will continue to have those conversations so that I can amplify the community's voice on the School Board.”
“Arlington Democrats are thrilled to announce our endorsement of Zuraya Tapia-Hadley and Kathleen Clark for the School Board,” said Arlington Democrats Chair Steve Baker. “We’ll work until November to organize, mobilize, and turn out voters to elect these candidates along with the rest of the Democratic ticket on the November ballot. Democrats will continue standing up to Glenn Youngkin’s culture wars in our schools, and ensure our students have access to a quality education.”
To learn more about the platforms of each of the endorsed candidates, please visit Zuraya Tapia-Hadley’s website at zurayatapia4schoolboard.org and Kathleen Clark’s website at kathleenforarlingtonschoolboard.org.
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