Del. Rip Sullivan has been saying his goodbyes to Arlington for months now, and at the March 1 Arlington County Democratic Committee, said it wasn’t his choice to be departing.
“I’ve been thrown out” of the county, Sullivan said. (Garnering a retort of “finally!” from Del. Alfonso Lopez.)
Sullivan, who since 2014 has represented the 48th House District that is split between portions of McLean and Arlington, found himself after legislative redistricting/renumbering in the new 6th District, which will be centered on McLean and have no Arlington precincts.
But, as he has said before, he won’t be forgetting his former constituents.
“I’ve declared myself an honorary Arlingtonian,” said Sullivan, an attorney who nine years ago won a summertime special election necessitated when Del. Bob Brink joined the McAuliffe administration. He has not faced significant opposition since.
Though Arlington’s rank-and-file Democrats may have been a little leery in 2014 about having someone from Fairfax County represent what had been a seat traditionally filled by Arlingtonians (Brink and, before him, Judy Connally and Mary Marshall), the relationship warmed over time.
“It has been a great pleasure to represent Arlington,” Sullivan said. “Arlington’s values are America’s values – or should be America’s values.”
He noted during the Democratic meeting that while the party was playing defense for much of the 2023 General Assembly session, one place where bipartisan progress was made came in regulating electrical power in the commonwealth.
As part of redistricting, Sullivan was tossed into the new 6th District alongside fellow Democratic incumbent Del. Kathleen Murphy. But, as expected, Murphy announced at the end of the General Assembly’s regular session that she would not be seeking re-election. If no other Democrats file by the April 6 deadline, Sullivan moves on to the general election, where he should have no trouble.
What next? Rumors have circulated that Sullivan would like to take a shot at running for attorney general in 2025. But for now he is focused on re-election; the formal kickoff occurs on March 9 in McLean, an event that will include attendance by Murphy and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine.
In addition to Sullivan, Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker has seen herself redistricted out of the few South Arlington precincts she currently represents.
At the March 1 meeting, Del. Patrick Hope praised Bennett-Parker as being among the most successful first-term delegates he has worked with in Richmond.
