A political dictum holds that candidates running for office should be one of two things: unopposed, or scared.
But circumstances have placed Adele McClure middle somewhere in the middle.
McClure goes into next week’s Democratic primary as one of two names on the ballot for the new 2nd District House of Delegates seat. Her opponent, Kevin Saucedo-Broach, dropped out after ballots had been prepared, meaning the primary goes on but voters will be notified that he is no longer running.
McClure was almost assured victory to start with, but still will have to wait out Tuesday’s results.
From then, it’s on to the general election and, most likely, into the General Assembly.
“I continue to knock on doors. It’s extremely important to make contact,” McClure said at the June 13 luncheon meeting of Arlington Senior Democrats. “I’ve got the energy. I’m going to continue to push.”
Like all 40 state Senate and 100 House of Delegates seats, those centered on Arlington were reconfigured and renumbered as part of legislative redistricting after the 2020 federal census. While Arlington previously had included parts or all of the 45th, 47th, 48th and 49th House districts, it now will be home to the 1st (occupied by incumbent Patrick Hope), 3rd (Alfonso Lopez) and 2nd, which has no incumbent and includes Clarendon, Courthouse, Rosslyn and Crystal City, among other areas.
McClure embarked on her bid for office in early 2022, and despite having a political background – she for the last three years has been executive director of the Virginia Black Legislative Caucus – it was a from-the-ground-up experience, she said.
“You just start calling people and, pretty soon, you’re running,” she said.
The House of Delegates currently has a narrow Republican majority. Even if Democrats regain control of the body and hold their narrow majority in the Senate, they will still have a Republican governor to contend with for at least the next two years. McClure, however, suggested she could be effective no matter the political landscape.
“A lot of people already know me down there,” she said. “I’ll be able to hit the ground running. I’m a sponge, trying to learn from others. I don’t know everything – but I know the experts that do.”
On the very, very, very off chance that Saucedo-Broach were to garner more votes despite having formally exited the race, county Democrats will be empowered to select a replacement for the November ballot. At the present time, no Republicans or independents have filed for the seat.
