Our 2023 Elections
Democrats Fared Generally Well in Our 2023 Elections
The outcome of the 2023 General Election was largely positive for Democrats, both locally and across Virginia: All four Democratic incumbents running in Manassas and Manassas Park were re-elected, while Democrats statewide captured both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate, albeit only with the narrowest of one-seat majorities.
In neighboring Prince William County, Democrats won all three state senate seats, six of seven state delegate seats (former Manassas Councilman Ian Lovejoy, who has moved to Bristow, will be the only local GOP delegate, representing HD-22) , and retained their 5-3 majority on the Board of County Supervisors.
Delegate Danica Roem (currently representing HD-13, which includes Manassas Park) defeated her Republican opponent, former police detective Bill Woolf, for the new Senate District 30 seat with 51.76% of the overall vote and a margin of 2259 votes. Danica captured 54.80% of the votes in the City of Manassas, 60.48% of the votes in Manassas Park, and 50.50% of the votes in her 30 Prince William County precincts (a margin of only 591 votes, after winning 18 precincts). District-wide, Danica actually lost the Election Day vote by 593 votes, but she won the in-person Early Votes by 190 votes, Provisional Ballots by 107 votes, and the Mailed Absentee ballots by a decisive 2555 votes (67%-33%)!
Similarly, Delegate Michelle Maldonado (currently representing HD-50, which includes the City of Manassas) defeated her Republican challenger, Sharon Ashurst, for the new House District 20 seat with 56.60% of the overall vote. Michelle captured 56.13% of the votes in the City of Manassas, 61.86% of the votes in Manassas Park, and 53.67% of the votes in her five Prince William County precincts. While Michelle won the total vote in every precinct and also won the Election Day vote district-wide, she actually lost the Election Day vote in the Round, Metz, Haydon, and Parkside Precincts by a total of 116 votes. However, Michelle won the Mailed Absentee ballots decisively by 1038 votes (72%-28%).
Clerk of the Court Jacqueline Smith, a Democratic incumbent without a Republican challenger, defeated independent candidate Hina Ansari with 79.08% of the vote. In doing so, Jackie captured 78.35% of the votes in the City of Manassas, 72.89% of the votes in Manassas Park, and 79.23 % of the votes in Prince William County.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth, another Democratic incumbent, defeated her Republican challenger, Matt Lowery, with 53.62% of the overall vote. Amy captured 53.33% of the City of Manassas votes, 57.90% of the Manassas Park votes, and 53.53% of the Prince William County votes. Amy narrowly lost the overall vote in the Round precinct by 9 votes but won the overall vote in every other precinct in the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Regrettably, Democrat Josh King lost his second attempt in four years to unseat our long-time Republican Sheriff, Glen Hill, 46.47% to 53.20%. Similar to the their previous match-up in 2019, Josh under performed in the City of Manassas with only 40.27% of the votes and also in Manassas Park with only 44.08% of the votes, compared to Prince William County with 47.03% of the votes. In our two cities combined, Josh received 2245 fewer votes than Michelle Maldonado did, showing that many of our voters split their ticket between the two major political parties.
As a result of redistricting in December 2021, the election ballots for the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park were nearly identical for the first time in many years. The only significant difference was that the Manassas Park ballot included a special voter referendum on “pari-mutuel wagering”. Manassas Park voters soundly defeated that referendum, 58.82% to 41.18%.
The importance of motivating Democratic voters to turn out in our “off-off-year” elections and of chasing mailed absentee ballots are both evident from these election results. According to the Virginia Department of Elections, the turnout of registered voters was only 40.89% in the City of Manassas, 36.33% in Manassas Park, and 43.27% in Prince William County (which additionally held elections for all County supervisor and school board seats).
Visit the Virginia Department of Elections website to view the complete 2023 General Election results for the City of Manassas, for the City of Manassas Park, for Prince William County, and for every locality and contest within Virginia.
Support Our Democratic Nominees for Manassas & Manassas Park in the November 7, 2023 General Election
Danica Roem for State Senate (SD-30). Virginia state Delegate Danica Roem (D-13th) is a lifelong resident of the Manassas part of Prince William County and the Democratic nominee for the 30th District of the Virginia state Senate, which includes western Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
As a third-term member of the House of Delegates, Danica currently represents the City of Manassas Park and parts of Haymarket, Gainesville and Manassas, Since 2018, 41 of her House Bills have been signed into law—all with bipartisan support, including 12 bills to feed hungry kids.
In 2023, Danica led the successful effort to secure $24.47 million to fund the implementation of her Route 28 STARS Study to fix Route 28 in Manassas Park and Yorkshire, with innovative intersection designs, a raised median, and 1.75 miles of contiguous sidewalk.
Before becoming the first out-and-seated transgender state legislator in American history, following her 2017 election, Danica earned a B.A. in journalism/mass communications from St. Bonaventure University in 2006 and then worked as the lead reporter of the Gainesville Times/Prince William Times from 2006-2015 and as news editor of the Montgomery County Sentinel from 2015-2016. Danica now works as the executive director of Emerge Virginia, where she trains Democratic women how to run for office, and is the author of the 2022 memoir, “Burn the Page.” (Viking Books/PRH).
Request yard signs for your home or business!
Michelle Maldonado for House of Delegates (HD-20). A long-time resident of the Manassas area, Delegate Michelle Lopes Maldonado is an entrepreneur, business leader, mother, wife, and bridge-builder who proudly serves the people of Virginia’s 50th House District. She is the first woman, the first person of color, and only the second Democrat, to serve in this seat in the history of Virginia.
During her first term, Michelle served on the Education, K12, Privileges & Elections, Campaign Finance Reform, and Courts of Justice committees. She also was appointed by Majority Leader Don Scott to Chair the House Democratic Caucus Affordable Housing Policy Committee and by the Speaker of the House to sit on the new statewide School Health Services Committee.
A hardworking, action-oriented, and collaborative legislator, Michelle was named 2022 “Rookie Legislator of the Year” by the Virginia Education Association. She also founded and chairs the new bipartisan, Virginia Technology and Innovation Caucus.
Michelle is a former corporate and tech attorney turned business leader, who understands diverse industry sectors, missions, and services. Michelle has a passion for people, community and service and works hard to ensure that all Virginians have a voice, access, and opportunity to thrive.
Donate to Michelle’s campaign!
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Jacqueline Smith for Clerk of the Prince William Circuit Court. Jacqueline has had a passion for ensuring access to justice since serving as a volunteer attorney in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Her clients there were left with no ability to rebuild after their land records were destroyed due to the government’s practice of storing them in the basement of the courthouse. When she returned home to her law practice, she was additionally concerned with the lack of customer service offered by the Clerk’s Office. With phones unanswered, documents unavailable and limited service availability, residents were deprived of the ability to exercise their legal rights. Since being elected, Jacqueline has ensured that phone calls are answered by a person and not a machine. She has made all public records available online and has launched Seals on Wheels, a mobile Clerk’s Office that allows her to provide services to residents in their neighborhoods on weekends to ensure that no one is prevented from accessing the services to which they are entitled. Outstanding Service to our Residents is Jacqueline’s Priority!
Donate to Jacqueline’s campaign!
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Amy Ashworth for Prince William Commonwealth’s Attorney. Amy is a dedicated and experienced Commonwealth’s Attorney who has spent her career fighting for justice in the courtroom. She has a passion for public service and has worked tirelessly to uphold the rights of her community. Amy’s unwavering commitment to public service and her deep sense of community make her a trusted and respected leader. She is honored to serve her fellow citizens and is dedicated to making the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and all of Prince William County a safer community for all.
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Joshua Lavon King, Sr. for Prince William Sheriff. With more than 20 years of law enforcement experience, Josh knows firsthand the challenges and opportunities within our law enforcement system. Josh will train a new generation of officers that will keep us safe and tackle issues, such as reducing recidivism, ending the school-to-prison pipeline, and enhancing safety at the Judicial Center.
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Support all five Democratic nominees by donating to the Manassas & Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee!
Request yard signs for your home or business!
Volunteer to help us greet voters outside the polls during early voting and/or on November 7!
Our Democratic sample ballot for the City of Manassas (pdf)
Official sample ballot for the City of Manassas (pdf)
Our Democratic sample ballot for the City of Manassas Park (pdf)
Official sample ballot for the City of Manassas Park (pdf)
Our 2023 Voter Outreach Booths
The Manassas & Manassas Park Democrats will staff tables at major community events this spring, summer, and fall, to spread the word about our local Committee and Democratic candidates and to promote voter registration and early voting for the November 7th General Election. Look for our booth at the following events. Better yet, sign up for a volunteer shift at those events, to help us with this vital voter outreach.
Sunday, May 21: Equality Prince William Pride Festival at the Harris Pavilion in Old Town Manassas, 12 noon – 4:00 pm.
Tuesday, August 1: Manassas Park’s National Night Out (NNO) event at Signal Hill Park, 9300 Signal View Dr, 5:00-8:00 pm.
Saturday, August 5: Manassas African American Heritage Festival, 11:00 am-6:00 pm (set up at 10 am), Metz Middle School, 9950 Wellington Rd, Manassas.
Saturday, September 30: Manassas Latino Festival at the Harris Pavilion in Old Town Manassas, 11:00 am-6 pm (set up at 10 am). Sign up here to help staff this booth!
