Arlington County Board Race: de Ferranti Leads Cash Race Ahead Of Aug. 4 Primary

ARLINGTON, VA — Incumbent Arlington County Board member Matt de Ferranti enters the final two weeks before the Aug. 4 Democratic primary with the largest campaign treasury, while challengers James DeVita and Julie Farnam both reported raising more than $20,000 during the most recent fundraising period.

Campaign finance reports filed with the Virginia Department of Elections show de Ferranti finished the latest reporting period with nearly $28,000 cash on hand, compared with about $5,000 for Farnam and about $1,300 for DeVita.

The winner of the Aug. 4 Democratic primary is expected to be heavily favored in November in heavily Democratic Arlington County.

Latest Fundraising

For the reporting period covering April 1 through June 30:

While DeVita posted the largest fundraising total during the quarter, he also spent nearly all of it, ending June with just over $1,200 remaining. Farnam likewise spent heavily after raising nearly $22,000, while de Ferranti maintained the campaign's largest financial cushion after a more modest fundraising quarter.

Overall 2026 Fundraising

Current campaign committees formed for the 2026 race have reported:

Those totals reflect only each candidate's current 2026 campaign committee.

De Ferranti has also maintained an active campaign committee dating back to previous County Board races, giving him a substantially larger reserve entering the election season. His filings show the committee carried forward nearly $20,000 into 2026 before raising additional contributions this year.

Different Financial Positions

The reports illustrate three different campaign strategies.

De Ferranti entered the race with significant cash reserves built during prior campaigns and has continued raising money while preserving much of his treasury.

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Farnam launched her committee in March and has quickly assembled a fundraising operation, raising more than $26,500 in less than four months while maintaining nearly $5,000 available for the final stretch.

DeVita, who created his current committee in August 2025, reported his strongest fundraising quarter of the campaign during April through June but spent heavily on campaign operations, leaving comparatively little cash available heading into the primary.

Campaign History

The filings also show all three candidates have prior experience raising campaign funds.

De Ferranti's committee has been active since his successful 2018 County Board campaign and contains multiple election cycles of fundraising and expenditures. His campaign has consistently reported tens of thousands of dollars in contributions during prior election years.

DeVita previously operated separate campaign committees during unsuccessful bids for the Virginia Senate in 2023 and Arlington County Board in 2024 before opening his current 2026 committee.

Farnam also maintained a separate campaign committee during her 2024 County Board campaign before opening her current 2026 committee.

Arlington Democratic Primary

The Democratic primary will be held Tuesday, Aug. 4. The winner is expected to advance to the November general election for the Arlington County Board seat.

Democrats in the 8th District will have a U.S. House of Representatives contest on the ballot.View a Democratic primary sample ballot.

The deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter registration is Friday, July 24., which is also the deadline to request a mail-in ballot. Voters can also register to vote at the polls and cast a provisional ballot.

Visit the Virginia Department of Elections Citizen Portal to register, check your registration status, or apply to receive an absentee ballot by mail. The department of elections website also offers information on the what identification to bring with you to the polls.