Read Claims Victory Over Yi With 8 Of 9 Precincts

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Catherine S. Read declared victory Tuesday night, becoming the first woman to be elected as mayor in Fairfax City.

“This election was about Fairfax City values and continuing to chart a path of progress," Read said, in a statement. "I am honored by the responsibility that City residents have entrusted me with. Fairfax City’s Mayor must serve all of the City’s stakeholders. As the first woman to serve as Mayor, I look forward to working with everyone — residents, my partners in City Council, other elected officials, and local businesses — as we come together in our shared goal to ensure that Fairfax City continues to be a vibrant place to live and thrive.”

With eight of nine precincts reporting at 8:43 p.m., Catherine S. Read had Fairfax City Councilmember Sang H. Yi, with 4,757 (5o.45 percent) votes to 4,639 (49.19 percent).

As each new precinct reported its results Tuesday night, Yi closed the gap slightly. Ultimately, he fell 118 votes short after the numbers from the eighth precinct were added in. Read's 1.26 percent lead fell outside the range for a recount.

A closer look at election day totals shows that Yi actually won five of the six precincts, but Read won the absentee and early voting by approximately 9 to 14 percentage points.

Yi called his opponent Tuesday night and conceded, according to the Read campaign's statement.

“I’m deeply grateful for all of the support for my candidacy from residents here in the City., We put out 11,000 flyers, had over 400 hours of volunteer time and canvassed all six precincts many times together to get the word out about the issues we care about," Read said, in a statement. "I have always believed in the importance of local elections and issues, and seeing so many City residents agree was heartening. Now, I hope we continue the energy as we work for the future of our City — together.”

Congrats to the next mayor of Fairfax City @csread! pic.twitter.com/gil0cMI2ug
— Gerry Connolly (@ElectConnolly) November 9, 2022

In the Fairfax City Council race, the top six voter getters will fill the six vacant seats on the council. The unofficial results were:

• So P. Lim* with 6,246 votes (15.39 percent)
• D.T. "Tom" Ross* with 5,228 votes (12.88 percent)
• Jon R. Stehle Jr.* with 4,935 votes (12.16 percent)
• Kate G. Doyle Feingold with 4,509 votes (11.11 percent)
• Jeffrey C. Greenfield with 4,158 (10.24 percent)
• Anahita N. "Ana" Renner with 4,123 (10.16 percent.
• Billy Bates, 3,424 (10.13 percent)
• Joseph D. Harmon* 3,976 votes (9.77 percent)
• Craig S. Salewski 3,139 (7.72 percent).

*Incumbent

Five candidates ran on Tuesday to fill the five seats on the school board. As of 8:10 p.m., the unofficial results for were:

• Carolyn S. Pitches* - 5,467 votes (21.56 percent)
• Stacy Hall - 5,003 votes (19.73 percent)
• Sarah M. Kelsey - 4,862 votes (19.18 percent)
• Amit S. Hickman - 4,802 votes (18.94 percent)
• Rachel M. McQuillen - 4,875 (19.23 percent)

*Incumbent

In 2021, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law moving municipal races from May to November. This is the first time Fairfax City races were on the November ballot.

"Voting went well with no major issues," said Brenda Cabrera, the city’s director of elections and general registrar, of Tuesday's election.

Although official voting totals won't be finalized until Nov. 14, Cabrera said that as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, 24 percent of city voters had cast ballots early or by mail in this election.

"At the moment, 4,019 voters have either voted by mail or early voting," she said.

Even without including Tuesday's votes, that's more total votes cast than in any May election in city history.

"In 2020, there was a 21 percent turnout with 15 percent by-mail and early voting and 6 percent election day voting," she said. "In 2020, the majority of voters voted by mail due to the pandemic."

Looking at how Tuesday's voting compared to other November mid-term elections, there was approximately 53 percent voter turnout at 5 p.m., according to Cabrera.

In 2018, total voter turnout was more than 69 percent with 10.45 percent by-mail and early voting, Cabrera said, adding that there was higher than normal turnout for a November election that year.

In the 11th congressional district, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) was the projected winner by AP. As of 5:23 a.m., on Wednesday, Connolly had a total of 184,593 votes while Republican challenger Jim Myles had 93,460 votes with 184 of 186 precincts reporting.

Connolly is in his seventh term as the representative for the 11th congressional district, is a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, is chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations and is a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He previously served 14 years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, including five years as the chairman.

Myles, the Republican challenger, is a retired federal judge and U.S. Air Force veteran. He was chosen as a candidate during a May Republican convention.

After redistricting, the 11th congressional district still contains all of the City of Fairfax and Herndon, but borders are adjusted elsewhere. The redrawn map no longer includes parts of Prince William County and contains more of Fairfax County.

The 11th congressional district is considered solid Democrat in the 2022 Cook Political Report's House race ratings.

REAL-TIME RESULTS FOR FAIRFAX CITY ELECTIONS

Results For Fairfax City Only

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Districtwide Results for 11th Congressional District

Be sure to refresh this page for the latest results. Can't see the widget below? Click here for results from the Virginia Department of Elections.