Tom Bonier, a Democratic strategist and senior advisor to TargetSmart, a Democratic polling and data firm, has tempered initial enthusiasm for the upcoming elections in Manassas Park, Virginia. The U. S. Department of Justice will be monitoring the voting centers in Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park as part of 64 jurisdictions across the country.
The electoral districts in the city of Manassas have been redrawn since 201, and this has had an impact on the political landscape. In Virginia, there are only a few seats in the House of Representatives and Senate that could decide which party controls the General Assembly. These seats are located in Northern Virginia and are considered to be 'purple' districts. Danica Roem, the Democratic candidate for Virginia's 30th Senate District, is a lifelong resident of Manassas Park and is running on a platform of providing free school lunches in Manassas and Manassas Park while improving the county's infrastructure. She is the first woman, the first person of color and only the second Democrat to hold this seat in Virginia's history. The 20th House of Delegates district, 30th senatorial district in Virginia and 10th congressional district have all been reconfigured to include Manassas and Manassas Park.
Another race with high stakes is the one in District 30 of Manassas City, Manassas Park and parts of western Prince William County. Tara Durant is running against Democrat Joel Griffin and independent candidate Monica Gary in this competitive district. Paul Mason, who left federal service to become an active volunteer for the Democratic Committee of Manassas Park Cities & Manassas Park, believes that Roem's campaign has gained “a pretty good advantage” at early voting sites in Manassas after the arrival of mail-in ballots. The upcoming elections will be a crucial test for Democrats in Manassas Park as they strive to gain control of the General Assembly. With so much at stake, it will be interesting to see how these races play out.
