Stella Pekarsky
Stella Pekarsky | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 36th district | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Scott Surovell (Redistricting) |
| Member of the Fairfax County School Board | |
| In office January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Pavel Pekarsky |
| Education | George Mason University |
Stella Pekarsky is an American politician of the Democratic Party from Virginia. She serves in the Senate of Virginia, representing the 36th district, made up of western Fairfax County.[1] She was first elected to the Virginia Senate in the 2023 Virginia Senate election.
She previously served as a member of the Fairfax County Public Schools board.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Pekarsky graduated with a B.A. in government and Politics from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.[3] She is Greek-American and a practicing Greek Orthodox.[4]
Virginia State Senate
[edit]2023 election
[edit]Pekarsky announced her candidacy in 2023 against Democrat George Barker, who had previously represented the 39th district, which, because of redistricting, now covered the newly made 36th district. On June 21, Pekarsky pulled an upset victory defeating the sitting State Senator in a 52%-47% victory.[5]
In the general election, she faced Julie Perry, a high school teacher at Centreville High School. Perry faced anti-semetic criticism for claiming that "To come out and say you’re a teacher on the right is almost as dangerous as … going through Germany in the 1930s and saying, ‘I’m Jewish.’ It’s gotten that bad”.[6] On November 7, Pekarsky defeated Perry in a 60%-38% victory.[7]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Stella Pekarsky | 20,355 | 58.45 | |
| Republican | Thomas Wilson | 14,383 | 41.30 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Stella Pekarsky | 8,083 | 52.47 | |
| Democratic | George Barker | 7,322 | 47.53 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Stella Pekarsky | 36,802 | 60.85 | |
| Republican | Julie Perry | 23,458 | 38.78 | |
References
[edit]- ^ "vpap.org". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ^ "Virginians oust Democrat who sought abortion limits and Republican who denied 2020 results". ABC News. June 20, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ "Stella's Story | Stella Pekarsky for Virginia Senate". stellapekarsky.com. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ^ "Senate of Virginia". apps.senate.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ^ "Fairfax County Democrats oust two established senators, as incumbents prevail in local races | FFXnow". FFXnow | Fairfax County, Va. breaking news and local happenings. 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ^ Lai, Stephanie (2021-07-30). "Republican House of Delegates candidate in Va. compares right-leaning teachers to Jews in Nazi Germany". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ^ "vpap.org". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
External links
[edit]
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- Living people
- 21st-century American legislators
- 21st-century American women politicians
- Women state legislators in Virginia
- Democratic Party Virginia state senators
- George Mason University alumni
- American people of Greek descent
- Greek Orthodox Christians from the United States
- Politicians from Fairfax County, Virginia
- 21st-century Virginia politicians
- Virginia politician stubs