Monique “Moe” Bryant defeated June Prakash in the Arlington County Democratic Committee caucus , moving on to the Nov. 4 general election.

Bryant , executive director of Challenging Racism, won 1,288 votes (69%) to 582 for Prakash , president of the Arlington Education Association.

Voting took place online and in person. Results were announced Saturday (May 11) at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School.

Turnout was about 1.1% of Arlington’s 168,000 active voters.

Bryant told ARLnow she will move into the general-election race with the same focus she brought to the caucus campaign.

One priority will be pressing school-system leaders to be more connected to the public they serve.

“We’ve really got to lean into true engagement in a myriad of ways,” Bryant said while waiting for the vote totals to be announced. “Transparency is a big concern; accountability is a key concern.”

She also pointed to the possibility of federal funding being cut to the 28,000-student district.

“We need to think about contingency plans in advance,” Bryant said.

With the Democratic endorsement in hand, Bryant becomes the odds-on favorite to win the general election.

To date, only independent Major Webb (formerly known as Mike Webb) has filed the required paperwork to get on the School Board ballot, county elections director Gretchen Reinemeyer told ARLnow. Webb unsuccessfully ran for School Board in 2021 and House of Delegates in 2023.

Candidates have until June 17 to secure a spot on the ballot . The eventual winner will succeed School Board Chair Mary Kadera, who opted against seeking a second four-year term.

Both Bryant and Prakash were first-time candidates. After the vote was announced by party chair Steve Baker, Prakash told ARLnow that one race was enough, and she didn’t plan a second bid for office.

“Never say never,” advised a current elected official on hand to listen to the results.

Prakash said a dominant theme of the electorate had been federal funding , which makes up a relatively small but critical component of the school system’s $845 million budget .

She found voters who turned up to cast ballots in person informed about the issues.

“A lot of people were asking really great questions,” Prakash said as the candidates broke down their campaign tents once voting had concluded at 6 p.m.

In Virginia, School Board seats are officially nonpartisan, although political parties can endorse candidates. No non-Democratic-endorsed candidate for School Board has won in Arlington since David Foster’s twin victories in 1999 and 2003.

To participate in the caucus, voters had to sign a pledge that they identified as Democrats and would not support non-Democratic candidates in 2025 races.

That requirement has long rankled many in the community, but when the local Democratic organization attempted to remove it, the decision was overruled by the Democratic Party of Virginia.

The advocacy group Arlington Parents for Education encouraged residents to take part in the caucus, even though the organization said it was the wrong way to select School Board members.

“We continue to believe it’s time to rethink the partisan endorsement process for a nonpartisan seat,” the organization said in a statement. “But until the system changes, this is the one we’ve got.”

The general election winner takes office Jan. 1. The 2025 Board will be one where none of the five members has served more than a single term in office.