Justin Wilson
Wilson in November 2015
Mayor of Alexandria, Virginia
Assumed office
January 2, 2019
Preceded byAllison Silberberg
Vice Mayor of Alexandria, Virginia
In office
2016–2019
Member of the Alexandria City Council
In office
2012–2016
In office
2007–2009
Personal details
Born (1979-03-11) March 11, 1979 (age 44)
Cheverly, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseAlex Crawford-Batt
Children2
Alma materVirginia Commonwealth University

Justin Marshall Wilson (born March 11, 1979) is an American politician who has served as Mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, since January 2, 2019.[1] He previously served on the Alexandria City Council, including a term as Vice Mayor from 2016 to 2019.[1] He is a member of the Democratic Party. On December 1, 2023, he announced that he is not seeking reelection in 2024.[2]

Biography

Wilson was born in Cheverly, Maryland, to a Caucasian mother and African American father, and grew up in Washington, D.C., and Fairfax County, Virginia.[3] He graduated from John R. Lewis High School (Springfield, VA) when it was under the name of Robert E. Lee High School and Virginia Commonwealth University.[4] Wilson got his start in politics in the Virginia Young Democrats, and later served as a page for Don Beyer, during Beyer's tenure as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.[4] He married Alex Crawford-Batt in 2001, three years after meeting at a Democratic state convention while in college.[5]

Wilson was elected to the Alexandria City Council in 2007 but lost his bid for re-election in 2009. He was elected to the council for a second time in the 2012 election, and was re-elected in 2015. As the council member with the highest vote total in the 2015 election, he served as Vice Mayor for the following council term.[1][4]

In the 2018 Democratic mayoral primary, Wilson defeated incumbent mayor and fellow Democrat Allison Silberberg, by a margin of 52% to 47%.[6][7] No other candidate qualified for the November general election ballot, so Wilson ran unopposed, although write-in votes were permitted; Wilson received 93% of the votes cast.[4]

In a rematch, Wilson defeated Allison Silberberg in the 2021 Democratic primary, 57% to 43%. Wilson defeated Republican nominee Annetta Catchings in the general election, by a margin of 68% to 31%.[8]

Because Alexandria's mayor serves only part-time, Wilson also works for Amtrak as a senior director of vendor and contract management. He is married with two children.[4][9]

Electoral history

2009

2009 Alexandria City Council Election, general election[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kerry J. Donley 7,713 11.7
Democratic K. Rob Krupicka 7,707 11.7
Republican Frank H. Fannon, IV 7,220 11.0
Democratic Redella Del S. Pepper 7,175 10.9
Democratic Paul C. Smedberg 7,096 10.8
Independent Alicia R. Hughes 7,042 10.7
Democratic Timothy B. Lovain (incumbent) 6,874 10.4
Democratic Justin M. Wilson (incumbent) 6,735 10.2

2012

2012 Alexandria City Council Election, Democratic Party primary election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Timothy B. Lovain 5,388 9.1
Democratic Justin M. Wilson 5,192 8.7
Democratic Allison Silberberg 5,168 8.7
Democratic Redella Del S. Pepper (incumbent) 7,175 8.5
Democratic Paul C. Smedberg (incumbent) 4,957 8.3
Democratic John Taylor Chapman 4,644 7.8
2012 Alexandria City Council Election, general election[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Allison Silberberg 36,761 12.3
Democratic Redella S. Pepper (incumbent) 35,197 11.8
Democratic John Taylor Chapman 33,713 11.3
Democratic Justin M. Wilson 31,550 10.6
Democratic Timothy B. Lovain 31,338 10.5
Democratic Paul C. Smedberg (incumbent) 30,015 10.0

2015

2015 Alexandria City Council Election, general election[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Justin M. Wilson (incumbent) 15,852 11.7
Democratic John Taylor Chapman (incumbent) 15,437 11.4
Democratic Paul C. Smedberg (incumbent) 14,914 11.0
Democratic Redella S. Pepper (incumbent) 14,733 10.8
Democratic Timothy B. Lovain (incumbent) 14,597 10.7
Democratic Willie Fitzgerald Bailey, Sr 13,514 10.0

2018

2018 Alexandria, Virginia, mayoral election, Democratic Party primary election[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Justin M. Wilson 11,451 53.0
Democratic Allison Silberberg (incumbent) 10,186 47.1
2018 Alexandria, Virginia, mayoral election[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Justin M. Wilson 51,750 92.4
Write-in 4,066 7.3

2021

2021 Alexandria, Virginia, mayoral election, Democratic Party primary election[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Justin M. Wilson (incumbent) 13,176 57.2
Democratic Allison Silberberg 9,857 42.8
2021 Alexandria, Virginia, mayoral election[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Justin M. Wilson (incumbent) 36,276 67.7
Republican Annetta Michelle Catchings 16,584 30.9

References

  1. ^ a b c Schrott, Missy (3 January 2019). "Justin Wilson steps into mayoral office | Alexandria Times | Alexandria, VA". Alexandria Times. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  2. ^ Wadland, Mary. "BREAKING NEWS: Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson Says He Will Not Seek Re-election in 2024". The Zebra. The Zebra. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  3. ^ Sullivan, Patricia (2018-12-22). "As Alexandria mayor, Justin Wilson wants to quicken how government works". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  4. ^ a b c d e Sullivan, Patricia (2018-12-21). "As Alexandria mayor, Justin Wilson wants to quicken how government works". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  5. ^ "Tying the Knot: Mayor Justin Wilson and wife Alex weather the unexpected". 18 April 2019.
  6. ^ Justin Wilson defeats incumbent Alexandria, Va., Mayor Allison Silberberg in primary, Washington Post, Jun. 12, 2018.
  7. ^ "Official City of Alexandria, Virginia June 12, 2018 Official Election Results Democratic Primary" (PDF). Alexandria, Virginia. June 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  8. ^ "2021 Virginia city, county election results". WTOP News. 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  9. ^ "Mayor Justin Wilson". www.alexandriava.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  10. ^ [1]. Virginia Department of Elections.
  11. ^ [2]. Virginia Department of Elections.
  12. ^ [3]. Virginia Department of Elections.
  13. ^ [4]. Virginia Department of Elections.
  14. ^ [5]. Virginia Department of Elections.
  15. ^ [6]. Virginia Department of Elections.
  16. ^ [7]. Virginia Department of Elections.
  17. ^ [8]. Virginia Department of Elections.

External links

Mayors of cities with populations exceeding 100,000 in Virginia
Mayors of Alexandria, Virginia
Categories