Virginia’s only socialist state lawmaker lost his reelection bid and says he’s glad to be leaving.
Del. Lee Carter, representing Washington, D.C.’s exurbs in Northern Virginia, lost two races on Tuesday. He finished far behind Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe in his bid for governor and was defeated in his own renomination contest by Michelle E. Lopes-Maldonado, a former attorney and small-business owner.
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The twin losses likely bring to a close one of the more colorful careers in state politics in recent memory. Carter, a retired Marine, won his legislative seat in 2017 with a campaign focused on single-payer healthcare and limiting contributions to politicians.
And ahead of his 2019 reelection bid, Carter preemptively put out negative information concerning his personal life. Carter said his third wife physically and emotionally abused him, which resulted in police involvement and an emergency protective order.
Following his loss for his reelection on Tuesday, Carter, 34, vented his frustration on Twitter.
“This job has made me miserable for the last 4 years,” he wrote. “I made a lot of people’s lives objectively better, but the constant assassination threats and harassment were terrible for my family and my health.”
He added, “I’m relieved to say that I’ve done my part, and now it’s someone else’s turn.”
Virginia Republican Party Chairman Rich Anderson applauded Carter’s loss, telling the Washington Examiner his defeat was a gain for Prince William County and Virginia more broadly.
“Carter committed the selfish act of simultaneously running for two seats and lost both. In 2018, he worked unsuccessfully against a planned expansion of Micron in Manassas, which today is bringing 1,100 jobs to Prince William County — a grave misjudgment on Carter’s part,” Anderson said.
And Carter participated in a “violent riot” in Manassas in 2020, Anderson said. The lawmaker “unlawfully confronted police officers and was rightfully pepper-sprayed as four Prince William County police officers were injured.”
Carter, who represents the city of Manassas, was among a handful of Democratic incumbents who were ousted in the Commonwealth’s primary. Del. Mark Levine, who also mounted a failed bid for lieutenant governor, lost his Alexandria seat to the city’s vice mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker.
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One Virginia Republican, a seven-term incumbent, lost his seat Tuesday night. Del. Charles Poindexter of Franklin County was defeated by Wren Williams, who lent himself $130,000 to out-raise Poindexter. Poindexter lost by about 25 points to Williams, who advised then-President Donald Trump’s campaign during the Wisconsin recount.
