​THE REBOUND

While everyone is focused on the state-wide election results in Virginia, it is a local contest that gives me encouragement that Americans have had enough anger and divisive rhetoric from the top.
 
Prince William County rests just far enough south of the infamous Beltway that people used to debate whether or not to include it as part of Northern Virginia.  But as populations increased and affordable housing evaporated in close-in Fairfax County and the inner communities of Arlington and Alexandria, more and more people came to recognize Prince William as part of the metro area. 
 
My wife has kept me informed about the county over many years; she covers real estate matters for a trade publication.  Years of listening to zoning board and county council hearings have given her a nuanced understanding of how things operate there, sometimes very differently than in the People’s Republic of Alexandria, where we live.
 
For a long time, Republicans held sway over the council.  Many of them were local business owners who were conservative on matters of taxes and zoning but moderate on social issues.  To be sure, there were residents who were open about their distrust of people who were non-white, non-Christian and non-wealthy (how’s that for circumlocution), but also some whose more liberal attitudes were expressed at full volume during citizens’ time during public meetings.
 
Eventually, a young man named Corey Stewart was elected chair of the Prince Willian County Council.  Mr. Stewart made a national name for himself by emulating some of the more controversial figures on the far-right end of the political spectrum.  When affordable housing attracted day workers to the county, he became a proponent of anti-immigrant policies reminiscent of Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona—including an outdoor “holding pen” from which he demanded ICE officials pick up undocumented persons.  (They didn’t.)  When he ran for statewide office, he tried to fund his campaign by raffling off an assault-style weapon.  He offered full-throated support for memorials to Confederate military figures alongside Jason Kessler, one of the organizers of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.  He presided over attempts to prevent a local Muslim community from building their mosque.  He held the distinction of being fired by the Trump campaign for being too extreme.
 
Mr. Stewart ran for statewide office three times.  In 2013, he lost the nomination for Lt. Governor to someone more extreme. He failed to be nominated for governor in 2017 by a narrow margin.  In 2018 he ran as the nominee for United States Senator.  He was defeated by a 16-point margin.
 
During all of this time – and until the most recent election – Corey Stewart was chair of the Prince William County Council.  He did not seek reelection in 2019. 
 
The new chair of the County Council won her seat by defeating her opponent by more than 20 points.  Ann Wheeler ran on a platform of inclusivity and civility.  Though county elections are conducted without party identification, she and the new majority identify as Democrats.
 
Corey Stewart has left politics.