An Alexandria data scientist and political organizer has launched a Democratic primary challenge against the delegate who has held House District 5 for less than a year. Glen Pine announced Tuesday that he is running as a Democrat for the seat, setting up a primary fight against Del. Kirk McPike ahead of the 2027 election cycle.
Pine's campaign said he has officially filed his candidacy for the race, according to Alexandria Brief. McPike, who holds the seat, said in an email Tuesday that he will seek reelection, per the same report. As first reported by ALXnow, Pine is a democratic socialist who plans to lean on extensive door-knocking and grassroots supporters to defeat the incumbent.
Who Is Glen Pine?
Pine, 48, lives in Alexandria's West End with his wife and teenage son and has called the city home for 11 years, according to ALXnow's reporting. He most recently worked as a director of data science at Capital One for four years, after three years as a data science manager at the company and four years as a data scientist at Savi Technology, per the same account. Pine holds a doctorate in philosophy from New York University and a bachelor of science degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
Pine has described becoming politically active after witnessing the World Trade Center attack in New York City on September 11, 2001, and said he has protested for more than 20 years, the outlet reported. He co-founded Alexandrians for Palestinian Human Rights and organizes with that group along with DeFlock ALX and ICE Out of Alexandria, and he has volunteered with United for Peace and Justice and the Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020. He is also a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, per ALXnow.
A Campaign Built on Data Centers and Affordability
Pine's campaign is prioritizing affordability, a statewide data center moratorium, and severing ties between Israel and Virginia, according to the outlet's reporting. He has called the Virginia Israel Advisory Board a redundant entity that diverts millions of dollars annually in state, federal and private grants to Israeli corporations; ALXnow reported that this is central to his campaign messaging.
Pine supports eliminating Virginia's 1% grocery tax and has said the living wage in his district is $29 an hour for a person without children, compared with Virginia's current hourly minimum wage of $12.77, according to ALXnow. He has said government should help workers displaced by market disruption through financial transition assistance, training and upskilling, and he will advocate for collective bargaining rights, a livable minimum wage and affordable housing for all Virginians.
Pine's data center stance lands amid a broader statewide fight. Virginia is home to nearly 400 operating data centers with more than 280 planned and more proposed each year, according to the Virginia Mercury, citing Pew Research Center figures. Dominion Energy has about 25,000 megawatts of power assigned to projects with an energized date and another 75,000 megawatts slated for projects without power-up dates yet, the outlet reported. Earlier this month, a march from Alexandria's West End to Lincolnia called for Fairfax County Planning Commission denial of a proposed Edsall Road electrical substation and for a moratorium on new data center development, part of a two-week statewide March for a Moratorium effort, according to ALXnow. Gov. Abigail Spanberger has also announced a framework to review data center noise regulations, backup power generators and grid reliability guidelines, with standards targeted for the General Assembly's 2027 session, per the same report.
On Immigration and Policing
Pine supports abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is urging the General Assembly to bar local sheriffs from releasing inmates to ICE custody without a judicial warrant, ALXnow reported. The outlet noted that Sheriff Sean Casey has been criticized for releasing Alexandria inmates to ICE custody on administrative warrants not signed by a judge.
McPike's Record and Response
McPike was elected to Alexandria City Council in 2021 and was reelected in 2024. He won the Democratic nomination for House District 5 in a firehouse primary against three opponents in January, taking 60% of 1,279 votes tallied, to fill the seat vacated by Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, according to vademocrats.org. Before the special election, McPike served on council where he championed housing affordability, climate action, responsible budgeting and increased public engagement in government, per that account.
McPike then won the February 10 special election against Republican Marvin Mason Butler. Vote totals for that race differ between outlets: Alexandria Brief reported McPike defeated Butler 7,114 votes to 1,495, or 82.18% to 17.27%, while WTOP reported McPike won 91.5% of the vote in House District 5. The special election was one of two Virginia General Assembly vacancies filled that day, according to WTOP's live results coverage.
After winning the special election, McPike resigned from City Council and from his longtime job as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, and he was sworn in as delegate later in February. McPike said he welcomes the opportunity to discuss his record and vision for Virginia, telling ALXnow he is focused on delivering for Alexandria, advancing a progressive agenda, preparing legislation and campaigning for a marriage equality constitutional amendment. McPike chairs the campaign to pass that amendment this November; organizers have said they plan to spend the coming months traveling across the state to build support, according to the Virginia Mercury.
Pine said he has not spoken with McPike about the challenge. “I'm running to win,” he said, according to ALXnow, which also reported that he has said he has lost friends and family over his beliefs and passion about the conflict. The Democratic primary is scheduled for June 15, 2027, ahead of the November 2, 2027 general election.
