House District 95: Alex Askew beats Rick James for Democratic nomination

VIRGINIA BEACH — Alex Askew won the Democratic primary for Virginia House District 95.

Askew faced challenger Rick James. The district leans Democratic and has no Republican contender in the November general election.

The Associated Press called the race for Askew around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Askew had 2,026 votes to James’ 821 votes with 81% of the precincts reporting.

“It shows Virginia’s ready for steadfast leadership, folks that are experienced and ready to get to work on Day 1,” Askew said by phone Tuesday night.

The district mostly includes parts of western Virginia Beach and a small part of Norfolk.

Askew, 38, served as a state delegate for the 85th District for one term, from 2020 to 2022. In that time, he led an effort to implement a lead-water testing process in Virginia public schools and day cares. He lost a bid for reelection to Republican Karen Greenhalgh in 2022, but wanted a comeback to familiar territory.

Askew, a community relations coordinator for Sentara Healthcare, grew up in the Level Green/College Park area. His top priority: increase investment in Virginia’s public schools. He plans to pass legislation that works to solve issues related to mental health and public safety in education.

James, 58, an Army veteran, was born in Norfolk and worked there as a police officer. He has lived in Virginia Beach for years. James was a legislative aide for state Sen. Lionell Spruill and has been active in the Virginia Beach and Norfolk NAACP branches.

Askew significantly out raised James, bringing in $181,266 in campaign donations compared to $36,994 as of June 8, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Some of Askew’s top donors included in Clean Virginia Fund and Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com