Adam Ebbin

Adam P. Ebbin
Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 30th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 11, 2012
Preceded by Patsy Ticer
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 49th district
In office
January 14, 2004 – January 11, 2012
Preceded by L. Karen Darner
Succeeded by Alfonso H. Lopez
Personal details
Born November 10, 1963
Huntington, New York, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Residence Alexandria, Virginia
Alma mater American University
Occupation Marketing consultant
Religion Jewish
Website adamebbin.com

Adam P. Ebbin (born November 10, 1963) is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia. A Democrat, he is a member of the Senate of Virginia, representing the 30th district in Northern Virginia since January 2012. He previously served eight years in the Virginia House of Delegates. On January 30, 2014, Ebbin announced that he would run for the 8th Congressional district seat being vacated by Congressman Jim Moran in the June 10, 2014, Democratic primary. [1]

Early life

A 1985 graduate of the American University in Washington, D.C., Ebbin was a Fellow at the University of Virginia's Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership in 2000.[2][3] A longtime Democratic Party activist, Ebbin spent a decade on the party's state central committee and was a delegate to both the 2000 and 2004 Democratic national conventions.

House of Delegates

He first sought the 49th district seat in 2003, narrowly winning a five-person Democratic primary and facing no Republican opponent in the general election.[4] He took office in January 2004 and was re-elected unopposed in 2005. Ebbin faced only an Independent Green opponent in 2007, winning easily, and ran unopposed in 2009. The district includes a large part of South Arlington, the Del Ray and Arlandria portions of the City of Alexandria and parts of Bailey's Crossroads in Fairfax County.

State Senate

Ebbin decided to give up his seat in the House of Delegates to run for the Virginia State Senate in 2011, following Patsy Ticer's announcement that she would not seek re-election. He ran in the 30th district, comprising parts of Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County; the district leans heavily Democratic.[5]

He faced a heated Democratic primary election held on August 23, 2011, with two opponents: Rob Krupicka, a member of the Alexandria city council, and Libby Garvey, a member of the Arlington school board. Krupicka, who led in fundraising, was widely considered the favorite but Ebbin prevailed narrowly in what local newspapers called an "upset" and a "shocker".[6] Ebbin took 39% of the vote to Krupicka's 36% and Garvey's 25% – a margin of 335 votes.[7] The 30th district race was the second most expensive primary in the state, with the three Democratic candidates raising a combined $746,000.[8] In the general election, Ebbin faced Republican candidate Tim McGhee and prevailed easily. He took office as a Virginia state senator on January 11, 2012.

30th State Senate district, 2011 Democratic primary election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Adam Ebbin 4,570 38.8% n/a
Democratic Rob Krupicka 4,235 35.9% n/a
Democratic Libby Garvey 2,980 25.3% n/a
Source: Virginia State Board of Elections
30th State Senate district, 2011 general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Adam Ebbin 20,968 64.7% n/a
Republican Tim McGhee 11,349 35.0% n/a
Write-in 90 0.3% n/a
Turnout 32,407 26.3%
Democratic hold Swing
Source: Virginia State Board of Elections

Personal

A former president of the Virginia Partisans Gay & Lesbian Democratic Club, Ebbin was the third openly gay elected official in Virginia and the first ever openly gay member of the Virginia General Assembly.[9] His campaigns have won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.[10] He was previously employed by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network as its Director of Communications.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Adam Ebbin announces Congressional run for Virginia's 8th District seat". MetroWeekly. 2014-01-30.
  2. ↑ "Adam P. Ebbin (D)". Washington Post. 2005-11-03.
  3. ↑ "PLP Class of 2000". Sorensen Institute.
  4. ↑ "Va. elects 1st gay delegate". Washington Blade. 2003-11-07.
  5. ↑ "Arlington Vote Helps Ebbin Inch Toward Victory in 30th Senate Race". Sun Gazette. August 23, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Adam Ebbin Pulls Off Primary Upset: Underdog candidate pulls victory in state Senate shocker". Connection Newspapers. August 24, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Ebbin beats out Krupicka, Garvey in District 30 primary". The Alexandria Times. August 23, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Race in 31st Was Pricey, But Not Priciest Among Primaries". Sun Gazette. September 18, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Out Candidates Make Good". The Advocate. 2003-12-09.
  10. ↑ "Victory Fund endorses record number of candidates". Washington Blade. 2007-10-26.
  11. ↑ "Suite Talk June 17, 2008". The Politico. 2008-06-17.

External links